


What I Learned at SRU

by Destiny_Smasher



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, Cover Art, Crime Scenes, Digital Art, Digital Painting, Drama, Family, Family Drama, Fan Comics, Fanart, Female Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gaang, Gen, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Romantic Friendship, Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-18
Updated: 2014-02-20
Packaged: 2017-11-26 00:22:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 84
Words: 496,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/644518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destiny_Smasher/pseuds/Destiny_Smasher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>DO NOT read the relationships tags if you don't want to be spoiled.</p><p>'What I Learned at SRU' is an Avatar: The Last Airbender & Legend of Korra-inspired modern day college series about friendship, romance, family...and growing up. It is NOT your stereotypical fluffy nonsense high-school stuff. It is NOT a re-telling of the series, it is an original plot with backstories and certain pieces heavily inspired by The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra story, but using them as springboards to explore different scenarios and modern events. It's a massive fanfiction/fanart (200+ arts and counting) project that could perhaps be best summarized as Avatar: TLA/LoK meets How I Met Your Mother in a college setting (though less comedy and perhaps more drama/friendship/feelings...?). It is a huge love letter and narrative reply to the Avatar series, exploring themes concerning young adulthood. As such, it is a bit too complicated to decide what the most fitting tags are.</p><p>This project can be followed on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/WhatILearnedatSRU<br/>(Contains periodic scenes of criminal violence, strong language, implied sexual themes, but the bulk of the story is college-environment stuff</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

> Original Publication: October 22, 2010
> 
> As of 8/11/2012, this first chapter has an extended intro. This story has very rare scenes of mild violence, but does contain a fair amount of harsh language. However, it has no blatant sexual scenes and no excessive gore. The only thing that would make this story "m-rated" is language. It is about college students, and I feel it is appropriate for mature teenagers and up.
> 
> Saint Roku University is heavily inspired by my own alma mater, Houghton College, and I will be blatantly ripping ideas from the college here for the sake of homage and to contribute to genuineness - as will I be expressing personal experiences of mine through the narrative. Since a LOT of people seem to overreact to the initial 'shipping' (and in general freak out and care more about ships than the story), I have tagged any and all relevant relationships, but don't look at those if you don't want to be spoiled!
> 
> Lastly, since this is a more recent question I get from new readers, Legend of Korra elements and characters don't get introduced until later on into the story, as this series started about a year and a half before Legend of Korra did.
> 
> There is a LOT of artwork for this series, and while I design/commission a lot of it for this story, it is not MY artwork, so I will not be uploading the art separately but rather embedding it with credits/links within the story. If anyone has feedback on this, it is welcome.
> 
> Character names and personalities, along with many other attributes, are borrowed from the Avatar series, which I claim no rights to. Likewise, many other pop-culture items I reference within the story I claim no right to.
> 
> Enjoy this crazy train ride.

  
[SRU - Two Worlds, One Family](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Two-Worlds-One-Family-311909095) by =[Hoodsun](http://hoodsun.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)

* * *

\- Saturday, September 18th, 2010 -

["YOU HAVE... **THREE**...NEW MESSAGES. **FIRST**...MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep._ ]

["Smellerbee. It's Jet. You've been lying low, right? Damnit...I don't know what the hell is going on. The shit has hit the fuckin' fan, for sure. Stay on campus until this blows over - same goes for Longshot. Was hopin' it wouldn't come to this but we don't fuckin' get everything we want. Right? Fff. Anyways...I'll keep you posted. Just sit tight."]

[ _Beep._ ]  
["NEXT MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep_.]

["Heya, Jane. How ya doin' lately, huh?"] It was Toph. ["Katara's gettin' pretty worried about you. You've just been hiding in your room all the time. Did you even go to class today? You should stop by some time, Janey-Jane. This week has been boring without your smart-ass remarks and bitchy attitude. And besides, you've got Katara all freakin' out about ya. You know how she gets."] Toph's tone turned down its humor just enough to convince Jane she was being genuine. ["She really cares about you, ya know. And, like...I'm startin' to. Also. Or something."] She took on a snappy defense, ["B-but don't let that go to your stupid Irish head! I just wish you'd come chill with our friends, is all. I know it's kind of awkward at first - and I know that's usually _my_ fault, heh - but seriously, they're sweet guys. Er, like..'awesome' sweet. Sokka's not 'sweet' sweet. Pff. He's an idiot. What the crap was I...-? Oh, right. OK. So, like, come hang with us and stuff. Saturday night we're gonna do something. Give us a call or, ya know, _walk across the hall,_ we'll fill you in. Whatever. OK-OK-OK, I'm done now. 'Kay. Byeeeee."]

[ _Beep._ ]  
["NEXT MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep_.]

["Good evening. Smellerbee, is it?"] Whoever this was, they were using a device to disguise their voice. This fact alone caused Jane's stomach to lurch as she had an idea as to who it was - generally speaking - and why they were calling. ["Smellerbee...Kind of an odd name for a girl. You _are_ a girl, right? It's hard to tell. Interesting stories about _you_ floating around. But don't worry. You're not our concern. We just thought it'd be courteous to request that you relay a message to your _fearless leader,_ as you seem to be his right hand man. Or was it woman? Let Jet know that the Rough Rhinos know what he did, and that the favor is going to be repaid. Tonight."]

[ _Beep._ ]  
["END OF MESSA-"]

Jane closed her phone, her body stiffened, her mind drowning in fear. She stared at the phone in desperation before throwing it onto her bed as if touching it infected her with the poison of doubt.

" _Fuck_ ," she growled aloud. "Fuck-fuck-fuck." Her hands were trembling and she stuffed them into her baggy pants to try fooling herself into not noticing this fact. Her bare right foot tapped rapidly against the floor of her dorm room as drops of sweat formed on her forehead. She pondered what to do with herself next. She had to call Jet to make sure he was aware of the situation. Begrudgingly, she grabbed her phone and dialed Jet's number. No ringback.

["It's Jet. I'm out fighting for freedom at the moment."]  
" _Shit._ "  
["Leave me a message."]  
[ _Beep._ ]

"Jet, what's going on? I thought you said things were going to calm down? I just got a message from them. I don't know what's up but I think they might be coming after you. Watch your fuckin' back, man...Maybe you should skip town? I dunno. Call me _back_. Be careful."

Jane had known that sooner or later, something like this would happen, but she always figured it would play out differently. For some reason she had always expected something like the big fight in Gangs of New York - a mass of people all laying into each other - not a simple tit for a tat like this.

Now even more paranoid than she'd been before, pacing in a circle around her room repeatedly, Jane acknowledged her mental state. She considered her choices. She could continue to hide out, or she could take action. All of this hiding only seemed to be making her stir-crazy and freaked out. She meandered to her closet and dove through her things, retrieving a shoebox. She pulled out a small case and unclasped it. A four-inch knife, clean as a whistle, stared back up at her. Its hilt formed into the shape of a lioness, its mouth open in a roar.

_Hello, old friend. What shall it be tonight? Business or pleasure? What do you think? I'm thinking 'business.'_

* * *

  
  
[SRU - Freckle Faces](http://doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Freckle-Faces-318842770) by *[DoodleBuggy](http://doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

Smellerbee took a deep breath, sucking in the cold, midnight air through her nostrils, then sighing out vapors through her lips. She shivered, pulling up her hoodie over her ragged, orange hair. She lifted a wary arm to her bleary olive eyes, rubbing at the dark bags that hung beneath them. She dropped her hand back into her maroon hoodie's waist pocket, where it returned to its position, tightly grasping the hilt of her trusty four-inch blade. Two stripes of red paint were smeared across each of her freckled cheeks – the look she liked to wear when she was out on 'business.'

Her other hand began to vibrate from the cellphone stored within it. She quickly took it out, checking its screen for the message she was anticipating.

[From: Longshot]  
[hm?]  
[Sent: 12:09am]

Smellerbee sighed to herself, her bony fingers squeezing the phone with frustration. Hours ago, she'd sent him a text message advising him to head to bed after his errands for the evening were done – that something had come up and she'd be busy tonight. She had hoped that by now, her boyfriend would be sleeping, not texting her one-syllable responses because he was apparently too lazy to write anything else. Smellerbee was already worried enough about _one_ of the few friends in her life getting hurt tonight. She couldn't afford to have Longshot added to that list.

Smellerbee stuffed the phone back into her hoodie and peeked her head around the brick-walled corner she was residing upon. Her narrowed eyes glared up and down the quiet city street. Circles of light were cast upon the sidewalks from streetlamps, and she could see a blond woman in a jogging suit dashing by across the road. She glanced down the other way when she heard the humming of an engine, but it was just a car – not possibly who she was waiting here for.

She huffed with impatience and pulled her head back into the alleyway, rubbing her cold hands together within her hoodie's pocket.

 _The fuck_ are _you, Jet?_

She pulled out her phone again, punching a number on her speed dial.

[Calling... **Jet** ]  
 _Pick up, pick up. C'mon...Argh, come_ on!  
["It's Jet."]  
 _Shit..._  
["I'm out fighting for freedom at the moment."]  
 _The hell am I supposed to do?_  
["Leave me a message."]  
[ _Beep._ ]

Smellerbee shut the phone off after she'd hesitated to record a voicemail. At this point, it didn't matter. He was probably driving, anyway.

After a couple more minutes of tense waiting, Smellerbee finally heard the sound she'd been hoping would come around: a motorcycle. She poked her head out of the alley to confirm her suspicions. The vehicle in question was speeding dangerously around a corner, peeling down the road in her direction. She dashed out of the alleyway and entered one of the pools of light on the sidewalk, raising up her lanky arm in a frantic wave at the driver approaching her.

The familiar motorcycle steered dangerously into the alley Smellerbee had been hiding out in, giving her a start. She followed it on foot, bemoaning Jet's reckless behavior within her mind. She watched him slow to a stop, and made sure to direct a nasty glare in his face as she approached. He remained on his stationary bike as they talked.

"Smellerbee!" he huffed out in relief. She couldn't see his face well in the dark alley from a distance. "There you are." But his breathing was ragged and his voice trembled with a fear unlike anything she'd heard him utter. "Where's Longshot?" Jet demanded.

"I don't know," Smellerbee lied flatly. "Doesn't matter. I don't see what-"  
"Did you _call_ him?" Jet spat out frantically.

" _Yea,_ I _called_ him," she insisted with indignation to authenticate her falsehood. "Now will you tell me what the _fuck_ is goin' on?" Her voice cracked with her curse word. Jet's paranoia tonight was rubbing off on her. The sound of a car passing by caused the two of them to freeze up and stare out toward the road, watching it plod on by.

"It's the Rhinos, man," Jet grumbled, pulling Smellerbee's attention back. He shook his head. "They figured us out."

Smellerbee's stiff face didn't react to this. She'd figured as much, given the message they'd left on her voicemail earlier that evening.

"They chasin' you down?" she grunted. She saw his head nod furiously. "Shit...Listen, my car's parked down on the next block, we should-"  
" _Shh!_ "

Smellerbee's heart skipped a beat at Jet silencing her, for the cause of his shushing was the rumbling of motorcycles slowing down and parking on the street Jet had entered from.

Smellerbee instinctively snuck up toward the alley's edge, leaving Jet to hide on his bike in the shadows behind. Crouching behind a dumpster, she eavesdropped on the distant voices that echoed down the road.

"-tellin' ya, _this_ is the street."

"You sure?"

"'S what he told me. Said he was following him, disappeared after this street. He's _gotta_ be here somewhere."

"Yea, yea...Just get it over with."

Smellerbee could detect that they were still a little ways down, and she slinked to Jet's side.

"We wait around here, they'll find us," she advised in a gruff whisper.

"That's why you're going to stay here, and I'm going to leave," Jet replied coldly. Smellerbee's eyes went wide and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

"No. _No,_ " she growled into his face. "Enough of this bullshit. You don't have to _do_ this."

Jet pushed her away in a slight but swift motion. Their eyes having adjusted to the darkness, they exchanged tense stares.

"I'm afraid I no longer have a _choice,_ " he replied. "If I leave with you, they'll just track me down. You were right. I have to leave town. It's the only way." He fished through his coat and pulled out his phone, extended his arm to her. "Take it. You're in charge while I'm gone."

Smellerbee's eyes began watering up. She couldn't accept this. Jet had been the closest thing to a leader she had come to know in her frustrating life. A life which had taken on new meaning since she had tried to break free of this crap, but still...part of her cared for him and his struggles. She just wished he could've let all of this go before it had gotten out of hand.

"Jet, I'm...I'm _not_ one of you guys anymore," she grumbled out, struggling to hold back her rampaging emotions.

"Then what are you _doing_ here?" Jet countered, a spark in his eyes. Smellerbee sighed begrudgingly at this, and when Jet didn't retract his arm, she accepted the phone, putting it inside her left jean pocket.

She was startled when Jet handed her another object: a Zippo lighter engraved with the likeness of an eagle. It was Jet's favorite belonging and a symbol of his role as the leader of the Freedom Fighters. Whenever he needed someone else to take command of a task, he'd lend them the lighter, like a badge they could show to establish their authority in the situation at hand. Jet had a habit of being theatrical like that.

"You'll _always_ be a Freedom Fighter," Jet insisted coolly. Yep. Always trying to be Mr. Slick, all right.

His smirk in that moment took Smellerbee back to when he had first won over her allegiance with his smooth talking and suave mannerisms. To the end, Jet still insisted on doing things that way, didn't he?

Smellerbee choked on a sob, grabbing the lighter and dropping it in the other side of her jeans. Damn, these pockets were filling up fast, as were her eyes – with tears. She didn't even understand why. Apparently she cared more about him than she cared to admit to herself. He'd taken an angry, insecure, androgynous teenager and helped shape her into something more.

At the core of it, though, Jet's focus had always been on 'Smellerbee,' the Freedom Fighter, the gang member. Not the real person with the real name who hid behind this face-painted facade. Her new friends were helping her come out of the shadows Jet had kept her locked within. They were helping her consider the big questions: who was _she_ , and what did _she_ want?

But still...Right now, one thing she _did_ want was for none of her friends to get hurt. That included Jet staying safe. Freedom Fighter or not, she was willing to do what it took to ensure that tonight.

The rumble of Jet's motorcycle starting up jolted Smellerbee from her sorrowful thoughts.

" _Jet!_ " she cried, her heart suddenly pounding. She could hear the men from the nearby street scampering toward them.

"I'll be fine," Jet told her. But Smellerbee was well-enough acquainted with lying – especially _Jet's_ lying – to realize that he wasn't telling the truth. In that wrenching moment, they both knew that one way or another, Jet was probably never coming back to this town. Her stomach churned with regret and fear as she watched him speed away.

" _Shit!_ "  
" _Wah!_ "  
"After him!"

Those Rough Rhino thugs were right around the corner, having just been startled by the bike whizzing past them. But now they were scampering off toward their own vehicles to pursue. It was business time. She wasn't going to let them chase after Jet.

Smellerbee whipped out her knife. In that moment, her lioness-headed knife expressed her mindset – its mouth wide open, teeth bared. She wasn't going to take a life tonight if she could help it, though. That part of her life was one she was trying to leave behind.

She made swift, lithe motions toward the trio of targets, and deftly extended a leg under the first one's ankle, tripping him into the sidewalk. The others immediately took notice and retaliated. The first took a swing at her with his fist, but she dodged, administering a kick to his groin. He doubled over as she swiped her knife out at the other, who had made to grapple her. The knife sliced across his palm, eliciting a yelp of horror.

The one she'd tripped was still regaining his senses, and she slammed her bony knee into the one that was hunched over for good measure. Her skinny limbs didn't have much momentum to them, but the blow was fast, leaving her target stunned, and she made a furious slash at his face as he fumbled over to the ground.

Just as she had figured that this was too easy, the one whose hand she'd cut was fumbling a pistol from his back pocket. She reacted in haste, pulling up the man she'd tripped and applying her blade to his neck. He was a bit taller than she was. But he was a bit scrawny, the youngest of the bunch, still dazed, _and_ her knife's tip was pressed into his neck. With her hostage in tow, she retreated for the dark alley she'd emerged from, leaving the trembling gunman to consider his options as his friend shrieked on the curb beside him.

"You let him _go_ , you whore," growled the gunman. "I've heard about _you_ ," he seethed. As Smellerbee stepped back, the overhead light cast her hooded head in blackness. Heh. Well, it seemed she'd lucked out with her hostage, as she could see in the gunman's freaked face that he actually cared about this kid. "We didn't _ask_ for this shit, you brought it on yourselves..." the man continued with an empty threat.

Sliding into the shadows of the alleyway, Smellerbee could see the tell-tale sign of her rival gang on the man's shooting arm: a small tattoo of a rhino, inked near the inside of his elbow. It was at least reassuring to know that, if anything, she was hurting the right kind of people.

As Smellerbee pulled the blubbering, scruffy-faced man – jeez, he really wasn't much older than her, she was figuring – she patted him down. Damnit, no gun.

"Wh-! Wh-wh-!" The guy was whimpering in her grasp, stumbling back at her pace. Smellerbee twisted the knife's tip. " _Guh_ -!"  
" _Shuddup_ ," she hissed in his ear.

A sick and broken part of Smellerbee was enjoying every moment of this. The adrenaline, the fear, the _power._ It was all what had brought her to the Freedom Fighters in the first place. Had she _really_ needed to assault these men?

In those tense, trembling seconds in the darkness, the gunman's attention was derailed. Not by the shriek of "-fuggin' _cut me_!" by his compatriot, but by the sound of vehicles approaching from where Jet had driven off. She could see the gunman's stunned form bathed in the light of multiple vehicles.

In her moment of disquieted distraction, Smellerbee was caught off guard as her hostage pushed her lanky arm off his neck, grasping for her head. The two struggled for a second and Smellerbee's hood was yanked off in the tugging. Jet's motorcycle, followed by two cars, approached in this moment. The gunman's attention was off of Smellerbee, but now directed at Jet, and he raised up his shaking arm, aiming his weapon at the oncoming vehicles. Smellerbee could see fear and panic in his eyes. All three of these idiots were still inexperienced at anything serious like this; simply scouts that had been sent to locate Jet. No wonder she'd been able to dispatch them so quickly – lucky, too, or she could've had a bullet put in her head tonight.

The pavement up ahead turned alive in a flash of light and metal and sparks that skidded across Smellerbee's narrow vision so quickly she couldn't catch what was happening. A wretched scraping sound, a metal crunching, squealing tires...Had Jet just crashed?

Smellerbee's focus was scattered at this point, and her opponent's force pushed her off. Her knife clattered to the ground while her body fell behind the nearby dumpster. The back of her head hit the tarmac – hard. The world became a blur as she scrunched up into a fetal position, grasping at the back of her skull. Footsteps, scampering to safety. Screaming, commotion. Sirens in the distance. Within the relative safety of her darkness, Smellerbee was crawling back to her knees. Her head throbbed and everything was a blur, but she managed to scoop up her red-edged knife and slip it into her hoodie as cautiously as she could in her dizzy state. Leaning against the brick wall beside her, she pushed herself up slowly, peeking out over the dumpster. Her captor and his associates were gone, and a thin trail of blood drops ran down the visible patch of concrete before her.

Concealed in this racket ensuing on the street, Smellerbee lurched to the corner on her right side, where the blood was leading, and peaked her wobbly head around the corner. She couldn't entirely make out what was going on, but she could hear bikes revving up as the police approached – her foes trying to flee the scene. Near as she could tell, Jet's bike was smoking in the middle of the road down a ways. She squinted, her sight still somewhat fuzzy as she tried to make out Jet. Her eyes focused long enough to notice a smear of red running along the path the motorcycle had crashed along.

It didn't look good.

The wailing sirens of the pair of police cars drew nearer, and she could clearly see their flashing light down the road – that was helping wake up her senses mighty quick as another shot of adrenaline pumped through her. She had to make herself scarce, like the others had. She forced her aching body in the opposite direction of all of the noise – toward her parked car on the other edge of the alley. She clutched the back of her head – damn _,_ did it hurt like a son of a bitch. She could feel the damp warmth of her own blood from the scrape on her head. Her hands were trembling, but she couldn't resist the urge to clamp her palm against her pulsating noggin.

One dazed walk later, Jane had reached the next street over, where her car was parked. She finally removed her palm from her head and retrieved her keys from her back-pocket. Traces of her own blood were smudged onto them as jittery fingers struggled to jam the right key into the keyhole on her car door. She cursed under her breath with impatience, and quickly retreated inside of her vehicle. The light inside automatically turned off after a few seconds of her sitting in silence. Her whole body quivered from the ordeal she'd just experienced.

 _This was a mistake_ , she concluded. _Shouldn't be here. This is exactly what I was trying to_ escape _. Can't live with this shit anymore. I'm out. No more of this. The Freedom Fighters can go fuck themselves, I am_ done _with all this._

Her mind spent minutes racing through her life's recent events, trying to figure out how in the _hell_ she had gotten here. By the time she'd come to, the smeared blood on her hands was dried, and her right index finger had found its way up to her eyebrow. It was a nervous tick of hers – sliding her fingertip along her fuzzy eyebrows the way a man might stroke his beard or mustache. She pried her finger off, taking the keys from her lap and plugging them into the ignition. She paused before turning the key.

Her eyes were welled up, ready to burst with tears.

She let them.

* * *

-August 22nd, 2010- **One month earlier**

He stared at the book with thoughtful wonder for a moment, chewing the eraser end of his pencil. Inspiration was not coming, but Aang Leekpai was determined to defeat his lifelong adversary: the blank page. The bustle of his peers whirled around him as he sat alone on the sofa against the wall - his friends had to show up pretty soon, as it was starting to get a bit late and he was getting pretty antsy. It had been months since he had seen any of them face to face, and the summer had been a rather drawn out rinse-repeat process of working at a grocery store in the small town he had been moved to that summer. Inspiration. Hm. He needed something to spur his soul to draw.

_Rrrrmmm._

The sound had come from the arm of the couch - his cell phone. He immediately set down his notebook and grabbed the device, flipping it open to read the message he'd received.

[From: Sokka]  
[We're on campus. We're gonna go pick up Toph and meet you at the ACC in a few.]  
[Sent: August 22nd, 6:34pm]

Finally. The wait was almost over. Aang was already crafting plans for their first weekend of the school year: a trip in the nearby woods, with a campfire, s'mores, swimming in a pond, petting salamanders and newts and frogs and-...  
 _Newt! Newt, newt, newt...chicken? No. Monkey? No, no. Dog?_  
 _Dog. Newt-Dog. Bingo._

His pencil savagely attacked the blank page in a flurry of curved lines and shade scratching, whittling out the basic structure of a mutated combination between a German Shepherd and an amphibian lizard. He'd work out a finalized design later using photo references but the idea was set - another creature added to his ever growing zoo of mix-and-match animals. His task complete, he inhaled a deep breath of satisfaction, closed his notebook, and leaned back, soaking in the much-needed atmosphere around him after a long and lonely summer.

Stray tables and couches were sparsely populated, but within the next day or two they'd fill up quite nicely around this time of the day. A small shop carrying school supplies, souvenirs, and textbooks resided to his left, bathrooms, an elevator, and an information desk to the right, and the wide, open stairwell that led upstairs to the cafeteria or downstairs to the basement level was straight ahead. The basement contained a recreation room for pool, ping-pong, and foosball, along with the college post office, some student resource and study rooms, and the social hotspot that was the burger and fast food joint, Appa's. This place was like his home away from home - away from his dorm room, anyway.

This was the Avatar Campus Center - commonly referred to as the ACC - located smack in the middle of Saint Roku University. This was where memories were made: two-in-the-morning heart-to-hearts, pizza parties, passing time away while you waited for your friends to show up so you could finally go eat dinner...Some people practically lived there. Aang anticipated that this year would be no different. It'd be _better,_ even, because the hard part was already over: he'd found his group, his niche, his clam-shell in the ocean of college.

_Rrrrmmm._

Ripped from his nostalgia and startled back to his senses, Aang's attention focused back on his phone.

[From: Sokka]  
[We're in the parking lot.]  
[Sent: August 22nd, 7:03pm]

A quick survey of the building yielded no sarcastic grin or wave from his partner in crime, so Aang whipped his body up off the couch, stuffed his notebook into his shoulder bag, and burst through the entrance double doors behind him, shoving his phone into his khaki short pockets as he pushed his way out with his shoulder. His converse sneakers merrily bounced along the sidewalk in brisk steps - they had been tired out from their first year of use but Aang had faith that they would carry him through the months to come, and they seemed determined enough to oblige.

Aang reached The Circle - a large circle of sidewalk that surrounded the ACC. Different branches of campus trickled off from this main path, and all roads on campus led to The Circle. Straight ahead was the particular road that Aang was looking for: the entrance gates and parking lot. Not wanting to get too lost, he stayed put at the point where The Circle and the entrance path joined, and within moments the figures of his three favorite people in the world came into view, including that anticipated sarcastic grin of the tan-skinned Sokka Kesuk, the closest thing Aang had to a brother.

Without a doubt, it was Sokka: blue button-down shirt, _not_ tucked in, black slacks, and those ever-present brown loafers of his, accented by loose hair over the sides of his face that evoked the image of a surfer-dude. Aang wasn't so sure how he felt about the new hair, but that wily smile had been unmistakably missed. Aang thrust his arms up and waved like a crazed bullfighter and bellowed out a war cry to his roommate that was reciprocated.

"Aer- **ooooohhh**!"

"Oh, my God," snickered Sokka's younger sister, coming from behind, her arm latched to her own roommate's. "The boys - they're together again. Toph, what have we _done?_ "

"Pff, I have _no idea,_ " muttered the girl at her side, lifting a brow over her unfocused eye and smirking wide. "I already regret it."

"Us Aero Men have a certain obligation to uphold tradition," Sokka clarified with pride, puffing out his chest as Aang drew near. Upon the word 'tradition' being thrown into the air, Aang pumped his fist into the air and repeated the word 'tradition' in the thundering melody from the opening moments of Fiddler on the Roof. Upon concluding the word, both boys cried out, "Tradition!" before joining tunes and continuing the song of their own accord.

"OK, there, Tevye," Sokka's sister cut them off right after the second pair of 'tradition's.'

"Yea, thanks for that," Toph joked. " _Two_ flat notes at once. Grrrr-ate."

But the boys were too enraptured in a manly hug full of superfluous back pounding to pay the girls any heed. It would normally be uncharacteristic of them, but when it came to expressing pride in their dormitory, nothing quite seemed out of place for Aang and Sokka, no matter how extravagant or loud. Eventually the hug died down to a more gentle embrace.

"God, I missed you, dude," Sokka sighed out.

"Missed you, too," Aang replied.

"Being roommates is going to be _epic,_ " Sokka affirmed.

"Totally."

Their hug continued for another unnaturally long moment until Katara sighed.

"They're still hugging, aren't they?" Toph grumbled, her free hand on her hip.

"Yep," Katara dully explained, rubbing her fingers across Toph's wrist before leaving her side and approaching the two interlocked men. "Hey," she grunted, pulling them apart as they laughed at their own behavior. "My turn."

"Katara!" Sokka gasped incredulously. "We were _hav-ing_ a _mo-ment_!" he whined with exuberence.

Katara couldn't help but smile. Her brother just never _quite_ seemed like himself these days unless he was with Aang. Brothers to the end, they were. "Come here," she said, wrapping her arms around her lanky sophomore friend and squeezing him tight.

"What?" Toph growled, tapping her sandal impatiently against the concrete. "How come _I_ go last?"

"I think you know," Sokka coyly prodded, jabbing her in the arm with his knuckle. He delighted at how her cheeks went pink instantaneously. It was just too easy.

"Boy, did I miss _you,_ Buddy," Katara expressed with warmth.

"Me, too, Katara," came Aang's equally affectionate reply.

"You missed _yourself?_ " she teased.

"You _know_ what I meant!" he chuckled back.

If Sokka was like his brother, it came as no surprise that Katara Kesuk had rapidly become his sister. In truth, it had really been the other way around. Katara had been his anchor during the beginning of college the year prior. She had been the first real friend he had made on campus, and it was through her that he had become such good friends with Sokka, resulting in their decision to room together this year. Without Katara, Aang didn't know where he would've been cast in the wide sea of college life, but he sure was glad she had caught him in her net and hauled him ashore. He couldn't deny her beauty despite the bulbous nose she shared with her brother, and it was no shock to him that boys always seemed to be going after her. Her appearance was somewhat exotic, with tan skin to match Sokka's, deep, dark eyes, thick, bushy hair of dark brown that ran past her shoulders, and a pair of braids looping from the sides of her forehead out to the back. Despite looking a bit foreign, she carried herself in a very plain manner, a poofy denim skirt supported by a white tank top on this particular summer evening, flip-flops beneath feet with blue toenails.

"OK, all right, girlfriend coming through," Toph jokingly dismissed, wandering over to them with arms spread open wide.

Katara grinned at Aang's flushed face and gave him a pat on the shoulder before watching him catch Toph in his arms. Her grip around him was tight and intense, her hands feeling their way around his back, his shoulders, his neck. His own hands had found their way down to her hips, grasping them with tender relief in that they were together again after months of agonizing separation.

Her head tilted forward, and Aang caught it with his own. They both relished the sudden proximity - this was a moment they had each been yearning for since the early days of summer. Aang stared carefully at her milky white eyes that focused no where in particular, but her expression reciprocated his attraction.

Toph Beifong had been completely blind from birth, but she never let this fact tie her down. Whenever someone approached Toph's blindess with an "I'm sorry," she would always respond without skipping a beat with, "Don't be. I'm not."

Aang admired her fiery determination, the way she picked on him relentlessly, the way she was able to poke fun at herself, as well, and the fact that beneath her rough attitude was a steadfast soul with a caring heart despite all she had to deal with - her blindness, her over-controlling parents, the pity people tried to enforce upon her.

Toph tended to dress very casual - a t-shirt and shorts pretty much did the trick, hair in a bun or tied into a convenient and bushy ponytail. On this day she had a green theme going on - green was her favorite color, which at first didn't make sense to most people, given that she had no concept of what colors were like. The way she explained it was that green was the color of grass, and the feeling of grass beneath her toes was one of her favorite things in the world. Given her penchant for walking barefoot as often as possible (which was not near as often a she'd like, unfortunately), she was quite familiar with grass.

Beneath the floppy lock of black bangs that hung between white eyes, her pale face taunted him with a mischievous smile enveloped in reddened cheeks. He poked at her left earring, a fluffy ball of white fur. Those were new, and they were cute. Toph reached her slender arms up over Aang's shoulders and draped her hands over his back, her fingertips tickling an excited chill up his spine. Their foreheads remained pressed together, neither going all in to lock lips. Sokka spewed forth an exaggerated groan.

" _God,_ kiss each other already, I'm _hungry!_ "

Katara burst into giggles and Aang and Toph's already colored faces flashed red like stop lights.

"We are _hav-ing_ a _mo-ment_!" Toph mimicked Sokka's earlier complaint, feeling her nose forward and nuzzling it against Aang's. Her position confirmed, she leaned in and gave him a gentle peck on the lips. He returned the gesture, which she responded to with more ferocity, and back and forth they went for a few moments until palms were planted on skulls and mouths were opening over top one another.

"Aw, ech, _ewwww_ ," Sokka growled. "Come aahhn."

Katara found it adorable. Aang and Toph had both struggled in their freshman year trying to find a place where they belonged, and she was more than happy to accommodate this need, delighted with their company and companionship. She had seen their budding little romance coming from a mile away the prior spring. Her brother's lack of maturity was ruining the ambiance, though, so she slapped him on the chest and nodded her head to the ACC, motioning him to follow.

"OK, so, _yea!_ You guys have fun with that," Sokka called out to their still interlocked bodies, his back turned. "We're gonna go and get some food now." He received no reply - as expected - and shook his head as they entered a side entrance that directly led downstairs.

"They're so cute," Katara mused, hands clasped behind her back. "Don't you think?"

"Yea," he admitted, his sarcasm meling away. "Not gonna lie. As long as they don't get 'cute' all over our dorm room, I'm all good. What about _you?_ Where's your little...hunk-a-burning-street-thug?"

"Hey," Katara snapped defensively. "He is not a _street thug._ "

"Isn't he the leader of a _gang_?" Sokka blurted out with spread arms, aghast at her nitpick.

"They're an _organization,_ " Katara tartly clarified, index finger waving at him as their descent concluded and the ACC basement welcomed them with wafting scents of burgers and fries. "A non-violent group of protesters."

"Yea, yea," Sokka dismissed with a flick of his wrist, crossing his arms. "The guy just rubs me the wrong way, Katara."

"That's just because _you_ don't understand him," she insisted, attempting to keep the recurring conversation calm. She had been debating this enough times over the summer and was far from being in the mood to go through the motions again.

"Maybe that's because he's made no effort to let me," Sokka testily pointed out, the booths of the Appa's Grill restaurant mostly empty. "How about a, 'Hey, there, brother of the girl I'm dating, how are you?'" He mocked the gruff voice of the boy in question with jest. "I never _see_ the guy, Katara. I know nothing _about him._ Maybe if I knew his _name,_ that'd be a good start."

"His name is Jet," came an irritable specification. How many times had she told him this by now?

"His name is _not Jet,_ " cried Sokka in aggravation, shrugging and rolling his head backward in disbelief. "That's not a real-person name!" True, but he didn't like being called by his real name, he preferred his self-manufactured nickname.

"Whatever," Katara huffed, already exhausted. Why was he ruining this moment of arriving on campus? What did it matter? "Can we just...drop this, Sokka?" she pleaded in a whsper, unnerved, arms latched around her stomach. They stood in line behind a gigantic student in a basketball jersey - number 14 - who was placing his order at the counter.

"Fine by me," Sokka muttered wth nonchalance, tilting his head to the side. "I'm just sayin'...I don't like the guy."

"Yes," Katara hissed. "You've made that _pretty_ clear. Thanks."  
 _It's none of your business, Sokka. Butt out of it._

"And what I can get you today, guys?" greeted the familiar tone of the fellow student working the counter. His greasy hair was slicked back into a thick ponytail that trailed out of the back of his white baseball cap - part of the restaurant uniform. His skin tone and facial structure was similar to Katara and Sokka's, but he was Hawaiian while they were descendants of Inuits from the north.

"Haru," Katara acknowledged him, eager to use sociability to push her sibling conflict aside. "Hey, how are you doing? How was your summer?"

"Aw, man, good stuff." He always spoke with a relaxed tone, which made his incredibly easy to approach with even the most mundane of conversation. "Spent a lot of time out on the beach, worked construction for the first time."

"That's right, you're from...-" Katara fished through her memories and retrieved the answer. "San Francisco?"

"Los Angeles," he corrected with a sly grin. Oops - wrong answer.

"Oh, yea," Katara sputtered sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Nah, 's all good, Kat. So what can I get you Kesuks?"

"Double-Bacon- _Cheeseburgerrrr_ ," Sokka mechanically spouted with rapid execution.

"I'll...-" Katara shot an embarrassed glance at her brother, his hands casually tucked in his pockets. He gave her a perplexed look that read, 'What?' She finished by deciding, "-take a BLT wrap please."

"Oh, and root beer," Sokka added.

"Yea, and I'll have some lemonade," Katara squeezed in.

"Gotcha." Haru scribbled some code onto his order sheet: 1 DBC, 1 BLTW, 1 RB, 1 LEM - KATARA

He jotted numbers on it before tearing it off his pad and hanging it above the grill behind him. He rapidly punched some keys into his electronic register to ring up the price, and requested, "That'll be $8.34." Katara caught his eyes wandering to places other than her face as she pulled a ten-dollar bill from her skirt's back pocket. Somehow feeling flattered that a popular guy like Haru was checking her out, she slapped the bill on the table, shyly gazing behind him to his co-workers who were already cranking out their order. He stuck out his hand for her to take her change, and she tried not to let the contact of their hands get under her skin in her dazed mental state.

Haru filled a couple of tall disposable cups at the soda fountain beside the register before sliding them onto the counter. Katara's eyes caught the new design on the cups: white with a large, sky-blue arrow pointed downward on either side. The trademark icon of the college, the arrow was a symbol that Katara had quickly grown to admire.

Sokka eagerly scooped up his drink and was immediately sucking down his carbonated nectar as Haru informed them, "It'll be just a couple minutes." Katara nodded at him and spun around, forgetting her own drink in her flustered mindset. Sokka grabbed it for her and joined her at a nearby booth.

The dim lighting of Appa's was comforting and warm, like a crackling campfire at sunset on a windy summer's day. The practically empty restaurant was oddly welcoming, offering a homey feeling of privacy and comfort in a public place. Recognizing this reminded Katara of why, exactly, this place had become such a hotspot for their social meetings.

"Why don't ya give that Haru guy a shot?" Sokka suddenly asked in a subdued tone, seemingly out of nowhere. "I saw you guys checkin' each other out."

"Wow," she murmured with bashful humor. "My brother is pitching men at me. You must _really_ not like my boyfriend."

Sokka, slurping down root beer through his straw, shrugged, waggling his eyebrows up and down.

"He's a _soccer player,_ " Katara mumbled with some disdain. Secretly, she felt charmed by this fact, but acknowledged the lack of practicality of the idea in her tone. "Not exactly my type."

"Oh, but guys who carry around switch-blades?" Cynicism dripped from his every word. "Hey, that's just _fine._ "

"He doesn't-" she instinctively began, but gave pause when she seriously considered his remark upon the wide expression on her brother's face. "O-OK, maybe he _does,_ " she admitted, recalling him showing it off to her in a fleeting moment at the end of the previous school year. Funny how Sokka had clung to that fact while she had put it off. "But he lives in the city - that's for self defense."

"And _why_ would he be _that_ concerned with defending himself?" criticized her concerned sibling. "And from who?"

 _Schluurrrpp. Sklllllurp. Schlp. Schlp._ He'd hit the end of his beverage and was sucking up remnants through the ice, giving her a raised brow.

"I _thought_ we were done talking about this?" Katara seethed, bottom lip propped out in vexation.

To her rescue, a giggling couple emerged from the stairway they had come in through.

"Can't you come up with something else? Something...not girly?"

"You gettin' sick of it? You don't like Twinkle-Toes? _I_ like Twinkle-Toes."

Aang made a pouting whimper. "It makes me sound like a ballerina."

Toph retorted insidiously, "Maybe you _are_ like a ballerina."

Sokka cut into their twittering debate with a wave: "Yo! Lovebirds, we're over here!"

Katara twisted around to see Aang leading Toph to the counter, her arm amorously linked around his as the large boy in the jersey from before grabbed his food and headed off upstairs. Aang emphatically waved to them while Toph tossed out an aloof, "Hey, guys," before they went to order.

Katara found herself longing what they had - side by side, hand in hand, accepted by their peers...All of Sokka's nagging over the summer hadn't shaken her. Every time she had called him he'd bother her about it afterward. Every time they'd comment on each other's Facebook photos and Sokka would catch wind of it, another dismayed comment. All of this hadn't shaken her will at all, yet seeing her two friends together, in that moment, and comprehending how different her relationship was from theirs...it planted a seed a doubt in her mind.

Before she knew it, Toph was scooting into the booth at her side and Aang was slapping his arm across Sokka's back from across the table.

"So!" Sokka began, his eyes suspiciously wandering to Aang. "You two get all that oughtta your system?" he badgered.

"Nope," Toph matter-of-factly bucked back. "We're gonna pick up where we left off later. Months of catching up to do, ya know?" A gratified smile popped onto her face as she slipped her sandals off, rubbing her bare feet across the tile floor.

Aang shook his head in amused chagrin, eyes rolled back at her blunt humor as the shape of his mouth gradually matched her own.

"Good to know," Sokka hurriedly dismissed with a jovial 'too much information' tone.

"So what do we wanna do?" Aang wondered.

"The evening is our oyster, ladies and gents," Sokka smoothly proclaimed, leaning back and stretching. "Anybody got suggestions?"

"We should take our food outside - it's pretty nice out." Katara suggested.

"Oh, sweet," Toph cried, slapping her palm on the table. "Sounds good to me."

As Sokka proceeded to shoot off a quick-fire summary of his summer vacation, Aang pulled out his notepad flipped to his second page, sketching a rough drawing: two boys and two girls sitting at a table who bore a vague resemblance to their own group. One of the girls had pencil-mark bangs covering where her eyes would go. After a moment of staring at Toph from across the way, her engaged expression unable to detect his gaze, he bit on his eraser and made an addition. Above this girl's head he drew a heart, taking care to shade it and fill it with a level of detail that exceeded the rest of the picture. He signed it in the corner, 'Aang,' with the end of the 'g' curving into a spiral, and inscribed '8/22/2010' in tiny writing with the title, 'Inspiration.'

 


	2. Seeds of Doubt

  


[SRU - Roll Call](http://sakura-rose12.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Roll-Call-308877171) by *[Sakura-Rose12](http://sakura-rose12.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

-August 27, 2010-

"So...Tell me again: what's the _point?_ " Sokka stared dully at the TV screen across the room, watching a pudgy boy with a horned hat scamper through oddly patterned grass.

"The point?" Aang asked, eyes glued to the screen.

"Of that game," Sokka clarified. "All I see you do is run around and talk to animals. And run around some more."

"I'm helping them out," Aang explained.

"By...trading furniture?" Dry skepticism.

"Yea. So I can get stuff to put in my house. And make it look cool."

"So...it's a furniture simulator. With talking animals."

"I-...Sure. I guess," Aang muttered, unfazed. Gibberish sounds flowed from the TV as he spoke to a squirrel in a t-shirt.

["What's up, **aang**? I've been thinking...I need a new _catch phrase_. Got any ideas?"]  
[ Catch phrase?]  
[_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _]

Aang entered in his answer immediately as Sokka went back to his textbook. The gibber-talk happened again, but he ignored it this time, focusing on his studying. Sokka tried his to best to get as much work done before the weekend as possible so he could properly enjoy Saturday and Sunday to their fullest.

["Wow, that's a great catch phrase, **aang**! Here, lemme try it out: Hi, **aang,** how are you doin' today, **YIP YIP!** Haha. Awesome. Thanks!"]

"What time is it?" Aang asked, finally prying his eyes from the screen. "It's gotta be getting close to dinner time."

"It's past dinner time," Sokka replied, checking his watch: 6:43pm.

"Wha?" Aang wailed. "We missed _dinner_?"

"We didn't _miss_ dinner, Dude," Sokka explained. "Katara's busy on Fridays until 6:30, remember? So we decided we'd eat out Friday nights. Do you not remember this conversation?"

"Ohhhh, _yea._ " Aang's brows furrowed as realization struck. "So where are we eating?"

"Well, Katara decided that it's her turn to pick first." Sokka shrugged his shoulders, thick history book sill in tow. "So...I dunno. I'm sure we'll get a call when the girls are ready."  
 _Speaking of calls, I should probably check my phone, huh?_

Sokka rolled his wheeled leather chair over to his desk and pulled open the top drawer. His trusty phone was nestled between his schedule book and his fancy wallet - a gift from his dad. Some single US dollar bills and a couple of Canadian Loonies were spread across the drawer along with some fountain pens and a notepad. He flicked open his phone to observe his messages from the afternoon.

[Inbox: **2** ]

[From: Katara]  
[I'm in the mood for Chinese tonight. :) We'll give you guys a call when we're ready to go.]  
[Sent: August 27th, 3:12pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Katara]  
[Sounds good.]  
[Sent: August 27th, 6:45pm]

[From: Dad]  
[how is everything going? first weeks usually easy right? i already miss you. good luck with senior year son.]  
[Sent: August 27th, 5:52pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Dad]  
[Everything's pretty good so far. Definitely easy but I'm enjoying that while I can. I miss you, too. Love you, Dad. Have a good weekend. Stay safe.]  
[Sent: August 27th, 6:47pm]

Sokka sighed, setting his phone next to his laptop on the desk. He scratched at the stubble forming on his chin as he contemplated the gravity of his current situation: being a Senior. A year from now he'd be done with school, ideally, and would be working a full-time job, living on his own. Where would he be working? What would he be doing? A History major with a Philosophy minor wasn't exactly a practical combination for work. His father's ever-pressing suggestion to return home and join the force lingered in the back of his mind.

Hakoda Kesuk was the Chief of Police in Akiak, Ontario, a small rural town where Sokka and Katara had been raised since birth. Since Sokka's last year of high school, his dad had been on a crusade to convince him to go through police training and join the ranks of Ontario officers. Sokka admitted that it was an appealing idea but could never truly see himself pulling it off in a satisfactory manner - and when Sokka was being serious, he either did things right or he didn't do them at all, and a career was something to be serious about.

_Knock-knock-knock._

Their door rattled, and Sokka leapt to his feet, still in his socks, and opened the door. A red-haired face that seemed familiar stared him down with a stoic expression, eyes dull and uninterested. Matted, bright orange hair and a mess of freckles complimented their face. A stickly frame was shrouded in baggy, camouflage cargo pants and a loose hanging black t-shirt.

"Hey." Not so much a greeting as a grunt, at best.

"Oh, uh...Hey," Sokka stumbled, eyes narrowed as he tried to piece together the person's identity.

"Hi," Aang chirped with a brief wave before going right back to his game.

"You Sokka?" Their voice was unsettling to Sokka, raspy and rough.

"Yea, that's me. Don't I know you?" Sokka theorized, propping his index finger out with casual curiosity.

"Biology last spring." A quick and blunt answer.

"Oh, right," Sokka extended his palm in concession. "James."

" _Jane,_ " corrected the androgynous figure through grit teeth.

"Ah," spilled out a shaky acknowledgment. "Right! Jane."

Aangwas occupied with his video game once again, but Sokka invited the intimidating girl into their room - in some respects it felt more like a jungle hut. A map of the world was slapped on the wall above Sokka's bed near the entrance, while various posters of paintings littered the space by Aang's bed across the way. Some exotic artifacts were placed around the room and tribal-theme bedsheets with tiki masks printed on them were splattered across both beds.

"Nice," the gruff girl mumbled with a nod, her dim eyes glancing about.

"Thanks. So, uh...What's up?"  
 _What's with this girl? She's an odd one._

"Your sister sent me here," Jane informed dryly, kicking a stray pair of jeans across the carpeted floor with her army boot. "Said I could borrow her English textbook. Said _you_ had it?"

"Oh! _Right._ " Sokka pounced at his bookshelf, which rested between his computer desk and his bed. It was a tall, dark wooden temple of knowledge, compiling various school texts, literature, and magazines, not to mention Sokka's media collection on the bottom. Within second he retrieved a text that his Sister has lent him the previous spring and passed it to the red-head. "This one, right?"

The dreary eyes passed across the cover and she shrugged subtly.

"Looks like it."

"So you know my sister?" Sokka inquired.

"Yea, we're neighbors in Aqua. I live across the hall."

"Cool." Sokka nodded repeatedly, hands on his hips. The House of Aqua didn't seem like the best fit for this girl. She struck him as more of a Terra girl.

"Anyway, thanks, man," Jane concluded their necessary social discourse, obviously eager to take off.

"Yep, sure thing," Sokka said politely, reaching his arm to the door as she saw her way out.

He sighed deeply, falling back into his chair.

"That dude was weird," Aang threw his opinion out, his game saving his progress.

"That was a girl," Sokka chuckled. Aang had obviously not been paying attention. "She lives in _Aqua._ "

" _Oh._ " Aang shrugged, switching off the TV. "My bad. Didn't catch that-"

An elegant piano tone cut Aang off, filtering into the air from his pocket, and he eagerly pulled it out, flicked it open, and sang into it, "Hey, Pumpkin."

"Pumpkin?" Toph spat out in disgust. " _Pumpkin?_ "

["Yea,"] Aang replied. ["What's wrong? Don't like it? _I_ like it."]

Toph groaned in defeat, but a grin was plastered on her face as she propped her head into her pillow, laying on her side while the sound of shuffling clothes could be heard from straight ahead.

"All right, Twinkle-Toes," she taunted. "We'll _play_ that game."

["So what's up?"]

"Katara's getting changed and then we're going to come pick you guys up. Should be there in, like, ten minutes. All right?"

["Yup!"]

"Love you, Twinkle-Toes," she said quietly, as if the words were just slightly embarrassing to utter in the presence of her roommate.

["Love you, too, Pumpkin."] His reply was casual and peppy.

Toph closed her cell phone and sighed peacefully, nuzzling her cheek into her pillow as she could hear Katara pulling together a zipper and clasping a button.

"Pumpkin?" Katara wondered from the other end of the room, on the verge of a snicker.

"That's his new nickname for me," Toph explained in disbelief. "He seems to think that if he can find a name I hate enough it'll get me to stop calling him Twinkle-Toes."

"Ha!" Katara was just as amused as she was. " _That'll_ be the day."

"I know, right?"

Tophwallowed in recent memories of whispers she had shared with Aang, jokes made, kisses stolen, until Beethoven's 5th Symphony roared at her from her cell phone, still sitting beside her on the bed.

" _Urgh_ ," she puffed out irritably. "That's the third time today!"

"What do they _want_?" Kataragrowled, sympathizing with her roommate's annoyance.

"I don't _know._ " Toph rolled onto her back, letting the phone continue to ring until the sound stopped.

"How were classes today?" Katara asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Boring. My new guitar teacher is fucking pissing me off," Toph hissed. "He keeps acting like I don't know what the hell I'm doing, so he has me do these bullshit exercises that aren't teaching me a damned thing." Toph had been sure to squeeze in about as much profanity as she could, as memories of an utterly boring hour and a half flooded her mind like tar.

"Maybe you should explain that you're better than he thinks you are?" Katara suggested.

"Yea," Toph conceded with a sigh. "I just get so fucking sick of this crap - _just_ because I'm blind."  
 _I'm probably making a bigger deal out of it than I should - I'm just cranky. But seriously, I've been here an entire year, I shouldn't have to keep proving myself._

"I know," Katara cooed, sitting in Toph's desk chair beside her. "I'm sorry, Hun, I know that gets under your skin."

Toph's phone jangled out a quick ditty to signify that she had received a voicemail.

"There ya go," Toph grunted, crossing her arms. "Parents left a _message_ this time. Guess it must be important. Or maybe they just _really_ need to tell me what I'm supposed to be doing with my life - again - and it just couldn't wait."

"Hey," Katara prodded, placing a consoling hand on Toph'sshoulder. "Let's forget about them and go hang out with the boys. Aren't you hungry?"

"Starving," Toph admitted, rubbing her slightly queasy stomach.

"C'mon," Katara tugged at her hand, easing her out of bed. She jokingly went limp, letting Katarapull her out of bed forcefully witha giggle. Her bare feet touched down on the carpet and she spring back to life with a smirk, stuffing her cell phone in her pocket and slipping on her sandals from the same spot she always left them: just under the mattress by the foot of her bed.

"You got my money?" Toph checked, straightening out her disheveled shirt.

"Sure do," Katara replied. Toph could hear jingling of keys and shifting of objects in her friend's shoulder purse as she grabbed her new hoodiefrom the post at the corner of her bed. She slipped it over her, refreshed and comforted by the delightful smell and touch of its new, clean cloth.

"Then, let's bounce," Tophcommanded, extending her arm out with a grin. Katara's familiar hand latched on and the two made their exit into the halls of the House of Aqua. As they pranced down the hall, Toph'sears were filled with the sounds of a Friday night: various discussions, music, movies...In Aqua, doors being left open was common - Aqua was not a resident hall so much as a community of women contained within a building.

Tophwouldn't deny that sometimes she missed her freshman dorm, Terra, and how it allowed her to always have the space and peace she wanted (she had opted for a single student room, a rarity on campus), but after a single week of living in Aqua, with Katara as her roommate, she had already decided that there was no going back.

The humid air of a warm August evening stuck to Toph's face as they exited Aqua and traveled through the parking lot of their dorm. After hopping in the car and strapping herself into a safety belt, Toph's curiosity got the better of her and she retrieved her phone as Katara started up the car, surveying the message as they drove around campus to the House of Aero.

["YOU HAVE... **ONE**...NEW MESSAGE. **FIRST** NEW MESSAGE."]  
["Good evening, Toph."]

It was her mother. _Sigh_ was the appropriate response. She spoke at a mile a minute.

["It seems as if you've been preoccupied today - class and practice, no doubt. Your father and I were just wondering how everything was going. We haven't heard from you since you arrived. You're practicing your music every night, yes? Staying on top of all of your classes? We expect another 4.0 from you this year - Beifongsare known for their perfect marks, after all. Is that questionable young woman you're rooming with causing you any trouble? The staff had better be accommodating your needs, Toph - you have rights, you know. Don't let them push you too hard, it's not healthy. We've already made the proper arrangements to transfer you to Harvard if things don't improve. And you'd _better_ not be there this year because of that little urchin boy. He has no future, my dear, I hope you reali-"]  
[ _Beep._ ]  
["MESSAGE DELETED. YOU HAVE NO MORE MESSAGES."]

"Christ," Toph snarled, slamming the phone in her lap.  
 _Damnit, Mom, what is your_ problem? _I'm almost 21. Give me some_ space.

"Yea, I could hear," Katara bitterly concurred. " _Questionable?_ How am I _questionable?_ And she called Aang an _urchin_ with no future. That's just...That's just-"

"It's fucking rude," Toph seethed, thumping her head against the window to her right and leaning against it in frustration. " _God,_ I can't-...Ugh. Let's just...forget about this," she decreed. "It's Friday night."

A cheerful "That it _is,_ " from the driver's seat, and they had arrived. Toph could make out sounds of boys yelling from the dorm's front yard. It sounded like they were playing some kind of sport. The girls traversed the parking lot and up the entrance sidewalk together, hand in hand.

"Hey, Aang's girlfriend!" one boy shouted as they passed by. A flurry of repetition of the phrase erupted from their group before Toph, cheeks just a hint of pink, replied with a bemused "Hi, boys," and the grunting and mashing of male bodies started back up. They passed through the portal from outside to inside, where an uproarious applause was already in progress from the sporting event being played in the large lounge area.

"Hey, ladies. The House of Aero welcomes you this evening," a formal gent of a boy called out, his presence passing them by as he scurried downstairs. Katara almost burst out in a laugh, but held it back.

"What was that about?" Toph wondered.

"That guy was wearing nothing but a _towel,_ " Katara sighed. "Yup, we're sure in Aero, all right."

Katara led Toph up to the familiar stairwell she knew so well by now and they proceeded to the second floor of Aero, known across campus for its tribal pack of men like wolves - dorky, gentlemanly wolves.

_Knock. Knock._

"It's us," Katara's muffled voice called through the door to room 207.

"Hey," Sokka cried, popping out of his seat and flinging open the door. "How are you guys doin'?"

"Hungry," Toph's blunt reply cut in. "Let's go eat."

"Sounds good to me!" Aang cheered, rubbing his palms together.

* * *

Katara's hip was tingled by the vibration of her phone, but she ignored it for the time being, enjoying her dinner with her makeshift family on campus.

"You guys do _not_ understand how to properly eat at a Chinese Buffet," Sokka deduced with a "Tch, tch" and a waggling finger, sucking in a deep breath before delicately munching on a small pile of garlic string beans.

"Oh, really?" Katara humored him, sucking some Orange Soda through a straw. "And how's that?"

"Do tell," Toph goaded, sipping on some tea from a tiny ceramic cup without a handle.

"You have to _pace_ yourself, people!" Sokka decreed dubiously, his accusing hands pointing at their plates, each crowded with all manner of dishes like a garbage heap. "You have to start off with light stuff and work your way up, and take just a _lee-tle_ bit of each thing," he pinched his fingers. "That way you have room to savor everything."

"And then you get a whole plate of sushi!" Aang jubilantly concluded.

"And _then_ you get _another_ whole plate of sushi," Sokka devilishly muttered, licking his chops with exaggerated glee.

"You guys get pretty serious about this whole 'eating' thing," Toph picked.

"Toph, my Dear," Sokka dramatically protested to her from across the table, " _Your_ art is music. _My_ art is food."

"And being an idiot," Katara added from his side through a mouth-full of General Tsao's chicken.

"And a dashingly intelligent idiot, at that." Sokka beamed in jest.

"Hey, Toph, can I have some of your tea?" Aang asked, having just swallowed a clump of noodles.

"Why?" Toph demanded with a suspicious expression, her face bent down over her food as she inhaled a dumpling.

"'Cuz," Aang replied simply. "I want some tea. Please," he sweetly stuffed the word in with a plastic tone.

"Fine," Toph conceded with an overstated groan. "I _guess_!"

"Yes!" Aang clapped his hands together, belted out a satisfied chuckle, and poured tea from the tiny metal pot between him and Toph into her itty-bitty teacup. He hoisted it to his face and slurped it with the eloquence of a hippopotamus. "I just wanted to get to use the little _cup_ ," he breathed out with mischief in his eyes.

"Yes, Twinkle-Toes, I _guessed_ ," Toph blurted expectantly, a smile on her face, eyes squinted just a tad.

"Katara, how come _Jet_ isn't here with us tonight, huh?" Sokka suddenly asked with the casual courtesy of a needle in her am. Katara had told the group earlier that week that Jet would be joining them for dinner during this meal - it would've the first time she would've been able to see him in months. But as luck would have it, he had called her on Thursday night to explain that things had come up that he had to take care of before the weekend and he wouldn't be able to see her until Saturday. Katara had a hunch that 'luck' wasn't exactly the source of the problem, and the seed Sokka had planted nearly a week before had grown into a sprout.

"He, um...he couldn't make it," Katara mumbled, her brows tilting down with irritation.

" _Ohhh,_ ya don't say?" Sokka teased, nudging her on the arm with his elbow. "Ya know, it's funny, I was looking forward to hanging out with him. Always seems like something comes up whenever we hang out as a _group_ , wouldn't you say?"

Katara's lips tightened and her teeth ground together as her temper ignited like a match.

"Yea, ya know, that _is_ a good point," Aang agreed, oblivious to the condemning undertone of Sokka's .

"Mm," Toph hummed with as neutral an expression as Katara ever saw on her face. She knew that Toph, too, had her doubts about Jet, but had been more silent about them given her gained insight into the situation by proxy of being Katara's roommate.

"I bet there's plenty of _other_ guys that wouldn't stand you up like that," Sokka prodded with nonchalance, chewing into a slab of imitation crab.

Katara was propelled back to that moment at Appa's when she had been flustered over her contact with Haru. It made her angry. She felt...soiled, somehow. She had a boyfriend, she shouldn't be feeling loose-minded, much less flattered by this other kid's attention, with his greasy hair and goofy grin.  
 _And he's a_ jock. _I can't_ stand _jocks! What is my problem? Maybe Sokka's right. Maybe Jet really isn't the best fit for me. He never wants to hang out with my friends. I can't deny it._ I _always have to hang out with_ his, _every single time..._

Seconds of awkward silence ticked away as Katara rumenated within her self exasperation.

"So, are we going on that camping trip this weekend, or what?" Toph asked, bailing Katara out of the topic of conversation.

"Yea, yea, yea," Aang rapidly insisted. "Totally. Sunday: we should go hike up the Red Dragon Trail, go swimming at that pond up the way, set up a campfire at the lean-tos, and then loop back around the Blue Dragon Trail."

Aang was obviously excited about this day-long excursion, and his excitement made Katara smile. Just under a year ago the boy was a nervous, shy mess with no confidence - how quickly that had changed. But he always had a tinge of naivete to him hidden underneath. It was endearing. Aang Leekpai was a goofy little sweetheart, and Katara could easily see what Toph admired in him. Why was it so easy to see the good in a dork like Aang, but so difficult to justify the very relationship she was in herself?

Suddenly, Katara found herself lost in whatever tangent her peers had plunged themselves into.

" **Drag-ONZ!** " Sokka squealed.

" _ROAWRRR!_ "

"Argh! Matey."

"Uh...Toph?" Aang poked Toph's nose and she snorted, shoving him away. "That's a pirate."

"I know," Toph matter-of-factly defended. "Pirates beat Dragons. _Duh._ "

" _Whaaht?_ " burst Sokka's misgiving.

"Are you crazy?" Aang grumbled. "Pirates don't beat Dragons."

"Pirates beat _Sea_ Dragons all the time," Toph endowed them with confident knowledge. "And so what if it's a _flying_ Dragon? Canons, dude. Canons."

"Meh," Sokka pouted. "Agree to disagree. It's not worth it - I'm still hungry."

"Mmkay," forced out Aang through his last gob of rice. "Mm weady foh fooshi."

"You _said_ it, Bro." Sokka patted at his stomach with a hearty squint in his eyes.

"Hey, Twinkle-Toes, get me some of the stuff with the crab and the cream cheese in the middle," Toph 'requested.'

"Sure thing, _Pumpkin,_ " was Aang's jiving retort. Toph simply shook her head, unimpressed at his effort.

Katara's face brightened at the presence of her friends. In their bizarre actions they always managed to drag her from a stupor and appreciate her current situation, and the dynamics of their foursome had been sorely missed over the summer. She pulled out her phone and checked her messages as Toph quietly munched on some seafood salad.

[Inbox: **1** ]

[From: Jet]  
[hey babe. sorry bout tonite i promise ill make it up to ya 2morrow. 3pm?]  
[Sent: August 27th, 7:34pm]

Katara sighed, resting her chin in her palm, staring at the text wistfully. Her head ached all of a sudden.

"You OK?"

Katara glanced up at Toph's blank gaze, her face inquisitively propped up toward her. Toph swallowed another chunk of seafood, but remained in a curious pose.

"I'm just..." Katara set her open phone on the table and rubbed at her temples. "Having a headache. I'm just wondering about this whole...Jet...thing."

"You'll figure things out, Katara." Toph exuded candid, aloof confidence.

"Yea." Katara wasn't exactly brimming with aplomb, herself.

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[Yea. That sounds fine. I'll meet you at the entrance at 3.]  
[Sent: August 27th, 7:41pm]


	3. Easygoing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words that are {written in these} represent something in print, like a book or a newspaper article/flier/poster, etc. Yes. I am using these to add a little visual flair but also because I want to use lots of other media through the story and am too lazy to go through the standard motions. Huzzah for the Internet. Also, the fact is that in The Last Airbender Katara is flustered and obviously attracted to Jet early on. I wanted to explore that a bit in this chapter.

  
[SRU - All You Need is Love (commission)](http://siquia.deviantart.com/art/SRU-All-You-Need-is-Love-commission-308049743) by =[siquia](http://siquia.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

-August 28th, 2010-

Katara scuffed her socks against the drab carpet of her dorm room, back and forth, analyzing the pages of her first week's assignment in Children's Literature. She had been greatly anticipating this class. A cursory glance at the curriculum indicated that for an upcoming project she could easily squeeze in a paper about the Harry Potter series - just the thought made her a bit giddy. But for the time being, she was plowing through a handful of quick books for earlier ages, writing out a paragraph piece on her thoughts on each. She affectionately gazed at the current page she was on, letting her finger dance over the artwork, recalling memories of her late mother reading to her in her younger years.

{"Let the wild rumpus start!"}

"Yo," a raspy voice interrupted her reading. It was fortunately not too jarring, as the girl had been making some noise across the hall in the background. Their doors were both wide open, producing the effect of two connected rooms in the same house.

"Oh, hey." Katara closed her book and set it atop the pile on her bed beside her desk chair. "What's up?"

"It's almost three," the boyish red-head girl informed, wrinkling her nose at the smell of Katara's potpourri, contained within a small wooden bowl that rested on the shelving propped over her desk. "You ready to go?"

"Oh, gosh," Katara gasped shamefully, pressing her palms over her head. "Is it that time already? I lost track, I'm sorry."

"Whoa, hey. Chill, Kat," the freckled girl eased her with a shrug. "It's no problem. I got your back."

"Thanks, Smellerbee," Katara expressed her gratitude, using the girl's preferred nickname. She sprung from her seat and rushed around the room in a mild panic. Tight-fitting jeans: check. Tight-fitting T-shirt: check. She gave her hair a quick inspection - looked fine, bobbed into a thick, trailing ponytail. Jet liked the ponytail. "It's been a long week," she hurriedly explained, ensuring that her phone was in her pocket, "And I'm all...-" She huffed, scanning the room for her 'nice' shoes.

"Nervous," Smellerbee observed. "Yeeea. I can tell." She leaned against the doorway, lifting an eyebrow at the flustered girl. "What are you looking for?"

"My shoes," Katara groaned, ducking her head down to peer under bed. Katara didn't believe in owning more than a few pairs of shoes: sneakers for any occasion, flip-flops for warm weather, boots for cold weather, and flat-tops for...whatever else. This fell into the latter category. She fluttered across to Toph's end of the room, the side opposite the entrance. Nothing.

"Right here," Smellerbee grunted, kicking a pair of black sneakers into the middle of the floor from the space behind the open door where they had been wedged behind.

_Those weren't the shoes I meant, but...it doesn't really matter. Yea. He's not going to care. You're being stupid, letting yourself get all worked up. Get a grip, girl._

Katara steadied her trembling hands, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

"You gonna make it, there, Kat?" Smellerbee checked, holding in a chortle.

"I'm...Yea," Katara assured, arms relaxed, mind cleared. "I'm fine, just needed a sec there."

"OK." Smellerbee cocked her head to the side. "You just need to keep it _chill,_ Katara. You're making _me_ nervous. And I'm in military training, for Chrissake."

"I'm good." Insistence was the response she was going to keep drilling out. If she kept at it she'd force herself to not let her insecurities come through. Honestly, what was the point, anyway? Jet wasn't one to care about the chaff.

* * *

The drive to Wayward was therapeutic - the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains were their companions this Saturday afternoon, the cloudy sky watching over them. Wayward was only about ten minutes off campus, the only source of easily recognized civilization for miles. This made it the common weekend getaway location for SRU students, whether for shopping, eating out, or watching a movie. Jet was a young man who had grown up in Wayward his whole life, and Katara had met him completely by chance at the local Wegman's grocery store. She reflected on just how funny it was, how a single chance meeting with a person could change so much. She clearly remembered the moment they had met.

"Corn bread?" his gruff voice had inquired skeptically from her right. It almost frightened her with its brash, sudden delivery. She had whipped her head from the blue box of mix in her hand to the man standing no more than ten feet away.

"I-I beg your pardon?" Katara stammered, studying his casual pose with suspicious eyes. He had dark hair like brush in the woods, his bronze skin accented with fierce copper eyes that were cold and sharp. He was dressed in a pair of torn denim jeans with cowboy boots emblazoned with an ornate rose-based pattern. A leather vest was tight around his chest, his body slouching, hands in his pockets. As soon as their gaze met, he pulled his eyes away.

"Disgusting stuff," he decided. "You should make chocolate chip cookies instead, Ma'am."

 _Who is this creep and why does he care what I'm baking? Why is he calling me '_ Ma'am _?'_ _And why does he have to be so damned good-looking? Agh!_

Just as Katara was trying to convince herself that she didn't didn't like cowboy boots, the very shoes in question started clopping against the tile floor as he sauntered over to her side with confident strides.

"Oh, really?" she pointedly countered his suggestion. "And why's that?"

"You're studying for finals. Your friends will want chocolate chip cookies." He leaned down, scooped up a couple of bags of cookie mix, and casually dumped them into her cart. "Trust me," he coolly insisted, eyes like dying embers.

"How do you know I'm a student?" Katara wondered, even more uncomfortable now. She put the corn bread mix back on the shelf where she had found it, but kept her narrowed eyes attached to his every move.

"This is the first thing you picked up," he observed, removing his hands from his pockets and folding them over his chest. "But you passed this aisle by, looped around, and came back. If you lived here, you would've come straight to Aisle 4 because you'd know where the baking supplies were." He said it with such a matter-of-fact tone, as if it were so obvious. Katara snorted through her nose, unsure of whether to be impressed or disturbed.

"Also." He pointed a loose finger at her shoulder bag. "You're wearing the college logo."

Katara cast a quick glance down to her bag, noted the SRU embroidery, and bashfully looked back up to him.

"Oh, right," she muttered, her face heating up. "I, uh...yea. I'm baking some snacks for our finals cram session."

"Like I said, Ma'am." The man nodded slowly. "Chocolate chip cookies."

 _Arrogant little-...Who does he think he is, just barging over and telling me what to bake? OK. Stop looking at his eyes._ Stop _, Katara._

Despite what her mind told her, her insides were tingling and her eyes just wouldn't look away from his calm expression.

"That your grocery list?" He asked, nodding his head at her, eyes fixated on the scrap of paper she had been grasping in her hand.

"Uh...Yea," Katara raised it up and passed it into his open palm. He surveyed it carefully, humming approvingly.

He reached into a chest pocket and pulled out a pen, pressed the list against a shelf - just below the gelatin boxes - and scribbled an addition to the end of her list.

"Good luck with your tests, Ma'am," he encouraged with a sly smirk, passing the list back to her and heading off down the aisle. Katara stood, aghast, her eyes wandering downward at his lithe motions whilst he rounded the corner and vanished from sight. Her stomach was full of butterflies, her face hot, and she sighed in spite of herself. A glance at her notes brought her attention to the addition: the word 'Jet' followed by a phone number. At first she managed to wear a mindset of being repulsed, but later that evening, in retrospect, she had found their initial meeting exhilarating, mysterious, exciting...and she wanted more. So the very next day, she gave the number a dial, and the two spoke for nearly two hours about all manner of local topics, from which restaurants were better to eat at to what life was like in a woman's dormitory, to some underground indie bands that played in Wayward. Due to the busy time that was Finals Week, Katara didn't have too much trouble sneaking time off of campus alone with Jet in-between studies. Unlike her friends, she was well-prepared and had finished her projects early and knew her material well, allowing for extra time during that crazy week to get to know this bold young man, a few years her senior.

He had introduced her to his organization, shown her to parts of town she had never known existed, and their relationship was intimately physical quite quickly. Things never escalated beyond some intense kissing during that time, but Katara had surprised herself with how open she was to even that kind of behavior with a boy she had only known for a week. It was something she had always feared going into college - being swept off her feet by a dashing boy who somehow pulled her strings in such a way that inhibitions gave way to hormones. It was frustrating and taunting, but she kept coming back to it. The bonfire had been started at the end of the school year, but the summer was a slow burn full of e-mails, text messages, and plenty of phone calls, and Sokka was there to criticize her every move regarding Jet. In just a matter of minutes, that glowing fire that had been in the distance for so long would be piled with more wood and light up once again, but Katara was now plagued with doubt as to whether this was a good idea.

 _What am I doing? This guy's a bad influence. My friends don't even like him. I always have to go to_ him, _he never comes to me..._

"You OK, Kat?"

"Wh-?" Katara's mind had been so lost that all that she had been processing in the physical realm was driving straight ahead.

She turned down the radio volume a notch and gave Smellerbee as potent a smile as she could muster.

"Of course. I'm great. I'm about to finally see him again."

"Good. Jesus, all the guy's been talking about all week is is 'Katara-this' and 'Katara-that.'"

"Really?"

"It's _annoying._ No offense."

"Heh." Katara bit her bottom lip just a bit and smiled. "Once Jet sets his mind on something, he doesn't drop the case, does he?"

"Nope," groaned the girl from the passenger's seat. "At least you're better than his last girlfriend."

"Oh?" Katara chuckled. "That's good to hear...I guess?"

"Man, she was just a crazy-ass bitch," Smellerbee grumbled bitterly.

"I guess I'm a little more tolerable, huh?"

"Just a _little_."

"Thanks, Bee," Katara chortled, shaking her head and guiding the car past the "Welcome to Wayward" sign.

"Still remember the way?"

"Go down this road, take a right at the main plaza...-" Katara trailed off, her memory failing her. She'd only come this way a few times.

"Haha, don't sweat, I'll get ya there."

* * *

It was a Saturday afternoon at the Treetop Pub, a surprisingly cozy place on the outskirts of Wayward, and the place was expectantly dull given the time of day. Katara immediately was uneasy, but with Smellerbee at her side, the familiarity of the pub washed over her after entry and she remembered how polite and welcoming a place it was. When Katara thought of bars, she was always wary and uneasy, but the Treetop Pub was nothing to be afraid of.

"What can I get you ladies?" the bartender called out from behind the counter as they passed by. He was a stout man with a wide face and seemed to always look a bit grouchy whenever Katara laid eyes on him.

"They're with us, Sneers." That collected, gruff voice - it was him.

In the back corner of the bar, huddled over a large, round table of wood, Jet sat with a few of his compatriots, tall glass mugs full of beer strewn about the table - though Jet himself had only a glass of water. One of them rose to his feet and approached them, his tall, bony face perking into a smile. A Caucasian, he had an almost beak-like nose and incredibly short brown hair.

"Hey." Smellerbee's normally jagged voice lost its edge in that single word and she pecked the boy on the nose before clasping his hand and leading back to the table. Katara followed, grinning at the quirky couple. Of everyone she had met in Jet's group, they were the only two she felt any kind of connection with - besides the leader himself, of course, who stood up, the seat beside him noticeably empty.

"Glad you could make it, Kat," he said, like spreading butter with words. "We missed you."

"Yea," Katara replied simply. The words, 'I missed you, too,' were on the tip of her tongue but something was forcing them from escaping. She stretched out her arms and welcomed the Latino man into a hug - his hands attached themselves around her hips and he tilted his head, immediately diving in for a kiss. The contact was intoxicating and her resolve crumbled, giving in to his bold advance. Tongues slithered together briefly and quickly retracted, and Katara's heart pounded in her chest from the swiftness of it all - the goading catcalls from the table didn't make her any more comfortable. She wanted to regret what she had just done, but the will simply wasn't there to genuinely do so. Katara may not have been in that bar to drink alcohol but she was already feeling drunk on something else.

She couldn't help but gawk for a moment at the unlit cigarette hanging from Jet's lips. It seemed like at every possible opportunity he always had one in his mouth but rarely would ever light it - as far as she could ascertain he would keep a cigarette in his mouth all day, consuming it in the evening, if at all. He never smoked in her presence, she had come to realize, as if in some attempt to spare her of his habit.

Feeling somewhat like a trophy of sorts, Katara sat herself between Jet and Smellerbee at the table, wondering what it was that was going on.

"All right, guys, since Kat's here we oughtta wrap this up." He gave her a wink. "We've got some catching up to do."

"A'ight," one of his members piped up, "So whadda we gotta do next, then?"

"It's that time of year, Jim - time to pick up some fresh meat."  
 _Fresh meat? That certainly doesn't sound good._

"Freshmen," Jim realized with a grin. "That's good, Jet - that's good. We could use a coupla extra pairs o' hands 'round here."

"I already found a couple that I think would work," Smellerbee jumped in, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Gimme 'til next weekend and I bet I can convince 'em to show up for an orientation."

"Who are they?" Jet inquired, leaning back in his seat.

"They're neighbors of Longshot's," she bobbed her head to the boy whose hand she clutched on the table's surface. "They've got the kind of spirit we're lookin' for, I can tell." Longshot nodded his head approvingly, saying not a word, his face solemn.

"All right, then," Jet conceded with a shrug. "I guess that's settled. You get 'em to come here next weekend and we should be golden - we only need a couple."

Katara couldn't help but wonder how good an idea it was, pulling in freshman kids into an environment like this, but this wasn't her organization, so she wasn't going to say anything - for now. Knowing Jet and the way his group worked, if he was pulling in someone new it was probably entirely innocent. Yea. Had to be.

"Anything else, folks?" Jet wondered, glancing around the table. Shrugs and head-shakes. "Well, OK, then." Jet knocked his fist into the table, declaring, "Freedom Fighters adjourned!"

The Freedom Fighters were a group of young adults who were constantly fighting against big business in one way or another. Their mission statement entailed instilling Wayward with a stronger sense of local community, free of oppression. They were always trying to support small mom-and-pop places, promote indie bands and artists, and help out struggling small-time restaurants. It seemed like every week there was a fundraiser of some kind they were facilitating.

Jet led Katara out of the bar and to his motorcycle - nothing fancy, just a dinged-up old two-wheel creature with a strong sense of loyalty. Jet grabbed the plain black helmet from the handlebar and passed it to Katara. She strapped it on and slipped herself onto the bike behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist securely. Neither said a word for the duration of the couple of minutes they spent driving back to Jet's apartment, a small but surprisingly neat abode that peered out onto a business avenue. They made small talk for a few minutes, catching each other up on more minor events of the past week. Jet poured himself some scotch but knew better than to offer her some. Very much like his smoking, drinking seemed to be something Jet fortunately kept in check - she only ever witnessed him drink one glass of anything at a time, and generally only within the confines of his home. The mid afternoon seemed an odd time to drink, but Jet wasn't exactly a terribly consistent young man, making it all the more tricky to get a good read on him.

"So, that's why they won't let me on campus now," he grunted out in conclusion to his story.

Katara sighed, sprawled across his plain brown couch, her head in his lap. Their proximity was refreshing.

"Just because of some spray paint?" Katara wasn't entirely sure which side of this argument she was on, but in the presence of her boyfriend, a certain bias took hold.

"I guess the administration didn't appreciate the irony in my work," he chuckled, taking a sip before running his hand across the top of her head.

"Graffiti on the windows of the president's office might have that effect."

"Weird part is, the guy had his secretary take a _picture_ of it. He was laughing. Like he thought it was funny."

"Well...Didn't you _mean_ for it to be funny?"

"Not to _him!_ I was insulting him, Kat."

"Ha." She winked at him with a sly grin. "You must not know our president very well, then. Anyway, at least you didn't get in more trouble."

"True." Another sip. "Agh. Yea, I mean...guy let me off easy, just said that if I cleaned it up and stayed off campus he wouldn't press charges."

"He's a pretty easy-going guy like that."

"Unlike you," Jet teased.

"Wh-what? I-I'm easy-going," Katara insisted, obviously flustered. "I _am!_ "

"Yeeea. That kind of reaction?" A wide grin poured out. "Just proves my point, Kat."

Katara felt her insides squirming around in discomfort.

_Who am I kidding? I'm anything but easy-going..._

"How about we watch some TV?" Jet offered. He leaned forward to pick up the remote from his coffee table. On his way back, he gave pause, his head hovering her face. He pressed his lips against her neck and her nerves ignited, like coal set ablaze. Time became a blur as logic was drowned by hormones. No clothing was removed and nothing more sensual than their previous interactions transpired, but what did was fueled by physicality and repression bursting free.

_Rrrmmmm._

Everything skidded to a halt, their lips dangling open across one another.

_Rrrmmmm._

"Oh, that's...-" Katara, her body weighed down by Jet's, wormed her hand into her pocket, retrieving her phone.

_Rrrmmmm._

[Call From] **  
**[ **Aang** ]

"I should take this," she sheepishly decided with a shrug, sitting up as he sat himself beside her. She caught a quick glance of the time on his cable box: [4:42pm]

"Yea, go ahead," Jet mumbled, clearing his throat and wiping his lip.

Katara flipped open the phone and gave Aang an overly sweet, "Heeey, what's up?"

["Hey, Katara. We were just wondering, like, if you were eating dinner with _us_ tonight, or...-?"]

"Oh!" Precisely the type of thing she was hoping for when her phone had gone off. "Right! Yea, I am."

["Great! We're just gonna meet up at the ACC at 5:30. OK?"]

"Sure. I'll see you then."

["'Kay!"]

Katara closed her phone, brushing sweaty, disheveled stray strands of hair from her face.

"I'm meeting up with them for dinner," she explained, trying to make it seem pre-planned. "Sorry," she murmured.

"Nah, it's...it's cool," Jet mumbled with a shrug. He was disappointed, she could tell. What was she supposed to do? She was thankful for the escape, conflicted by how easily she seemed to lose herself in the man's presence. Her body was saying yes and her mind was saying no - _bleck._ Dear God, the very fact that this was case was giving her a stomach ache.

"And, uh...tomorrow I'm going to be busy all day," she reminded him with a shaky sigh.

"Hey, it's my own fault I didn't come to dinner with you yesterday," Jet confessed. "You're a student. Life is busy. I get it." He didn't really get it. His words were drenched with the same doubt Sokka had expressed the night prior. Katara was conflicted, trying to decide whether she should let that bitterness linger in his mind or not. His broken expression gnawed away at her and she gave in.

"Tuesday," she blurted out. "Tuesday night I'm free. I have nothing going on."

"We have a small gig we'll be helping with," Jet noted. "I could pick you up - we could go together?"

"Yea!" she leaped at the chance to give him optimism before she left. "That...sssounds great!"

"Cool." Jet ran his hand through her ponytail, tugging her into a final embrace and kiss, which she almost resisted. Almost.

_What is wrong with me?_


	4. Special

  
  
[Commission: SRU - Man of Science, Man of Sarcasm](http://leafoflov3.deviantart.com/art/Commission-SRU-Man-of-Science-Man-of-Sarcasm-282572922) by =[leafoflov3](http://leafoflov3.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

 

-August 28th, 2010-

"Mmrrrggmfff..."

"C'mon, Toph. Get up. Get _up._ " Katara nudged her hand into Toph's arm a couple of times.

"Nooooo," Toph whined through her pillow, slurping loose drool back into her mouth.

"I know it's early, Hun, but we agreed it'd be better to get up early then come back late."

"Whyyyyy?"

"Because. Now _up._ If you don't get around soon you're going to delay everyone."

Katara pulled on Toph's right arm, stretching it out off the bed. When she let go, the arm went limp, flopping over the side.

"Fuckarizzirmmm..."

"Unless you want to ruin Aang's plans that he's been waiting all _week_ for...?"

_Damnit all to hell...She's right._

_"Urgh."  
_

Toph reeled in her arm and forced her body to roll over onto its back. She let loose a lion's yawn and scratched at her chest haphazardly. The itch relieved, she twisted her hips, dropping her bare feet to the floor _._ She mashed her palms into her eyes to remove uncomfortable sand. She made her way to the dresser that rested beyond the foot of her bed and felt around for the second draw from the top. Katara didn't offer any assistance, much to Toph's relief. It had taken all week, but finally, she had managed to convince her roommate that she did not need help changing her own clothes. Pajama pants were traded for cargo shorts and her fuzzy shirt was swapped for a tanktop. As she felt her feet around the foot of her bed for her sandals, Katara burst out laughing.

"What?" Toph snapped.

"Ya _sure_ you're gonna just... _go out_ like that today?" Katara asked through the eye of a gigglestorm - Toph could tell that her roommate was barely keeping another fit of snickers at bay.

"Uhhh, _yea_ ," Toph slowly replied, eyebrows furrowing. "Why?"

"Ya _might_ want to consider putting a bra on under your shirt, Dear," Katara breathed out with an "Ohhhhh, boy..."

_So much for dressing on my own. Grahh.  
_

Her face on fire with embarrassment, Toph shuffled back over to her dresser and pried open the top drawer, grabbed the appropriate garment, and rearranged her outfit to incorporate it. This had nothing to do with her being blind, she was just being careless and her senses were dulled by fact of being half-awake. She could hear Katara stuffing things together into a bag as she finished replacing her tanktop.

"So, uh...What time is it, anyway?" Toph wondered, sticking her feet into her sandals.

"It's about 7:30."

"God damn," Toph grunted. "Why so _early?_ It's a _Sunday._ "

"You _really_ don't like waking up early, do you?"

"Hell no." Toph yawned out again, setting herself down in her desk chair and brushing her bangs around with her fingers. Her hair was a mess of tangles - she could feel it - and she knew that while she _could_ work it out on her own, they were pressed for time. "Would you mind, um...-?"

"Of course." Katara was over in a flash, as if she had seen this coming, and set to work brushing through Toph's hair. Having her hair brushed and fixed was a regular occurrence given her condition, but...not like _this._ The way her hair was cared for back home was so _proper,_ so lifeless. The way Katara handled her hair instantly felt embracing. It reminded her of when Aang had first fiddled with it back in the spring, not far into their 'official' phase of dating.

"Seriously, your hair's super pretty," he had insisted, running his hands through it. It had been shorter back then, hardly touching her shoulders.

"That so, huh?"

"Really. I love it. It's all soft and smooth, and...stuff."

"Well, uh...yea. Hair's like that."

"Not _mine._ "

"Not yours?"

"No!" He let her hair loose and gently took her hand and guided it to his head. Rough, scratchy, bristly...He was right, it was rough. She admired it carefully, her fingertips and palm soaking in the sensation. She pressed down and rubbed, tickled by the way the hair felt as it was wedged in the spaces between her fingers. How had she never taken the time to appreciate it so thoroughly before this moment?

"So what?" she said. "I like it."

"Hee," came a bashfully pleased sound.

She had been so tempted in that moment to plant a kiss into his lips, but she knew that he wasn't ready for it. He had never kissed a girl before and had expressed to Toph before they had decided to give the 'dating' thing a try that he wanted to take it slow. So she instead directed her lips to his cheek, hand still in his hair. His arms were suddenly around her waist and she smiled, resting her head on his shoulder as they sat, side by the side, in the spring grass.

"Not as much as I like _you,_ " Aang layered on the cheese.

"Wow, Aang." Toph sighed as a huge smile overcame her. "So romantic," she sarcastically snickered, shoving his chest with her fingertips.

"Only the best for you," was the embellished followup she received as he nuzzled the side of his head against her neck.

"Good to know - only what I deserve," she declared jokingly. They both chuckled and squeezed each other tight.

"I'll _always_ give you what you deserve, Toph," Aang assured, his tone suddenly solemn. "The best."

His words penetrated her humor and struck her core. Toph's parents had been tossing words like that around her whole life, and yet...when Aang said it, he said it in a way no other person had prior. There was a quality to his tone that spilled his spirit out all over, encasing her in security, in warmth. Her parents had never meant what _Aang_ meant when they had assured her the 'best,' when they had promised her 'everything she deserved.'

"I...-" She was at a loss for words as she processed the overwhelming feeling. This boy who had known her for merely a few months, offering her his will and dedication in such earnest. "I'm grateful for that," she whispered. "I'll...I'm always going to give you the same, Aang."

She certainly wasn't going to let him down on this day and cause his plans to fall apart - something so minor in the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't even be considered a problem to simply wake up and be somewhere on time.

"There. Looks fine." Katara tugged on the ponytail, patted Toph's shoulders tenderly, and stepped back to let her rise. "Now come on, let's go get some breakfast."

"Whoa. _Breakfast,_ " said Toph, rubbing her stomach. "What is this... _breakfast_ of which you speak?"

* * *

"They're girls, Aang. They will _always_ be late." Sokka sniffed at his bacon strips with glee, rubbing his palms together.

"But your sister is usually _early,_ " Aang pointed out.

"But my sister isn't usually having to help _your_ lazy girlfriend get out of bed," Sokka countered, jabbing a strip at him before snapping into it.

Aang wanted to shout, 'She's not lazy,' but had to acknowledge that when it came to waking up, Toph's blindness had nothing to do with it - she just plain sucked at getting up in the morning. Aang shrugged it off and went back to his cereal. The cafeteria was extremely slow - definitely slower than the average morning. No surprise, though: it was a weekend.

"Ah, there they are," Sokka observed after swallowing the second half of his first piece of meat. Aang rotated his head to see the two familiar girls climbing up the steps of the cafeteria. He immediately jumped up from his seat and joined them after they had scanned in for their meal. Toph was being led by Katara, so Aang latched his hand around her free arm. She twitched at first in a start, but quickly relaxed, letting go of Katara and leaning into Aang mid-walk for a light semi-hug.

"Hey, Twinks," she greeted, the corner of her lip propping up.

"Hiya, um...Sugar...Doodle."

Toph imitated a puking sound and Katara went "Pffff!"

"Epic Fail," Toph chortled. "Keep trying." They reached the main bar for hot food - only one was ever open for breakfast.

"So, uh..." Aang surveyed the array as Katara grabbed a plate and filled it with a smattering of pancakes. "We got pancakes, um, eggs...and-"

"What kind?" Toph immediately interjected.

"Oh. Scrambled."

"'Kay. Go on."

"So, like...sausages, and some hashbrowns."

"Mmmm..." Toph tapped her foot, arms crossed thoughtfully. "All of it," she decided, pumping her fists down with anticipation. "Extra hash browns. And maybe some more extra hash browns."

Aang laughed, shaking his head, and took a plate from the stack, slapping on a portion of each food with careful attention. Toph couldn't stand her foods getting mixed together - naturally, she would inadvertently cause this issue on her own, but that was somehow OK.

"OK. Was that it?" Aang politely checked as they exited the line.

"Oughtta be plenty. What, do you think I'm a pig, or something?" Toph sneakily accused.

" _No_ ," Aang assured, throwing her own brand of sarcasm back at her. "Not at all."

"Hey," she sharply snapped with a grin, eyes wound down into slits. He giggled and forced his arm around hers so as to lead her back to their table.

"This is gonna be a long day, isn't it?" Toph theorized as Aang picked up a fork for her just outside the forest of tables.

"Probably," he admitted. "But...in the good way. I think."

Katara had already found their table, and by the look of things, Sokka had already said something that had put her in a foul mood - probably about her boyfriend. For some reason that seemed to be causing a lot of friction between them ever since school had started.

Aang set Toph's plate down between Katara's seat and his own, then pulled out her chair and eased her to it.

"What did you want to drink?" he wondered as she sat.

"Coffee. One cream, two sugars." Aang obediently scurried off, returning to her a minute or two later with her drink in a mug. He set it down, sat beside her, and took her hand, placing it on the cup's handle to show her where it was. "Thanks, Twinkle-Toes," she said softly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. This was their meal-time ritual. Toph had once been frustrated with always having to have someone prepare her food for her, but ever since Aang had started doing it, she had gradually become not only all right with it but actually specifically happy to be cared after. Aang wasn't entirely sure why this was, but he wasn't going to complain that he got a kiss and a rare 'thank-you' from Toph whenever he did so.

"Eat up, gang," Sokka instructed, pounding his fist into the table. "For on this day, we shall _walk._ " He paused to stuff some eggs and ketchup into his face. He pointed his fork into the air like a sword and gulped his food down. "Into Mordor," he added with ice cold resolve.

"One does not simply _walk_ into Mordor," Aang bellowed deeply.

"There is evil there that _does not sleep_!" Toph joined in with an even deeper, accented voice.

There was an awkward pause. Sokka and Aang stared at Katara suspiciously, who was distracted and fervently chewing, while Toph sat with a brow raised.

"Mm?" Katara blinked at them, utterly confused. She swallowed her bite of marmalade-covered bagel.

"There-is-evil-there-that-does-not- _sleep_ ," Toph rapidly repeated in a whisper.

"Oh. _O_ _h!_ " Katara jumped up, her brain snapping to the current conversation. "It is _folly!_ " she cried at last, her expression dire before melting into a smile as they all shared a chuckle at one of many recurring jokes they had grown to share.

* * *

"This was a good idea," Sokka decreed, merrily stamping his wooden hiking stick into the dirt path with each step he took, reviewing his map.

"I think so," Aang concurred, Toph's arm clung around his waist, his own over her shoulder.

"Meh, it's OK," Toph mumbled with intended apathy. Aang slithered his hand down and attacked her armpit, causing her to squeak and squirm. "Stoppit," she quickly growled, smacking his stomach with the arm he had tickled.

"The pond's straight up ahead, guys," Katara announced, trailing behind her brother but in front of the pair of sophomores. Aang peered down the trail and could see where it curved to the right - an opening in the woods was on the left, just before the curve.

"Good, my feet are getting tired," Toph grumbled.

"Your feet? What about my _stomach_?" Sokka whimpered. "It's been..." He checked his watch. "Like, three hours!" Indeed, they had been taking it easy with frequent rests, but had been hiking for the rest of the morning after breakfast. " _Three. Hours._ My body can't handle that kind of neglect! My rippling physique has probably already started withering away!"

"Has it withered away to the point where your sister can beat you to the pond?" Katara taunted with a smirk, catching up to his side.

"Doubtful." He seethed, accepting her challenge.

"Three-two-one-go!" Toph burst out, her words like lightning as she punched her arm through the air.

Sokka and Katara chortled in surprise, each stumbling forward, eventually hitting their strides as they dashed ahead to the pond, but Toph and Aang took their time - Toph wasn't a big fan of water and Aang didn't want to leave her by herself on the sidelines.

"Heh, that was easy," Toph congratulated herself. As they continued their walk, she rested the side of her head on Aang's shoulder, binding her free arm across his chest and scratching at it. Aang skritched his own fingers along her back to reciprocate, and as her palm stopped on his left chest, he became conscious of his increasing heart rate at their contact. Toph giggled quietly.

"Looks like I still strike fear in your heart, eh?" she baited him.

"Always," Aang agreed, ruffling his hand through her bangs.

"Good," she derived with mischief, squinting as his fingers fumbled over her forehead. "Can't let that change."

Aang leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head, sniffing in the aroma of her brushed but unclean hair. A small "Mm," hummed from Toph's nose as he did so.

" _God_ ," she panted. "I missed you, Twinkle-Toes." She ran her hand up and down his t-shirt in tiny motions. "Have I told you that?"

"I think this is the... _third_ time since we got back?" he sheepishly replied.

"Oh. Well, damn. Don't want to let this go to your _head_." She flashed a playful grin, which he admired, as she turned her face up to him, clearly for the intent of showing him the devilish twinkle in her pale, ivory eyes. "Otherwise you might end up thinking you're _special_ or something."

"Can't have that, can we?" he played along.

" _Hell no,_ " she grunted with a squeeze as the sounds of splashing siblings screeching at each other poured over them from up ahead.

This entire idea had started back in the early winter of their freshman year, days after they had been formally acquainted, weeks before the end of the semester. Toph had been barricaded in a compact practice room in the music building. A quick peek through the small window to the sound-proof door revealed the mysterious musical whiz, hard at work on a piano. Even from behind, Aang could tell that she just going through the motions - her hands flew across the keys not like a bird but like an airplane: mechanical, stiff, rigid.

He shyly cracked open the door and squeezed himself inside, her music unrelenting. The notes from the piano were fast and fierce, cold and unnerving...Aang sat on the carpeted floor. He waited, and he listened. It was beautiful, but frightening, akin to a lioness on the prowl. After a couple of minutes the blizzard of hammers on strings quieted.

"Who are _you_?" the black-haired girl flatly demanded, unmoving. "What do you want?"

Aang stared at the ratty mess of a bun of hair on the back of her head. She had been so pretty and dressed up and neat at the recital they'd watched...She was practically a different person.

"It's, um...It's Aang," he announced meekly. "Aang Leekpai."

"Oh," she said slowly, turning her body around on her bench.

"Why don't you take a break from your practicing?" Aang asked hopefully.

"And do what?" she growled, her head bobbed, expression sour.

"Come hang out with me and my buds."

"Why would I wanna do _that_?"

"'Cuz..." He scratched the base of his neck nervously. Damn, she was pretty intimidating for someone who never looked you in the eye. "Like I told you: I want to be your friend."

She huffed, crossing her arms around her waist and bouncing her bare foot on its toes rhythmically.

"What makes _you_ so special?" Had that been a question? It sounded like more like a snarl. "Why do you wanna be friends with _me_ , anyway?"

"I don't _know,_ " Aang honestly answered, his intestines squirming inside him. "I just do. That isn't good enough for you?"

Her brows furrowed and she rubbed the bags hanging under her eyes.

"You don't know?" Her incredulous tone lashed out like a vine of thorns. "Pff, you don't _know_ , but you'll stalk me like a fucking creep."

"Fine."  
 _What was I thinking? Maybe everyone was right: maybe she_ is _just an angry-loner-psycho...  
_ "I'm nothing special," he bitterly informed her, swiftly opening the door, breaking out of the room and breaking free from her cynicism.

A long distance they had come since that day. Somewhere along the way, that grouchy exchange had turned into an affectionate joke.

Toph groaned as she let herself sit down at last in the spot Aang had decreed as 'sittable.'

"God damn, my legs are so freakin' sore," she sighed, spreading her limbs out straight and leaning against the tree Aang had propped her against. He rested at her side and smiled as, on cue, she kicked off her sandals and wiggled her toes around.

"Mine, too," Aang sympathized, taking a deep breath. He watched Sokka and Katara's splashing war occur meters ahead. By now it had died down severely as the two of them had no-doubt quickly worn themselves out after all of that walking. He caught himself gawking at the tan-skinned girl in the dark blue one-piece as she waded out of the water and pulled his eyes away, re-adjusting his male nature toward the girl who was his, who he wanted to focus exclusively on in that manner. It wasn't hard to forget the Canadian beauty just ahead when he had a gorgeous Toph Beifong leaning against him.

"Lunch time!" Sokka shouted, patting himself down with a towel as his sister wrung her hair out. "Trail mix and crackers and cheese spread and _ham sandwiches._ "

"What are you waiting for?" Toph demanded. "Break out the food, then!"

* * *

"There could be _bears_ or _pumas_ or something out there. Gotta be careful."

"Pumas, Sokka?" Katara criticized. "Yea, um, I'm not so sure we're likely to run into those out here."

"Yea? Well, that's probably what every single person who's ever been killed by a puma _thought_ when they went out into the woods."

"Lead on, Fearless Leader," Toph mocked.

"Are we lost, Sokka?" Aang asked apologetically.

"Lost? _Lost?_ " Sokka shook his head fervently. "Of course not."

 _She_ had asked that same thing on that winter's night during his sophomore year.

"Are we lost, Sokka?"

"Lost? _Lost?_ " He choked on his own over-embellishment. "Uhh...Yea, actually, we're a little lost."

She giggled as he rubbed her knee while she drove through the dark, snowy streets.

"I hope my father doesn't get the wrong idea when we get home late," she said, humored by their predicament.

Ulrika Alfven was a Swedish born girl with bright blue eyes, a porcelain face, and flowing, elegant blond hair. Her well-endowed family had moved to America when she was very young and she grew up around American students, staff, and neighbors, so she was assuredly United-Statesian despite her exotic name. A child actress, Ulrika had found success in commercials and bit roles for TV shows and movies for years. At the age of 18 she landed a breakthrough role as the female protagonist in a teenage romance flick, and immediately thereafter made the decision that she wanted to attend college before continuing her career. Somehow, she had landed at Saint Roku University - specifically choosing a smaller, secluded college to avoid press contact as often as possible.

With such a foreign name, it was natural for people to assign a nickname. Her friends had taken to abbreviating Ulrika Alfven to "U. A." Upon becoming friends with her - and quickly getting entangled in a romantic relationship - Sokka had expressed that the name would look better if it was written out like "Yue." He'd insisted it could be her 'artist name.' "Ya know, like Cher. Or Ke$ha. Or Prince. Or something." On this evening in December of 2008, Yue had taken Sokka out for some fine-dining. Sokka admired Yue's insistence on being fair - he had taken her out to eat previously, so it was her turn now. He liked that a girl wasn't going to try and worm her way into romance but was going to put in just as much work as he was. It didn't hurt that she happened to be pretty rich, which meant that when she took him out for a meal, fancy meats were the order of the day. Also, she was very pretty. Pretty, independent, able to feed him lots of meat: Sokka couldn't really ask for much more than that during that point of his life.

"Your father's a pretty...laid back kinda guy...right?"

"Haha, usually. But I _am_ his only daughter."

"You're makin' me nervous here, Yue," Sokka uttered, an intentional shakiness in his voice.

"Always, Darling," Yue said with a coy tone.

"Sometimes that's not so bad," Sokka told her, planting a kiss on her temple as they hit a red light. She turned her head and took the moment of pause to share a slow, affectionate embrace of lips.

"I'm starting to get the impression you might falling in love with me, Noble Sir Kesuk," said Yue with a facetious smile as the light turned green and she pressed down the pedal.

"That impression would be accurate, Princess," Sokka replied warmly.

It came from the left, like thunder striking a lone tree on a grassy hill. Sokka's world exploded in a flash of car lights, glass, and metal crushing against metal, red splattering against his face.

Water, trickling down from the heavens, brought him back. Rain. Light rain.

"If we're not lost-" Katara began, sorting through Sokka's pack - still attached to his back - to retrieve a pair of umbrellas taken for just such an occasion. "-then why are we not back on the path yet?"

"Ya know, Katara," Sokka hissed, spinning around. "If _you_ wanna figure out how we get back on the path, by all means, go ahead!" He shoved the map in her direction as she un-velcroed the umbrellas.

"Geez, chill out, Sokka," Toph grumbled as Aang took one of the umbrellas and pitched it over her. The rain pattered gently on its taut surface and Sokka took a deep breath. "It's no big deal, we're not that far out."

"Yea," Aang agreed, clearly trying to placate the Kesuk siblings. "We went south off the path, right? Sooner or later, we should hit it again. And if not, then we'll reach the end of the woods, anyway. We're good."

_He's right, we've been going dead south - I'm sure of it. We'll be fine, and we should actually cut down about twenty minutes taking this shortcut._

"Yea," Sokka agreed complacently. folding their map up and slipping it into his back pocket. Katara grabbed his hand and pulled him ahead of the duo behind them a bit, keeping the umbrella above them. "Sorry," Sokka apologized, his voice low.

"It's OK," Katara casually dismissed the conflict. "What's wrong?"

Sokka's eyes avoided her and he held in a sigh that was aching to come out.

"I know that face," Katara whispered seriously, the rain veiling their conversation as Aang and Toph mumbled out some humorous discussion behind them. "You're thinking about her."

"Maybe," Sokka admitted in a barely audible mutter, stuffing his hands into his pant pockets.

"You know what I'm going to tell you, Sokka," she solemnly warned.

"Yea. I do. So ya don't have to," he advised, his stomach churning.

"Sokka," his sister sighed, squeezing his shoulder as they marched through the twigs and dirt and grass, weaving between trees, raindrops dancing ballet around them. He could practically hear those tired words hanging from her lips, but she didn't say them this time, as he requested. Instead her voice echoed in his head: It wasn't your fault. There was nothing anyone could do. She's watching over you, just like Mom is.

None of these words made it any easier, but at least time had played its part in helping heal the wound. A scar was better than a bleeding gash. Sokka had already had one etched across his heart as a child, and now he had another one to criss-cross it.


	5. Uneasy

  
  
[SRU!Zuko, SRU!Mai](http://fav.me/d4x5l1y), as depicted by [Minuiko](http://minuiko.deviantart.com/) at DeviantArt

* * *

 

-Monday, August 30th, 2010-

["YOU HAVE... **ONE**...NEW MESSAGE. **FIRST** NEW MESSAGE."]  
["Hello, _Dum-Dum._ How's that Senioritis taste, huh? I can't believe you're literally going through with this. What will you do when school's over, Brother? Ugh. Anyway...If you _care_ to know - though I imagine you _don't_ \- I'm going to go visit Father this Wednesday. But I'm sure your precious little classes at your precious little school are more important than your _family._ Since I'm sure you won't bother to come, I'll let you know how it goes. Give your emo girlfriend my regards, _ZuZu._ ]  
["END OF MESSAGE. TO DELETE THIS MESSAGE, PRESS-"]  
[ _Beep._ ]  
["MESSAGE DELETED. YOU HAVE NO MORE MESSAGES."]

"Who was that, Zuko?" his girlfriend's scratchy voice inquired as she took a sip of her grape soda through a straw.

"Just some love from my sister," he bitterly explained, dropping his phone onto the table beside his plate. "She sends her regards, by the way."

"I'm sure she _does,_ " mused his girlfriend doubtfully as she plunged into her vegetables. She had thin, black hair cast over her thin face, often in lengthy pigtails, as was the case today. The goth look was hers entirely, from dark rings painted around her to eyes to deep purple lipgloss and a multiple ear piercings, with a ring on her left nostril for good measure.

"She's going to see our father this week," Zuko informed with disinterest.

"And...I take it you're not going?"

"Of course not, Mai. Why _would_ I? I have nothing more to say to that man."

Mai shrugged and slurped her straw again. "Good," she muttered. "I was gonna tell you not to go, anyway." Those ragged eyes of hers sparked as she smirked in his direction. He returned the gesture and straightened his blood red tie before peeling open the previous Friday's issue of the campus newspaper, the White Lotus.

{Local Citizen Vandalizes President's Office}  
{- Jin Ackland}

{This past Monday night, marking the start of the school year, our beloved President Bumi's office received some unwelcome company in the form of offensive graffiti left by a local citizen from Wayward. The graffiti was spray painted across the window of the office and portrayed an offensive message that the President has requested we not share. A security guard stationed that night caught the young man fleeing the scene and identified him as Jack Chavez, founder of a local organization known as the 'Freedom Fighters.' According to Chavez, he had intended to "[..] leave a message telling the president how I feel about the way the administration is being run." Jack refused to comment on specifics, but President Bumi seemed unfazed by his expressive statement. If anything, he seemed humored by it.}

Zuko stopped reading at the end of that paragraph when Mai asked, "Aren't you gonna eat your lunch, Zuko?"

"Right," he grunted, folding the paper up and setting it aside in favor of consuming his untouched meal. "So how is that Wildlife Photography course so far?" he wondered between bites of his bagel-tuna sandwich (with tomatoes).

"It seems interesting," said Mai with a gentle nod. "What about _your_ stuff?"

"Business is business," Zuko huffed, running his hand across his slick, combed hair. "As usual."

"I'm sure you're going to find a good use for your talents," Mai encouraged, taking his hand and kissing it on the wrist.

"I know," he acknowledged calmly. "Sometimes it just all feels a bit too stuffy for my tastes."

"You're not going to go down the same path as your father, Zuko. If anything, I'm sure you've learned from his mistakes."

"Pah," Zuko blurted, gulping down his now lukewarm tea. "Guess that's _one_ way of looking at it..."

"Hey-hey-hey!" sang out the sweet voice of Mai's bosom pal and roommate and she skipped over to their table, seating herself at Mai's side.

"Hi, Ty," Mai warmly greeted with a nod.

"Heya, guys!" the preppy girl piped, her eyes aglow with that ever-present wonder they always wore. "I'm off to class but I just thought I'd stop by."

"Hello, Ty-Lee," Zuko mumbled for the sake of proper social interaction.

"Hiiiii ZuuuZuuu," she loudly squawked with an exaggerated wave of her hand.

He didn't particularly like Ty-Lee. She was overly excited and tried too hard to be the center of attention wherever she went, in his opinion. He couldn't comprehend how Mai had ever become friends with this girl in the first place, but they had been roommates for all three years of school prior, so he figured there must have been something that had developed, if only through necessity in their first year. Dating Mai meant tolerating Ty-Lee. The prior was more than worth the latter, so tolerate he did.

Ty-Lee's body was the stuff of young male fantasies, and she was fully aware of this, constantly flaunting herself and her giant braid of hair, playing off as the 'hot ditsy cheerleader' type. It worked much more effectively than Zuko would have expected. It seemed like every other week there was a new boy at her side. She never committed to anything, and Zuko couldn't help but wonder exactly what kinds of things she got herself involved with. If anything, she seemed clever enough to manipulate the men around her for the smaller things, like food and favors.

"Kay-kay!" Ty chirped, bouncing back up to her feet. "Don't wanna be late. Byeeee~!"

After she had vanished down the stairs, Mai cocked an eyebrow at Zuko as he finished his sandwich.

"Don't look so excited to see my best friend today," she jested, clearly more amused than irate.

"I'm just balancing out her psychotic enthusiasm."

"I thought that was _my_ job?"

"With Ty-Lee, even _two_ depressed people aren't enough."

"Haha. Well..." Mai leaned over and placed both hands on his clean, acne-less face. "Come on, _ZuZu,_ " she said teasingly, running her skinny fingers down his temples, admiring his smooth, rigid face. "Let's go be depressed outside," she joked. "It's nice out today."

* * *

Sokka stood outside of the class, eying each student with as much nonchalance as he could.

 _Nope. Nope. Nooo. No. Noperoonie. No-no-no. Noooo-_ oh _! Yes. Yes, yes, yes!_

It _was_ her. He hadn't been seeing things. That was entirely, 100%, without a doubt, the girl he had thought he'd seen when he'd walked into class. He'd been staring at the back of her head periodically throughout the session.

He caught up to her, grasping his textbook tightly to ensure he didn't drop it.

"Hey, Suki! Suki?" He dropped it, anyway.

"Huh?" The girl whirled around, hands clutched to her backpack straps. After he'd recovered his book, Sokka glanced up at her, staring wide-eyed back down at him. "Sokka," she murmured nervously, eyes shifting away.

"Suki." He cleared his throat and stood up. "I _thought_ it was you..."

"Yea, I, uh..." She shrugged dismissively.

"You're back on campus," Sokka specified, still in shock. "I had...no idea. I mean...it's been...Fff." He shook his head slowly. "Two, three years?"

"R-right, I..." Suki nodded quickly. "I was...I didn't even know I was gonna be here until a few weeks ago. I don't know, things just...-" She trailed off, and Sokka knew all too well that her fidgeting fingers were a sign that she was feeling bashful.

"N-no, that's-...Really, I mean, that's great," Sokka spat out, leading her out of the crowded hall and outside into the sun. "We should...I dunno, we should catch up."  
 _Not alone, idiot. Don't put her on the spot._  
"You can meet all my buds," he added in haste. "We could order pizza, watch a movie, have a get-together. Ya know?"

Suki shrugged but nodded her head to the side.

"Yea, that...That'd be great, Sokka."

"OK. Cool. Tomorrow night work for you?"

"Yes, tomorrow...would be fine." Suki's uncharacteristically sheepish actions had Sokka wondering if she was feeling nervous for the same reasons he was.

"Awesome. Stop on by Aero at seven, we'll all meet you in the main lounge."

"OK. Sure." A small smirk emerged as her eyes relaxed.

_There we go. A smile. Honest to goodness smile. Great._

"Uh, I'll...let you go, then," Sokka said with a shrug, waving her off as he slowed his pace to allow her to speed away to whatever it was she was up to next. He sighed a deep, relieved sigh, his stomach tied in knots. That could've gone a lot worse. He gathered his bearings, spun around, and dove right back into the building he'd just exited, another class session looming ahead _,_ minutes away.

* * *

"Suki Kyoshi?" Katara gasped, slack-jawed. "As in, 'girl-you-dated-freshman-year,' Suki Kyoshi?"

" _I know!_ " Sokka delightfully squealed as he connected the cables to the back of the TV. "I can't believe it." The lounge of the second floor of Aero was free on this particular Monday evening, and Sokka had decided to hook up the communal Wii he and Aang had split for the year prior to a larger TV with more space than their cramped dorm room provided.

"Someone's still got a crush," Toph teased with a grin, kicking her feet up over Aang's lap as she lay on her back across the carpet, arms spread out. Aang tickled at her dirty, sockless feet, and she kicked, barely containing a giggle, before frowning at the ceiling. "Hey," she threatened. "No tickle."

"OK," Aang pouted, patting her bare shin.

"We _did_ date for a while," Sokka admitted, rubbing his forehead contemplatively. "Only reason we broke up was 'cuz she transferred. It just wasn't gonna work out...We're not cut for long distance."

"But she's back now." Katara nodded approvingly, her arms folded across her chest with confidence.

_This is great, Sokka! This is just what you need. A new opportunity. You can't let the past tie you down forever._

"Sooo...Is this Fearsome Foursome about to become a Fearsome _Five_ some?" Toph bluntly inquired as Aang watched her methodically rotate her ankles.

"Wh-whoa, hey, wait up, guys," Sokka fumbled, nearly dropping the light blue game disc as he slid into the sleek white box. "I don't know what's gonna happen here, and you guys are gonna have to play it cool or we're both gonna feel awkward."

"And no one likes an awkward Sokka," Aang declared in a deep voice.

"See?" Sokka chuckled. "Just be idiots like that. Like usual." He switched on the TV and pressed the power button on the console. He scooped up the white remote control and clicked a button, then imitated the calming sound effect that greeted players upon booting up the system's menu.

"Yay," said Toph, slapping the backs of her hands against the floor gently. "Wii time."

"Yup," Aang uttered, sliding out from under Toph's legs. She reached out her arms like a baby and he grabbed them, tugging her weight off the ground.

"Same as usual?" Katara ventured from the middle of the sofa they had pushed back as Aang sat beside her, setting Toph on the couch's edge. Sokka plopped down on Katara's right, and pointed the remote at the screen, selecting the appropriate panel. A brief flute ditty played and the game began to load.

"I'm gonna crush you guys," Toph bragged, flexing her right arm. Aang squished her arm muscles between his hand and laughed.

"Probably," he conceded, pressing down on the muscle hidden beneath her skin.

Sokka navigated the menu of Wii Sports, selecting the group favorite: Bowling. Their settings saved from their previous game months before, things started right up. Sokka rose and carefully aligned his character.

"C'mon, Sokka," Katara encouraged. "Show us whatcha got."

He pulled back his arm and swung forward, releasing the buttons and letting his ball roll down the lanes. He knocked a few down before throwing another and picking up a ["Nice Spare!"]. Sokka passed the controller to his sister, who managed to only pull off a seven, and Aang also earned a spare.

"Gimme," Toph demanded, her palm outstretched. Aang laid the remote in her hand, barely suppressing a giggle. Toph immediately caught on and narrowed her eyes at no on in particular as she stood up. "Nice try, jerk," she spat out playfully, rotating the remote to its correct position. She held it up before her and pressed down the trigger button, pulling down her hand and gracefully flicking her arm forward in the motion of a bowling throw. The ball on the screen whizzed forward, twisting just a hair to the side. It clattered into the pins, knocking them all over.

["Nice throw!"] the game announced, flashing in bright gold letters the word [ **Strike** ].

"Fuck yea!" Toph jubilantly crowed with a maniacal laugh, recognizing the sound effects.

"And here it comes," Katara sighed nostalgically, recalling the process that occurred whenever this happened.

"Damnit, Toph, you're not supposed to _win_ at any video games," Sokka grumbled, pouting as the remote was passed down the cough back to him. "I was hoping you'd be rusty..."

"It's all about the right touch," Toph explained arrogantly, shrugging as she sat back down. Aang shook his head, face lit up in amusement. As Sokka took his turn, Aang took Toph's hand, kissing her wrist. "That's right," said Toph, still overflowing with confidence. "Kiss the _magic hand_ , Baby."

"Psh. Well, _someone_ is full of themselves today," Aang noticed, dropping her hand suddenly. "No more kisses for you today."

 _"Whaaaht?"_ Toph whimpered, punching him in the shoulder. "It's not _my_ fault I'm so ridiculously talented."

"But it _is_ your fault that you're such a sore winner," Katara poked slyly, rolling her digital bowling ball.

"You really are," Aang agreed, yanking on her ear. She let out a grouchy 'Rrm' as he did so, drumming her fingers impatiently on her legs.

Katara huffed with a light foot stamp.

"Dangit...Stupid split." She crumpled back into her seat as Aang took up the call. Another spare later and Toph eagerly swung her mystical motion, scoring another strike.

"Friggin' _eh!_ " Sokka shouted disapprovingly, slapping his knee in frustration.

"Bahaha!" Toph chortled with glee.

"It's just a game, guys," Katara reminded them as she handed the remote to her competitive brother. She was relieved to see him at least getting upset over something that wasn't a girl. Well, a girl _friend,_ rather.

Then it struck her: if Suki and Sokka got involved with each other once again, she'd be the odd one out. She'd be spending her time surrounded by two couples with a boyfriend who couldn't even come visit her.

 _Oh, Jet. Why does this have to be so damned_ difficult _?_

* * *

-Tuesday, August 31st, 2010-

"Well, yea, Kat, that's gonna _happen,_ " Smellerbee insisted with a snort, sitting on Katara's bed, her back propped into the corner wall on the side of the entrance. "No reason to break up with the guy."

"I guess," Katara sighed, fidgeting her fingers through her thick hair as she tied it into a large single braid. "What do _you_ think, Toph?" she wondered.

Toph, relaxing in her bed on her stomach, puffed some air out of her nose, considering a response. Katara observed the careful doubt in her expression, half buried in her drool-stained pillow.

"Honestly?" she began, rotating her body so her face was fully exposed. "I just don't know if this guy is a good fit for you, Katara."

"You think so?" Katara murmured regretfully.

"Yea."

 _Smellerbee would be biased in his favor, naturally. But then again, I guess Toph would be biased_ against _him, wouldn't she?_

"Seriously," Toph continued, "It just seems like every time the guy gets brought up, you get upset. And your _brother_ gets upset. And then you guys argue. Jet never wants to do anything with us, he's busy with all of this junk with his group..." Toph rubbed her fingers through her bangs and groaned, shaking her head. "Just sayin'."

"He's a busy guy," Smellerbee admitted. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't give him a chance." She rolled her head around slowly, stretching out her neck. "He really cares about the people around here, that's _why_ he works so hard."

"Hey," Toph said defensively. "He seems like a nice guy, don't get me wrong. I'm just _saying,_ he might not be a good fit for Katara."

"I really ought to talk with him," Katara decided out loud as she rested her chin upon her wrists, arms sprawled across the head of her chair, which was she sitting on backwards. Her anxious mind snapped around like a rubber band. " _Dangit,_ " she grumbled, slapping her chair.

"What?" Smellerbee wondered.

"Tonight," Katara sighed. "I told Jet I'd see him tonight. I almost forgot..."

"Forgetting when you're supposed to see your boyfriend. _That's_ a good sign," came a sarcastic observation from Toph.

"That means I won't be able to hang out with you guys and Suki tonight," Katara clarified, hand on her forehead.

"Meh," Toph dismissed. "We'll be fine. Twinkle-Toes and I will keep Sokka from acting normal."

"Huh?" Smellerbee was puzzled.

"If he tries to act normal," Toph explained, "it'll be a total fail. He'll just be awkward."

Katara shot a clever smile to the red-head in the corner as she let her hand slip off her head. "In case you couldn't tell, my brother doesn't _do '_ normal.'"

"Sokka's gonna be pissed," Toph warned, grinning sneakily.

"I know," whimpered Katara with empathy. "But I told Jet back on Saturday that I was free this Tuesday."

"Hey, not _your_ fault Sokka made plans without asking us first," was Toph's apathetic argument.

"Right," Katara acknowledged, trying to wipe guilt away from herself. Sokka had made that committment, not her. "Hey, Bee, did Jet mention when I was supposed to see him tonight?"

Smellerbee shook her head, then scratched at her freckled cheek.

"Hmph." Katara frowned thoughtfully, tapping her finger on her head. "Maybe after dinner I'll just go up to see him, then."

"You sure he's not gonna be busy?" Smellerbee inquired.

"Even if he is," Katara insisted, "I want to surprise him."

"Ah," Smellerbee huffed. "Jet don't like surprises much. Especially when he's busy."

"Well, either way, we need to get some dinner," Katara crossed around the topic.

Toph yawned and rubbed her stomach as it gurgled.

"Speaking of dinner, what time is it?" she moaned. "I skimped on lunch today and I'm freakin' starving."

"Uh, well..." Katara twisted her head around to the laptop on her desk behind her. "It's quarter to five," she advised after a brief glance at the corner of the screen. "We should probably get goin'. I'm sure the boys are already there waiting for us."

Toph slid off her bed and into her shoes, stretching out her arms lazily.

"You coming?" Katara asked their gruff neighbor.

"Nah," she replied flipping out her cell phone as she passed out into the hallway before them. "I'm gonna eat dinner with Longshot. I'll catch you tonight."

"OK," Katara muttered with a shrug, trying to look unfazed.

Katara had spent the entire summer separated from all of her friends, clinging onto every relationship by strings of e-mail, text messages, and phone calls. Each relationship was compartmentalized, as was her romance with Jet. Now that she was back on campus, all of the practical aspects that didn't come into play in the last couple of weeks of class the year prior were not coming together as she would've hoped. She was torn between two groups of people and neither seemed all to keen on the other - not to mention that one of them made her feel out of place. Being alone with Jet was OK, being with Smellerbee was fine, but being in that _group_...She wasn't so sure about that anymore.

_Tugged back and forth between two social groups. Geez. Something's gonna have to give here._

Toph's arm locked around hers, bringing her back in the moment.

"Onward, to dinner!" Toph declared, waving her arm forward haphazardly.

* * *

Toph had been correct: Sokka was pissed - but it also wasn't any fault of Katara's. Apparently he'd been counting on there being a neutral female without a mle companion to help make Suki feel comfortable - especially since Suki and Katara had at least met on a couple of occasions. She had left the three of them to gorge themselves on dessert whie she opted to head out and surprise Jet with an earlier-than-expected visit. She checked her phone to see if she had gotten a reply to the message she'd sent his way an hour prior - she had inquired as to the concert he had mentioned before.

[From: Jet]  
[yea babe concert at 8 tonite ill come get u at 7:30 k?]  
[Sent: August 31st, 5:23pm]

Katara had decided that in an effort to show her interest in him she was going to pay him an early visit, in that case. Jet was always good at surprising _her,_ after all, and she was feeling energetic today. Maybe if she could work on things with Jet, then he'd be more open to spending time with her friends, and thus they wouldn't be so down on him. Smellerbee had mentioned the Treetop Pub, the common meeting place for the Freedom Fighters, so Katara decided that this was where she'd pay a visit first.

As she hit the bottom of the cafeteria stairs and passed through the main lobby, closing her phone, she almost ran straight into an enormous dark-skinned student in a baskbetball jersey - she recognized him from Appa's a week prior. The guy was so unnaturally huge that he was hard to forget, after all, and she had seen him around campus a few times. He was definitely a freshman, she could tell.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, narrowly avoiding colliding with his beefy arm. He turned and nodded.

"No prob," his thick voice grunted as she scurried off.

_Get your head out of the clouds, girl. You'll get this sorted out._

The drive to Wayward didn't exactly ease her mind as the only radio station that came in clearly on the drive down was started with a song about breaking up, which plagued her uneasy mind. Next, a song played that seemed to come on every single time she drove, pushing Katara's patience over the edge.

[~"I got a feeling"~"that tonight's gonna be a good night"~]

She immediately switched the radio off.

"Tonight is _not_ going to be a good night if I have to hear this song one more time," she growled aloud. Normally, were she driving with her friends, they'd all partake in their own bits of the song, but the thought of this only pushed her conscience toward the idea that Jet was not included in this ritual, or _any_ fond rituals she and her friends shared. Her mind was awash in a river of stress and contradiction as she parked into the Treetop's lot and fluttered into the pub like a hummingbird. The bar had a few faces - some Katara recognized - but no Jet. She approached the bartender and inquired as to his whereabouts.

"Oh, Jet? Well, I...Huh." He scratched his fat chin thoughtfully. _Too_ thoughtfully. He shrugged. "Sorry, toots, can't say I recall where he said he was goin' off to."

"All right," Katara murmured, her eyes quickly darting to the bar-goers as the words "Thanks anyway," slipped out. Pretty much everyone in the bar at the moment was one of Jet's employees or compatriots. That meant he couldn't be far away, right? She opted to take a trip to the bathroom while she waited for his return.

She decided that she'd send some messages while sat in her stall.

[To: Jet]  
[Hey, Hun. Where are you right now? Are you at the Treetop somewhere?]  
[Sent: 6:36pm]

[To: Sokka]  
[Is Suki with you guys? You're not flipping out, are you?]  
[Sent: 6:37pm]

[To: Aang]  
[Is Sokka flipping out yet?]  
[Sent: 6:38pm]

_Rrrmmmm._

[From: Jet]  
[no im at the office im busy babe ill come get u soon]  
[Sent: 6:38pm]

Katara sighed, drumming her fingers grumpily.

[To: Jane]  
[Hey, Bee, do you know where Jet is right now?]  
[Sent: 6:39pm]

_Rrrmmmm._

Katara switched off her vibrate function to spare herself the irritation of the sound. _  
_

[From: Sokka]  
[No, she's not here yet. It's cool. I got this.]  
[Sent: 6:40pm]

[From: Aang]  
[he is totally flippin out]  
[Sent: 6:40pm]

A wide smile crawled over Katara's face.

[From: Toph]  
[toph says yea he totally is freakin out please save us]  
[Sent: 6:41pm]

Oftentimes, receiving messages from Toph's phone meant that she had tasked Aang with typing a message out for her.

[From: Aang]  
[now hes just walkin round nervous]  
[Sent: 6:42pm]

[From: Aang]  
[he just stubbed his toe on the couch haha]  
[Sent: 6:42pm]

[From: Sokka]  
[You guys are jerks, you know that?]  
[Sent: 6:43pm]

 _Look at you, Katara. You're here to see your boyfriend and what are you doing? You're trying to hang out with the people you_ really _want to be with right now through your_ phone. _  
_

Katara's heart sank and her stomach lurched with a deep, uneasy sensation. Maybe her brother was right?

_I guess I must not want to see him all that much..._

[From: Jane]  
[i dunno i thought he was pikin you up later]  
[Sent: 6:44pm]

Katara finished up her business, washed her hands, applied sanitizer, and exited the bathroom.

_That's not entirely true. I want to see Jet. I do!_

Katara's wish was granted as she emerged into the pub's back hallway, only to encounter Jet exiting the back room she had never had reason to venture into _._ He was leading a bunch of shady-looking types into the main area of the bar. She managed to follow suit at the tail end with none the wiser.

"The Freedom Fighters greatly appreciate your patronage, ladies and gents," Jet announced, shaking their hands as they each passed by and bidding them farewell. Then he reached a hand she was sure he'd recognize. "K-Katara?" He had clearly not been expecting her.

" _Jack_ ," she greeted curtly, using his real name with force shaking his hand firmly to the point of likely hurting him a bit. Her foot started thumping the floor and she crossed her arms. "Uhh...What was _that_ about?" she demanded. "I thought you were at 'the office?' Last I checked, _this_ wasn't your office."

"Wh-Well, I was...-" he began, and she could see his fear dissolve away as he layered on that coat of 'cool' she had been gradually catching on to. "Just after you sent that message, I-"

"Don't lie to me, Jack," Katara hissed loudly, making sure his employees could hear. "Who were those people?"

"They're supporters of our cause," Jack explained calmly. "They're going to make donations at our charity gig tonight."

"Uh-huh," Katara slowly grumbled, her lower jaw propping out irritably.

"Seriously," Jack insisted. "All of the money they're giving will be going to a good cause. I swear." He was speaking genuinely, Katara could see it in his eyes. Then why did it feel like something was up? "What's your problem, Katara?"

"I just find it funny that you told me you _weren't_ here but _here_ you were _._ "

"Geez, Katara, it's not like I was-"

"It's like you didn't want me to come here to meet you or something."

"Why would I-?"

"Why _would_ you not want me to come here if this was just some normal meeting?"

"Kat, calm down, would ya? Everybody's staring."

"I _am_ calm!" Katara growled, her fists clenched.

_He's hiding something, damnit. What is he hiding from me?_

Then she noticed that everyone was, in fact, staring. She didn't let it bother her, though. She took a deep breath and settled her nerves, letting her arms relax.

 _I sort of came here looking to find out some dirt on him_ _, didn't I? That's...probably a bad sign. Am I just being neurotic?_

"Then be _more_ calm," Jack quietly requested in a panic. "You're making me look bad in front of my people, here."

Katara's heart was tugged by the pleading panic in his eyes and she ended her inquisition with a sigh, grabbing her now aching head. Jack swiftly dove in to comfort her with a hug.

"Hey. Babe. I don't know what's eating you lately, but if this is gonna work you're gonna have to...chill out. OK?"

_Something. Isn't. Right._

"Y-yea, I know," she sputtered out before she could control what she wanted to say. Now his arms were around her, and before she had the willpower to change that, they were in a kiss and her eyes slid shut. Katara wondered if this was what smoking was like - she knew it was bad for her, but she kept letting herself do it. When they broke apart, her eyes popped back open and she took a deep breath, easing herself out of his grasp as casually as she could.

"Did you eat already?" he wondered.

_You're trying to change the subject._

She nodded slowly, her gaze avoiding his as she massaged her temple.

"Ah. Well, uh, I haven't yet," he spat out, running his hand through his hair, "and I wasn't expecting you to come this soon, so..."

"Yea," Katara acknowledged with a shrug, refusing to get sucked into those dakr eyes. "You should go get something to eat."

"Are you, uh...You wanna come?"

"Oh, um...I think I just-" she shrugged, shaking her head, "I need some time to cool off, so you go ahead, I'll stick around here."

"All right." He gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. "I'll just go grab something and come back here."

"Sure."

As those cowboy boots of his clopped off across the wooden floor of the pub, Katara headed out through the back door, stuffing her hands into her hoodie pocket.

_Would she tell me the truth? If I asked?_

After a moment of hesitation, Katara pulled out her cell phone from her hoodie and scrolled through her contacts list.

[Calling...]  
[ **Jane** ]


	6. Secure

  


[SRU - For Freedom](http://emilia89.deviantart.com/art/SRU-For-Freedom-321180276) by *[Emilia89](http://emilia89.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

-Tuesday, August 31st-

["YOU HAVE... **TWO** NEW MESSAGES. **FIRST** NEW MESSAGE."]

["Smellerbee, what the fuck is up with Katara? I thought you said she was fine. I just ran into her at the pub and she was _not_ fine. She's acting fucking crazy. What did you say to her? I told you not to talk with her about anything. That's none of her business. That's _our_ business. Freedom Fighter business. And she's not a Freedom Fighter - not yet."] There was a pause after a long, frustrated sigh. ["Anyway. Listen. I'm gonna take her out and hopefully she can chill the fuck out. I can't deal with this shit on top of everything else. If you know what her problem is, gimme a call, help me figure this out."]  
["END OF MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep._ ]  
["MESSAGE DELETED. NEXT MESSAGE."]

["Hey, Bee...It's Katara. I...I'm sorry, I know you're probably with your boyfriend right now, but...Oh, tell him I said hi, by the way."]

"Kat says hi."

["But, um...I dunno, I just...I'm not doing so great right now."] Her voice was kind of shaky. ["And I just have this bad feeling about...everything. Fff. Real specific, right? Heh. I don't-...I thought you might be able to help me figure some of this stuff out. Call me? Or...Or maybe I'll just see you tonight? Anyway, I'm sorry. Just..."] A raspy breath. ["Not having such a good day, I guess. I'll talk to you later."]  
["END OF MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep._ ]  
["MESSAGE SAVED. YOU HAVE NO MORE MESSAGES."]

"Damnit," Jane grumbled as she closed her phone, glancing around Appa's. She ran her lanky hand through matted orange hair and cast her tired, dreary eyes to the young man before her. Longshot was sitting across the booth from her, chewing on his bacon cheeseburger with a thoughtful expression. They exchanged concerned glances before Jane picked at the remains of her curly fries.

"I'm thinkin' this is gonna blow up in my face, Johnny," she mumbled gloomily. "I don't even get why Jet got mixed up with Kat in the first place. They're so _different._ " She scratched her neck as she popped a fry into her mouth. She rested her head on her wrist, her other hand extended across the table on her closed phone.

_I envy you, Katara. Your friends seem so...awesome. It's like you live in a completely different world than I do._

Rough fingers squeezed her own on the smooth surface of the table. Her gaze crawled up to meet his. He was smiling sympathetically at her dull, tired spirit. He wore a look that said 'Everything's going to be all right.' She couldn't help but smile - just a little. She'd never admit it, but his presence always made her feel safe in a way no one else did. Johnny "Longshot" Johnson was her backup, her partner, her security.

"I need to figure out what the hell to do about this," Jane moaned, her hand sliding a few inches across her eye. "'Cuz I know the two of them well enough to see an explosion coming from a mile away here. And I don't want be caught in the fucking crossfire, ya know?"

* * *

["Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace!"]

["William Wallace is seven feet tall!"]

["Yes, I've heard."]  
"Yes, I've heard," Sokka mimicked, complete with proper Scottish accent. He continued to quote, imitating Mel Gibson's every gesture on the TV screen.

["Kills men by the thousands. And if _he_ were here, he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and lightning bolts from his arse!"]

A flurry of laughter - big, manly laughter, of course. Except for Aang - he kind of giggled a bit. Toph's slight snicker was more manly.

["I _am_ William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny."]

Suki shook her head in amusement at Sokka's wild eyes. Her face contorted into an involuntary smile that was at once endeared by his energy and embarrassed by it. Her dyed brown hair was fluffy and thick, with a small half-back ponytail poking out.

 _When did you get into Braveheart? And trying to act all manly? That's not the Sokka I remember. But I can't say I mind very much. You seem like you've changed a lot. I wonder how much_ I _have changed?_

To her left, Toph's body was leaning away a bit into Aang, her head nestled on his right shoulder, facing down a bit. Her left arm was wedged between their bodies, fingers locked around Aang's, while her other arm was flopped across his lap. They seemed very close, very comfortable. Very... _not_ like Suki's last relationship the year prior at her previous school. She was brought back to Sokka's exuberant performance.

["Would you be willin' to trade _all_ the days, from this day to that, for one chance - just one chance - to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... _our freedom!_ "]

Cheers erupted - jubilant, determined cries. And, unexpectedly, the boys joined in, as did Toph with some delay.

["Alba gu bràth!"]

"Alba gu bràth!" Aang roared, pumping his fist into the air and shaking Toph around, her eyes wide.

The boys repeated the line with much gusto, and Suki even managed to find it in herself to join in as best she could.

"Yeh need ta werk ohn yehr Scaw'-ish, Lass," Sokka criticized her, stroking the short hairs on his chin with a dubious expression as he sat back down beside her.

"Jest a weh bit," Toph agreed, her face lit up in jest.

"Hey, you're not paying attention," Aang scolded rapidly, prodding her armpit. She squirmed a bit, her foot almost kicking Suki's shin.

"OK, OK," she growled playfully, settling down. Suki couldn't help but find it funny that Aang was concerned with a blind girl paying attention to the movie which she couldn't see. No one had been explaining to her what was happening. She watched through the corner of her eye as Aang stroked Toph's neck slowly with his index and middle fingers as their focus returned to the film.

Suki remembered feeling that same kind of peace with the excitable boy to her right, three years prior. A 'freshman fling' of sorts, Suki and Sokka spent a good portion of their freshman year dating. They immediately didn't get along terribly well, though, largely due to Sokka's chauvinist attitude during his first semester. Suki was quick to knock that right out of him. She could remember them watching TV in this same lounge - 2nd Aero - on this same couch.

"So, wait," Suki interjected, pausing their DVD. "I don't get it. I thought The Others were _bad_."

"Well _, yea_ , that's what they _wanted_ you to think," Sokka pointed out, jabbing a finger slyly in her direction.

"Aaaand I thought they were like, tribal people who lived in the woods. Why are they in nice little houses and stuff? Where did the houses _come_ from?"

"That's the Dharma Initiative. They were that bunch of scientists that were here a long time ago - remember?"

"That Asian dude with the rabbit, right? In the creepy video tapes?"

"Right! Exactly."

Suki could feel the gears in her mind grinding together. How did he understand what the hell was going on?

"I'm completely lost. _That_ must be where this show got its name from."

"Well, it's kind of your own fault for skipping the first season and a half, Suki."

"Later, when it's _my_ turn to pick the show, and we watch Friends, it won't matter what season we start on. You'll still find it funny."

"All right, all right," he grumbled, dismissing her negativity. "Maybe I should pick something else." He began fumbling through his pile of DVD cases, but Suki leaned over and grabbed his hand. He froze, his face flushing, as his eyes shot up to her.

"I have a better idea," she announced, running her fingers from his hand up his arm and eventually around his neck. She pulled Sokka away from his collection and into a quick kiss.

"Uhhhh, yea," was his goofy response. "That _is_ a better idea."

"I thought _you_ were supposed to be the smart one?"

"Yea, _that's_ why I'm listening to your idea right now," Sokka replied, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

A retreat to Sokka's bedroom yielded some privacy, but they managed to keep themselves relatively under control. One had to learn to do so in the dorms, as you never knew when someone might come waltzing in - especially in Aero. Despite his clumsiness, Sokka offered a lighthearted sense of protection. Somehow, despite his lanky frame and childish demeanor, Suki found something admirable in his spirit. He was determined, a guardian. Over time, Suki came to realize this was likely a result of his close bond with his younger sister, and some of the same skills involved translated nicely into the realm of romance.

But this Sokka that stood before her now was a new man. He had filled out a bit - in a good way. His arms were tougher, his shape less squishy and more hard. He had to have been working out. There was no other explanation that she could ascertain.

He seemed...less happy, though. Suki couldn't pin point it. He seemed smarter, more confident, more aware of who he was - she could already tell these things just after a couple of hours. But there was a melancholy there, hiding beneath the surface. As if all of his exaggerated humor was an effort to hide it. At first she wondered if it was the death of his mother, but it didn't add up. As memory served, he had wrapped his mind around that before they had even met. Whatever this was, it was something else - something that had broken him. And this mattered to her - that he had been broken - which was _not_ something she had been expecting to care about when the decision was made to come back to SRU.

* * *

[From: Jane]  
[hey sorry didnt catch ya i will talk to you tonight. will see you at the concert k? on our way. jus keep it chill]  
[Sent: 8:17pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jane]  
[Yea, that sounds good. I'll try.]  
[Sent: 8:18pm]

"Who's that?" asked Jet casually.

"Oh, it's uh..." Katara clasped her phone shut. "It's Smellerbee, they're gonna meet us here."

"Awesome. Was wondering where those two were." He reached his arm out and slipped it around her hip, joining their sides together.

The music from the recently started concert outside filtered out from the Treetop pub into the street. It was a surprisingly tame rock band - sounded like a reggae/rock combination, if Katara had to decide. They actually didn't sound too bad. At least the Freedom Fighters supported half decent bands, she'd give them that.

"So you're feelin' better?" Jet checked, running his hand up and down her hip.

She nodded forcefully in reply.

"Yea, I'm fine," she lied calmly.

"Good, I was worried there. Is school stressin' you out or something?"

"Totally," she answered with a sigh, digging her hands into her hoodie _._ This was a half truth. School was always stressful.

_I'm lying to my own boyfriend. Because that's what he wants to hear._

_"That's a_ good _sign,"_ echoed Toph's words from earlier.

A few minutes and a brief kiss later, Smellerbee and Longshot arrived.

"Hey, guys. You didn't have to wait outside for us," Smellerbee advised as she approached hand-in-hand with Longshot, who was wearing a black baseball cap with a green crosshair design on its front.

Katara and Smellerbee shared a moment of telling glances. Respectively, one said 'Something is up' while the other said 'Chill the fuck out.'

Katara wanted to just grab Smellerbee by the ear and yank her aside, demanding answers, but she managed to keep her cool. She had to convince herself that answers would come later.

"It's fine, I needed some air," Katara explained with a shrug.

"What are we waitin' for?" Jet cried, charging headlong into the pub. The sound levels were admittedly too high for Katara's liking - she honestly wasn't a big fan of concerts like this. There was just too much _noise._ It was uncomfortable. Thankfully this one wasn't as bad as others she had been to, at least.

"So who's this band?" Katara shouted through the noise, hardly able to see the group in the back of the joint through the thick crowd - many of whom being people she recognized from that group she'd stumbled into earlier.

"They're the Flamey-O's. Small band workin' their way up!" explained Jet loudly, his eyes focused ahead. "Pretty good, right?"

Katara couldn't really make out their lyrics too well but the melody was strong. It was lighthearted and upbeat, and at some point her foot had started tapping along. Katara simply tried to enjoy the music for a few minutes, Jet's arm encompassing her. For some reason her mind wandered to her brother, then to her friends. When Jet was around her, it...wasn't the same feeling. Being with Jet didn't feel...secure. It felt risky, dangerous, exciting, intoxicating...but not safe. The next span of time passed by without much incident - there was too much _noise_ for there to be much incident, anyway. Katara danced, she sang along to choruses when they repeated, she held Jet, she kissed, she hugged, but it was already tainted. Her mindset going into the evening had blackened it like burnt toast and eating it wasn't doing her any favors. Those same words kept pounding at her skull from the inside, trying to force their way out.

_This. Isn't. Right._

* * *

[Boomerang Blog: Back At Ya!]

[ **We Shall See** ]  
[Posted on _September 1st at 1:32am_ ]  
[by **Noble Sir Kesuk Esquire** ]

[Tonight went better than expected. Thank God my friends were there or I probably would have wiffed it. I tried to just be cool and be myself, but it was hard. It's just hard to believe my ex is back after a few years...We just didn't really stay in touch at all after she left. Not gonna lie, though, I'm glad she's back. I'm still not sure how I feel about everything but everyone seems supportive, so...guess we'll see. She seemed awkward at first but once we hung out I really think she got along well with my friends and I was able to just relax and be me. Me = awesome BTW. So that's good, am I right? ;P]

[Classes and junk are fine. Second week now, though, so things are gonna pick up in a hurry. Our camping trip this weekend went great until it rained at the end. Oh, and guess what? It's been more than a week and guess who I haven't so much as _seen_? Yea, that prick who's dating my sister. Guess how I found out what his real name was? THE NEWSPAPER. Why? Because he VANDALIZED our President's office. Freaking awesome, right? You can bet I'm just TOTALLY COOL with my sister dating this guy.[/sarcasm] Seriously, I feel like a broken record and I can't believe she's just going with it. It's not like her. She's SMARTER than that! This guy's bad news and she _knows it._ So what gives? I'm trying really hard to give her space on this but once I read that newspaper article I felt like going right down to Wayward, pulling out the Big Brother Card and kicking this guy's ass. If Katara doesn't break up with him soon I'm gonna have to intervene because this is just bullcrap and I'm not gonna wait until something bad happens to her.]

[Oh, BTW the cafeteria FINALLY added coffee-flavored ice cream this year. THANK GOD. Took them long enough.]

* * *

Katara clasped the door handle gently, twisting it ever so slowly as she eased it open. Lucky for her, their room didn't have a door that squeaked. She pulled out her cell phone and used it as a makeshift flashlight as she tip-toed into the room and pulled off her hoodie, setting it on her chair before bending below her bed. She smiled as Toph snored abnormally in that odd way Katara had already grown accustomed to. Toph had this odd habit of snoring loudly at seemingly random intervals during the night - it was endearing in its own way. Katara found her small shoebox stash of snacks below the bed and retrieved a pair of Baby Ruth peanut bars from withihn before sliding it back in place and sneaking back out. Relieved at her accomplishment of not disturbing her roommate, she glanced at her phone: [2:04am]. She walked across the hall and closed the door behind her.

Smellerbee had changed into pajamas - yellow and black stripes. Katara had to hold in a laugh. It looked cute, but 'cute' wasn't what Smellerbee tried to associate herself with, so the image was jarring in a comical kind of way. She wanted to ask the simple question 'Why?' but opted to save it for a later point in time.

"Where's your roommate?" Katara inquired as she offered her second candy car, perplexed by the lack of roommate. Now that she'd thought of it, she still hadn't met Smellerbee's roommate.

"Hell if I know," Smellerbee grunted with a shrug, accepting Katara's food. "I hardly see her. She's always working."

"At two in the morning?"

"Probably doing homework or some shit. I don't know." Clearly, Smellerbee didn't seem to care one way or the other. Chances were that her roommate didn't either, if Katara had to guess.

Katara cocked her head in a semi-shrug and sighed as exhaustion washed over her. She sat in Smellerbee's desk chair while her companion was hunched on her own bed, her sheets printed with a pine forest pattern. Katara unpeeled her candy bar and munched into it, seeking comfort through sugar and peanuts.

"So what's the _deal_ , Kat?"

Katara rubbed her bleary brown eyes, which were avoiding the placid gaze of the redhead sitting feet away.

"Jane," she muttered. She refused to call her 'Smellerbee' during this conversation. She didn't want to talk to 'Smellerbee,' the Freedom Fighter. She wanted to talk to 'Jane,' the gruff girl she had somehow befriended through association, the girl who actually had bothered to maintain contact with her during the summer. The girl who 'had her back.' "We're...We're friends, right?" She set her sights on those heavy, dark green eyes beneath the freckles. A smirk appeared, which brought relief.

"Sure," said Jane plainly, unwrapping her Baby Ruth.

"OK," Katara breathed. "Then, Jane? I'm asking you this as a friend: is there something I should know about Jet? About the Freedom Fighters?" Jane's expression went listless and she nodded knowingly - not in reply to Katara's question but in a 'that's what I figured' kind of way. Katara quickly followed up, "'Cuz I _know_ something is going on. He's hiding something from me. I'm honestly not sure I want to...keep going with this."

"When you're with him something feels _wrong_ ," Jane mumbled tiredly.

"Yea," Katara sighed. "I guess it's that easy to tell, huh?"

"Well, I know the feeling," Jane clarified with disgust.

"You-? Wait, you mean...-?"

"Freshman year," Jane grunted. "Not too happy with pretty much _anything_ I did Freshman year," she specified.

" _Oh_ ," Katara blurted, shocked and suddenly sympathetic. Her gut instinct was correct, then: Jane probably _was_ the person she needed to talk to here. "OK, so...If _that_...-" She cocked an eyebrow at Jane's vacant stare. "I guess I just don't understand why you're still with his group, then."

"The Freedom Fighters found me. Said they thought I had the right stuff." Jane scratched her nose. "They were right."

"So you're behind what they're all about, then?"

An incredulous laugh burst out from Jane.

"Are you fucking serious? _Hell_ no. All this bullshit about _art_ and supporting local business? I couldn't care less." She laid down on her bed, crossing her legs and staring at the foam tile ceiling. "Besides, they're just a bunch of hypocrites."

"Hypocrites?"

 _Now we're talking. He_ is _hiding stuff from me._

"Yea."

"If you hate them so much, why are you _with_ them, Jane?" Katara asked.

"'Cuz. I get to go to concerts. And I get free drinks. Fff, I dunno."

"Why do I feel like that's not the reason?" Katara said with a skeptical smile.

"Hey, I _really_ like drinks," Jane chuckled. "And I _really_ hate working fast-food or custodial." That actually wasn't a half-bad point, as most student jobs on campus fell into either of those two categories.

"C'mon," Katara insisted. " _Really_."

"The Freedom Fighters _accepted_ me, Kat," Jane defended, eyes still glued to the pattern above.

" _I_ accept you," Katara assured.

"I know," Jane confessed, almost dismissively. "But everyone's not _like_ you, Katara."

"My _friends_ are like me."

"Maybe." She huffed irritably and ran her hand through her greasy orange hair. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. This isn't about me."

"Rrrright," Katara slowly admitted with a nod. There was a shell there that she had managed to worm her fingers under but it wasn't coming off - not yet, anyway. "So what should I know about Jet that he's not telling me? Why did you call the Freedom Fighters hypocrites?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about that crap," Jane groaned, covering up her eyes in frustration. "If you can't deal with that then maybe you just shouldn't be dating Jet."

"So _now_ you want me to break up with him?" Katara asked in disbelief. "I thought you just said earlier I should give him another chance."

"If you're going to be fucking _paranoid_ all the time then maybe I changed my mind, Kat. OK?"

There was a moment of tense silence as both girls wore their angry masks and cast their attention away from one another.

"Jane," Katara said at last, her voice firm. Jane didn't move. " _Jane,_ " Katara persisted with ferocity. "Look at me."

The boyish face rotated and languid olive drab eyes scowled back.

"I don't know what's all...going on in your head, all right?" Katara impatiently conceded. "But I like you. I want us to be friends. But we can't be if you can't be honest with me - if I can't trust you. If being part of the Freedom Fighters means keeping secrets then..." Katara shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I can't date Jet anymore," she put it simply. "And I can't be friends with you."

Another high-strung moment of interlocked eyes passed by.

"Sounds like you've made up your mind, then," Jane's words smoldered.

"I have," Katara agreed without hesitation. "But I'm asking you to make up _your_ mind."

"What the fuck do you _want_ me to say?" Jane growled, sitting up, tossing her arms to her sides. "If you don't like the way we roll, then piss off."

_No, you don't, girl. You're not pulling that crap on me. Not today. I'm not just walking away.  
_

"Jane, I _know_ you aren't happy with the Freedom Fighters," Katara pointed out. "You spent all freaking summer complaining to me about how frustrating they were. Then we come back on campus and you're offering to bring new kids in and everything? What happened there? Huh?"

"You don't _get it,_ Kat. You can't just _leave_ the Freedom Fighters, just like that."

That sounded distinctly suspicious.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked carefully.

"You're not _in_ , Kat. You don't know what I know. If you wanted to leave, you could - no questions asked. Frankly, you _should_ because if you can't handle secrets then you're just going to be digging yourself into a hole you can't get out of."

Katara was at about the point where the phrase 'sleeping with the fishes' could get thrown into the conversation and she wouldn't bat an eyelash.

"OK," she muttered solemnly, leaning forward and resting her chin against clasped hands as she considered the situation. "Are you saying that the Freedom Fighters are doing things that are dangerous?"

"'Dangerous' is all a matter of opinion," Jane vaguely responded. "In _your_ opinion? Yea. Probably."

"Do you _want_ to be a Freedom Fighter anymore?"

"What I _want_ isn't really important, so-"

"Don't _give_ me that, Jane!" Katara commanded vehemently, rising her seat. "I asked you a question. Answer it."

"Jesus Christ, Kat," Jane spat irritably. "Why the fuck do you care so much, anyway?"

"When I started dating Jet-" Katara paused, her mind short-circuiting against itself. "When I started dating _Jack_ ," she corrected, "you kept an eye on me. You were always trying to make sure people didn't give me a hard time. And during the summer, you kept talking with me when no one else would. Everyone else I tried to stay in touch with ignored me. That's why we're friends in the first place. Right?"

Jane shrugged, glancing elsewhere as she nibbled on her candy bar.

"You never seem _happy,_ Jane. It's like you're always... _mad_ all the time. You don't have to be. I don't like seeing you like that."

"Maybe I'm just a pissed off person, Kat," Jane proposed, tone lathered in cynicism. "I _know_ your type. You try to fix people. I'm not something you can fix, all right? So just back off."

"If you _know_ my type and don't like that, then why are we friends _at all_?" Katara inquired, doubtful that Jane was being entirely open. She never had been up until now, so Katara didn't have reason to believe this was any different.

"Like you said, we gave a shit and stayed in touch. Why? I dunno. Maybe we _shouldn't_ be, then."

"Is that what you want?"

"I don't-!" Jane smacked herself in the forehead and let out a gruff "Rrr."

_This isn't going anywhere, is it?_

"If you can't make up your mind, then fine." Katara stood up and shoved Jane's chair under her messy desk and put her hand on her hip, waving her half-eaten Baby Ruth around as she rattled. "I like you, Jane - I really do. And I care about you. And you aren't happy. I _know_ you aren't happy." They traded yet another sharp stare, and Katara willed herself to attempt to pierce the windows of olive.

 _When I look you in the eyes it's like something's_ dead _, like something's just not there that should be._

"Thanks for pointin' that out, Captain Obvious," Jane snapped. "Got your fucking notepad with ya? Gonna take some damned notes so you can _cure me,_ Doctor?"

"Jane," Katara quelled, like a mother does to its pouting child. " _Please,_ just cut the crap, OK? You're _better_ than this."

Jane rolled over onto her side, facing the wall beside her bed.

"Keep me out of your drama. If you wanna break up with your boyfriend, that's your own fucking business."

"Good, 'cuz that's what I'm going to do." Katara marched to the door and grabbed it by the handle, her patience worn out at this point. "But that doesn't change anything I just said about you. It's _your_ business if you want to keep being _'Smellerbee'_ and playing mafia games or-or _whatever_ it is that's going on. If _Jane Fitzpatrick,_ the girl I became friends with over the summer, decides she can be trusted, and wants to keep being friends? Well..." Katara opened the door and stepped out. "She knows that I'm right across the hall."

Katara almost slammed the door in her frustration but the dim lighting of the hallway at night caught her in time. She slipped into her own room and kicked off her shoes. She pulled the tie from her ponytail, noticed that the door to their dual-room bathroom was open on their side, and closed it before shutting the door to the bedroom itself. She fumbled her way to her bed through the lack of light.

"Whuzzafuckzatabbutt?" whispered a voice from across the darkness.

"Did we wake you?" Katara quietly asked, instantly apologetic.

"Nah, haffagohbaffroom," Toph replied half coherently. "Herdjootalkin."

"Oh, it's...Jane and I just sorta...Had a spat. Don't worry about it, let's just get some sleep."

Toph hummed out a tonal 'OK,' and that concluded their conversation.

 _That girl is so_ stubborn. _I don't get her at all. She says one thing and does another. I can't believe I thought she'd be honest with me. I can't trust Jack, I can't even trust_ her. _This whole situation was a bad idea. I'm done._


	7. Make It Work

  
  
[SRU - Katara and Smellerbee](http://eevee445.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Katara-and-Smellerbee-283222872) by *[Eevee445](http://eevee445.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

-Thursday September 2nd, 2010-

[To: Katara]  
[hey katara is everything ok? you looked really down yesterday]  
[Sent: 10:32am]

[From: Katara]  
[It's OK, Aang. I'm fine. Just stressed out.]  
[Sent: 10:44am]

[Reply]  
[To: Katara]  
[ok well if u need anythin were here for ya :)]  
[Sent: 10:46am]

[From: Katara]  
[I know. :) Thanks.]  
[Sent: 10:47am]

[From: Sokka]  
[Hey, it's your turn to pick where we eat on Friday. What'll it be?]  
[Sent: 11:22am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[oh yea sweet. i want some wdys]  
[Sent: 11:31am]

[From: Sokka]  
[Beg your pardon?]  
[Sent: 11:33am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[oh sorry wendys i like their salads]  
[Sent: 11:45am]

[From: Sokka]  
[Very well, very well. I shall tolerate it. At least they have meat there.]  
[Sent: 11:47am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[where are u anyway? were waitin to eat lunch dude]  
[Sent: 11:48am]

[From: Sokka]  
[I'm on my way. Katara should be there any minute.]  
[Sent: 11:52am]

* * *

[Twitter account Sokka Kesuk]  
[ **@** **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** \- Akiak, Ontario]  
[I'm just a guy with a Boomerang. And a light saber. And an insatiable appetite. And I never shut up. Even on the Internet.]

[@ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Just told my sister to MAKE ME A SANDWICH, WOMAN. Did not go as I had hoped. #SadFace #WhatGives?]  
[2 Sep 12:05pm]

[@ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Told my other friend the same thing. She punched me. She meant to hit me in the stomach but got the groin. #WhatDoWomenWant? #Violence #FML]  
[2 Sep 12:07pm]

[@ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Told my roommate MAKE ME A SANDWICH, WOMAN and he made me one. What does THAT tell you? xD]  
[2 Sep 12:10pm]

[@ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Now his girlfriend's mad that I got the special treatment reserved only for her. #Selfish much? He's MY slave, too. ;D #OhSnap #YouGotServed]  
[2 Sep 12:12pm]

[@ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[She was aiming for my groin on purpose this time. Hit my face instead. With her lunch tray. #WTF #BitchesBeCrazy]  
[2 Sep 12:13pm]

[@ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[I don't remember the cafeteria being this violent since that gravy fiasco last semester. #OnLikeDonkeyKong]  
[2 Sep 12:19pm]

[@ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[I think I like this philosophy professor. He's all right. Yes, I am tweeting in class. #WhatOfIt?]  
[2 Sep 2:41pm]

* * *

As the class time was winding down, Sokka and Suki, sitting in the same row toward the back of the room, were passing a note back and forth, scribbling their discussion to each other. They had moved onto the backside of their sheet of notebook paper at this point.

{were you just texting in class?}

{No, I was tweeting. There's a difference.}

{ok, well, what were you tweeting about?}

{About how I like this professor. He's funny.}

{ok. so it doesn't matter if you learn anything as long as it's funny?}

{More or less.}

{and here i thought you had changed.f}

{Some things never change. ^u^}

"-which will be due on Tuesday."

The elderly professor, who spoke slowly and deliberately, was carrying that tried and true 'I'm-cramming-in-some-announcements-during-the-last-sixty-seconds-of-class' tone.

" _Also,_ " he lifted his index finger into the air. "I'd like to encourage you to stop by the coffee shop tonight for open mic night, which we will be having every Thursday evening starting at eight PM."

"Oh, that sounds like it could be fun," Suki noted, the students becoming more restless as the clock hit the end of scheduled class time.

"You are dismissed," the pudgy man proclaimed with a dismissive wave of the hand. "See you on Tuesday."

"Meh, we all study Thursday night," Sokka advised with a shrug as he rose from his seat, stuffing his textbook into his backpack. "We try to get junk out of the way before the weekend, ya know?"

"Ah-hah," Suki acknowledged with a grin as they trailed behind the rest of the class. "Well, aren't _we_ just the little planner?"

"I try," Sokka mocked humility, polishing his fingernails on his maroon polo shirt. "I'm the brains of this whole operation, after all."

"Ya don't _say._ "

"I _do_ say. I say quite loudly." They exited the room and filtered through the hall to the atrium of the Gyatso Center, a building that contained classrooms utilized for most subjects.

" _How_ loudly?" Suki goaded him on.

He cocked a sly eyebrow at her as they approached the open stairwell at the end of the hall

" **I am the brains of this operation!** " he roared through the clutter of shuffling students. Suki slapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment and surprise. Sokka carried himself with complete nonchalance despite the confused stares, and Suki held her snickers in until they had exited the building. They flooded out of her mouth as they exited and Sokka shrugged casually.

"I can't believe you did that," Suki scolded, shoving him on the shoulder as they walked down the sidewalk, bound for the ACC. "I'm just...I am in _shock_ here," she egged him on.

"I have that effect on people," was his smug explanation.

"Well, if you're the brains, who's the brawn?"

He scoffed, "It ain't my _roommate,_ that's for sure."

"Aw, hey," Suki snipped, "Don't be so mean to Aang. He seems like a good kid."

"He really is," Sokka knowingly agreed, his tone suddenly dropping its sarcastic edge. "Except that he eats _salad_ instead of meat. That's _why_ he's so skinny and wussy, you realize." So much for the sarcasm being set aside.

"Is he a vegetarian or something?"

"Kind of? I guess. He'll eat dairy, just not meat."

"OK. So he's not a vegan."

"Bleck. Thank God. What kind of miserable existence would _that_ be? I wouldn't wish that curse on my worst enemy."

"It's good to know that as long as you're laughing with a full stomach you'll always be happy, Sokka."

"What can I say?" He spun around and spread his arms wide, keeping pace backwards. "I'm Sokka, the Meat and Sarcasm Guy. I'd think you'd _remember_ that kind of thing."

"I guess I forgot," Suki admitted, shaking her head, bemused. "But how quickly have I been reminded."

"By the way, we're going out to eat tomorrow - you wanna join us? Katara will be there this time."

"Oh," Suki blurted, instantly open to the idea. "Yea, that sounds great."

"Sweet. Done deal, then." Sokka waved her off as they reached The Ring. "I've got another class to hit but I'll keep you posted about tomorrow. Later!"

"Yea," Suki called back as he trampled off down the sidewalk. "Later."

* * *

[From: Jet]  
[yo you know whats up with kat? she hasnt been gettin back to me]  
[Sent: September 2nd, 3:06pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[shes been acting weird. i dunno.]  
[Sent: September 2nd, 6:12pm]

[From: Jet]  
[must be that time of teh month]  
[Sent: September 2nd, 6:20pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[fuck if i know. ask her bout it.]  
[Sent: September 2nd, 6:26pm]

[From: Johnny LongShot]  
[xoxoxoxoxo]  
[Sent: September 2nd, 6:28pm]

Jane grinned and cast her gaze at the perfectly calm and unassuming expression of the man in the red and black plaid jacket. He sat across the booth from her in the downtown ice cream joint they had picked to chow down at and study on this particular Thursday evening. Jane punched in a reply on her phone, her tongue poking out of her lips in a mischievous expression.

[Reply]  
[To: Johnny Longshot]  
[ ;P u too bud.]

Jane set her phone on her lap as she went back to her chemistry reading, feeling as if she was comprehending the material well enough. No matter how stressful things were, at least she had _this:_ peace, quiet, and Johnny 'Longshot.' He never pried, never forced his way in, never asked questions. He just let her be.

As if in response to her appreciation of this sentiment, Jane's cell phone began to vibrate.

[Calling...]  
[ **Kat** ]

"Hell," Jane grunted in hesitation. She and Katara hadn't had any form of contact since their spat a couple of days prior, and she wasn't in any kind of mood to be pried open again. They'd been dancing the delicate art of avoidance surprisingly well for being neighbors. "What do you _want_?" Jane demanded in desperation to the phone. She didn't want to answer it. She didn't want the drama. So she surprised herself when she answered it, anyway, some unseen force willing her to do so - perhaps curiosity, perhaps some fragment of desire and hope to sort out this confusing relationship. She didn't know. But maybe Katara did.

"What?" was her blunt and off-putting greeting.

["Hey,"] was Katara's equally gruff response. ["I was just..."] Her tone softened. ["I'm sorry about the other night. I thought a lot about it, and...you were right. I made everything about you, and...I shouldn't have."]

"OK," muttered Jane, her glance wandered to Johnny, who was flipping through his hunting magazine with nonchalance.

["And I guess I'm just...overreacting to everything."]

"Ya think?"

["I mean, we obviously don't really understand each other."]

"Got _that_ straight."

["But I _want_ to understand you, Jane. Can you let me make it up to you?"]

Jane drummed her dirty fingernails on the page of her textbook in a moment of snap decision.

"What did you have in mind?"

["Well, I was thinking we could go out for coffee, or...or something."]

"Nah, I'm not in the mood."

["Oh...W-well, we could-"]

"I'll come see you at Aqua when I'm back," Jane decided.

["Y-yea, that's...That's fine. OK!"] There was some relief seeping out through the phone speaker, and Jane found this...satisfying? Was that the right word for it? Comforting? She didn't quite know how to define it, but it was an oddly positive quality.

"'Kay."

["So, I'll...See you later."]

"Yep."

[ _Beep._ ]

When Jane's eyes met her boyfriend's, he was directing a skeptically amused smile her way.

"What?" Jane growled defensively. "Kat's cool. Lot better than those stupid bimbos we have to put up with."

* * *

-Summer, 2010-

[Sent: June 3rd, 2010]  
[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[Subject: So...]

[Hey. Is this the right person? Smellerbee?]  
[~ Katara]

[Sent: June 3rd, 2010]  
[From: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Subject: RE:So...]

[yea. this is jets gf right? whats up?]  
[- bee]

[Sent: June 3rd, 2010]  
[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[Subject: RE:So...]

[Hey! Yea, that's me. How are you doing lately? I've just been trying to get a hold of some of you Freedom Fighter guys. Stay in touch, make friends, you know. Try to stay sane over the summer. There is _nothing_ out here. Seriously. It gets pretty lonely. -_- I've got my big brother to keep me company, but...come on. He's my brother. xD ]

[So tell me about yourself, Jane. Or Smellerbee? What should I call you, anyway? =P How did you end up at SRU? What's your major? How did you get mixed up with the Freedom Fighters?]  
[~ Katara]

[Sent: June 4th, 2010]  
[From: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Subject: RE:So...]

[not sure were the type you wanna make frinds with but w/e. you seem all righ to me. yea im goin crazy here too. this summer job is killing me. custodial sucks ass man. sooooo boring and i cant stand the people i work with. at least you got a brother. i just have cousins and they're annoying brats. wish i had a real brother. and jus call me smellerbee its my nickname. my uncle thought i should go here cuz its like out in the middle of nowhere and theres mountains. i love the woods though and he knew that so it made sense. i wanna be in the military and they use the mts here for training. i liked it when i visited so i picked here. wut about you? my major is biology but i dunno what to do w/it. i just wanna be in the army. kick some ass take some names. got into the freedom fighters cuz your bf found me freshmn year and had me join. anyway why do u wanna know all this stuff?]  
[- bee]

[Sent: June 5th, 2010]  
[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[Subject: RE:So...]

[Yea, I remember working custodial back in high school. Ugh. Not my thing, either. My brother liked it but he just spent all his time goofing off. So go fig, right? Yea, SRU is really pretty with all the mountains and woods nearby. Military, huh? You do seem pretty tough. I can see that! So you're in training? That's so awesome! What is that like? It's got to be really hard. O_O' ]

[I'm an Ed Major. I want to teach High School Lit. You have to keep your GPA up or they'll drop you from the program, so I always stress out, but it turns out fine. ^^' Why do I ask this stuff? I dunno, I'm just trying to get to know all you guys. You're the only one who's gotten back to me so far, though. Do you guys not stay in touch over the summer or something?]  
[~ Katara]

[Sent: June 5th, 2010]  
[From: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Subject: RE:So...]

[yeeeeaaa i dont think youre really gonna hear from those other guys. theyre not really big on "staying in touch" or w/e. im not really either honestly. so dont get yer hopes up kid haha. but i bet jets still talkin with ya rite? if your his gf he will give a crap bout ya lol. he prolly calls you like everyday rite? and military training isnt as hard as you think if youre in shape for it. i like it. makes me wake up in the morning and stay strong.]  
[- bee]

[Sent: June 6th, 2010]  
[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[Subject: RE:So...]

[Oh, yea. Jet and I talk pretty much every day. =) He's very...unexpected. Like, with everything. He's not like what I thought he'd be. He caught me by surprise. But _man_ it's like all of the girls in that group want to take my place or something! What's the deal? You remember that one night where you had to come in and get them to leave me alone? (thanks for that BTW) Did I do something wrong, or what? I'm just glad that the one girl I've got on my side here is so tough!]

[My brother is harassing me to watch TV with him. 'Bonding time' he says. =P I don't recall Will Ferrell movies being 'bonding time' but whatever.]

[So I'm curious - I'm not gonna get my hopes up, though. ;D But would you want to chat some time? I'm on Skype a lot. Text/voice/video, whatever you want. My handle is AquaGirlKatara. You don't live in Aqua house, do you?]  
[~ Katara]

[Sent: June 7th, 2010]  
[From: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Subject: RE:So...]

[ugh god i hate all those dumb bitches that are always with us. some of em are ok but damnit most of those girls really piss me off. i remember what your talkin about. theyre just jealous cuz theyre all horny for jet or some bullshit. just ignore em. it was no problem. chat? i dont have a cam or mic but i dunno. dont have anythin better to do these days i guess. my bf is super busy this summer soooo. sure i guess. ill get skype and add you. well see what happens w/e. and i live in terra. its quiet. a lotta girls on my floor are too prissy though. act like they shit rainbows or something. whats your dorm like?]  
[- bee]

* * *

[ **Skype** tm]

[Sunday, July 4th, 2010]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Hey, Bee. You there?]  
[1:23 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- kinda. what's up?]  
[1:28 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I'm just bored. =P ]  
[1:28 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- oh thats great i see how it is. im here for when youre bored that it?]  
[1:29 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara -_ Always. ;D] _  
_[1:30 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- thats just great. good to know.]  
[1: 31am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- jerk.]  
[1:31 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara -_ I'm kidding, geez. You want me to throw in some LOLs or JKs or something?] _  
_[1:32 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- i know your just kiddin btw. i am too.  
[1:32 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara -_ xD] _  
_[1:33 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- lol]  
[1:33 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara -_ Anyway, what's my solider girl up to tonight?] _  
_[1:34 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- nothin much just watchin a movie.]  
[1:36 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara -_ Oh, what movie?] _  
_[1:37 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- i dunno some junk on our netflix stream. some horror flick.]  
[1:38 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara -_ You just added it and don't even know what it's called? ;P] _  
_[1:38 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- nah my cousin prolly added it or somethin.]  
[1:39 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara -_ Oh, are you like, at a relative's house?] _  
_[1:40 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- uh technclly i guess?]  
[1:42 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- What do you mean?]  
[1:42 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- i never told you bout my family?]  
[1:43 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- No...Why, did something happen? =S ]  
[1:43 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- oh.]  
[1:44 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- my parents died when i was a kid kat.]  
[1:44 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Oh my God. =O ]  
[1:44 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- No, I had no idea! =( We've never really talked about your family...]  
[1:45 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- i dont really talk bout it to everyone so yea. not everyones business.]  
[1:45 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I am _so sorry_ , Bee. ='( ]  
[1:46 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- not your fault.]  
[1:46 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- you know how it is though. with your mom i mean.]  
[1:46 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Yea...-_- ]  
[1:46 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- how old were you again?]  
[1:47 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Oh. I was, like...]  
[1:47 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I was 12.]  
[1:47 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- so you actually kinda knew your mom.]  
[1:48 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- my parents died when i was 6.]  
[1:48 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- If you don't mind me asking...What happened?]  
[1:48 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- no its fine youre cool. i was too little to really remembr anything.]  
[1:48 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- i was with my grandparents visiting n my mom and dad were at home.]  
[1:50 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- house fire happened while they were sleeping.]  
[1:50 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Wow. O_O]  
[1:51 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I don't know what to say.]  
[1:51 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- nothing to say really.]  
[1:52 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- then i moved in with my uncle. he was divorced.]  
[1:52 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- thats how its been since.]  
[1:53 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- thats why all that stuff started happenin with me later.]  
[1:53 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I can't believe I didn't know any of this sooner. But now some stuff makes sense...]  
[1:54 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- like i said its not like i tell everyone.]  
[1:54 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Then I guess I appreciate that you trust me enough to tell me.]  
[1:55 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- hey youre all right. i like you kat you dont judge me.]  
[1:55 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Of course not. Why would I?]  
[1:56 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- all the other stuff i told you before. most people would be freakin out.]  
[1:57 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Oh. Well, if I'm gonna be your friend I can't let stuff like that freak me out. ;P ]  
[1:57 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- thanks.]  
[1:59 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Wow, it's 2am. I really need to get some sleep! Good thing it's a Saturday night, right? xD ]  
[2:02 am]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- k. have good nite.]  
[2:03 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- You, too, Bee. It was nice to talk with you.]  
[2:05 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- ~HUG~]  
[2:05 am]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ has signed out.]  
[2:05 am]

* * *

[ **Skype** tm]

[Saturday, August 7th, 2010]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- yo yo you there kat?]  
[3:23 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Hey, Jane, what's up? =D ]  
[3:25 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- check it. i got accepted into aqua.]  
[3:25 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- m/ ^_^ m/ ]  
[3:26 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- gets better.]  
[3:23 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Do tell. =P]  
[3:23 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- so theres this girl on the 2nd floor rite? ginny ackland.]  
[3:23 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Yea? OK.]  
[3:24 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- her roommate bailed out on her so they had an opening.]  
[3:24 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- so i took it. :) ]  
[3:24 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- That's our floor! =D What room?]  
[3:24 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- 201]  
[3:25 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- OMG. That...is right acros the hall from us! =) ]  
[3:25 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- holy shit were gonna be neighbors.]  
[3:25 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- This is so epic. You and my roommate will get along great. =D ]  
[3:26 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- That makes _two_ Terra girls I've converted to the Light Side. Haha. ;) ]  
[3:26 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- i guess now i have some kind of reason to not completely hate going back to school.]  
[3:27 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I know, right? We can actually become _real_ friends now instead of just online ones.]  
[3:28 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- i guess. yea. :P ]  
[3:30 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Shoot. I have to be somewhere at 4.]  
[3:32 pm]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- oh yea that volunteer thing rite? ]  
[3:33pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Right, this will be the last week I do that for the summer. I have to go. Catch you later, Jane!]

[ _killerbeejane_ \- ttyl kat.]

* * *

A halfhearted knock - just one single knock - brought Katara out of her study mode. She was poring through Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key for her Children's Lit class. She knew that knock: it was Jane. Or Smellerbee. She didn't really know who was going to be waiting for her behind that door but she hoped it was Jane.

"Come in," she called, sticking her Harry Potter bookmark on the page and setting it on top of her closed laptop.

The door quietly crawled inward and the lanky, stick-limbed figure she had anticipated hobbled in, closing the door behind her, energy drink cupped in her hands.

"Hey," she said, setting herself on the floor cross-legged.

"Hi," Katara replied, seeking eye contact.

"So...Sorry if I was a bitch the other night." She sipped loudly at her black and blue can. This was Jane. For sure. 'Sorry' wasn't part of 'Smellerbee's' vocabulary.

"Me, too," Katara conceded.

"You already apologized," Jane said with a smirk, her olive eyes finally looking up. "It's just...different. Ya know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Us. _This._ " She waved her hand around the room. "You're not just a...bunch of words on my computer. You're right here. I can't just...log out if I'm pissed off."

Katara laughed lightly and nodded her head, recalling days when Jane would suddenly disappear from their conversation if things got tense.

"We're not the same, Kat."

"I know."

"I'm not really a social person."

"I _know_ ," Katara insisted with a smile, hunched over in her chair, looking down at her red-headed neighbor.

"It's easy to do it on IM or e-mail," Jane confessed with a shrug, taking another swig of Monster and coughing.

"But isn't it better in person like this?"

Jane sighed and ran her palm over her frizzled hair.

"I guess," she mumbled.

"Maybe we just need to figure each other out better," Katara proposed. "You can only learn so much about someone on the Internet."

"OK," Jane agreed plainly.

"It's hard on my end because I feel like I hardly know about you, even though we talked a lot over the summer."

"Not exactly the touchy-feely type," Jane grunted. "So that's probably why."

"And I know I can be really..." Katara wiggled her hand, searching for how she wanted to put it. "I can come off strong."

"Baha. Yea. Yea, you definitely do, Kat."

"Right."

"That kinda...doesn't help when I'm in a bad mood."

"Yea. I'll have to keep that in mind. But you can't just totally shut me out, either."

"No, I get it," Jane nodded quickly, glance back to the floor. "I can try."

Katara grinned.

"We got this," she concluded with optimism and a thumbs up. "We can _m_ _ake it work_ ," she said in a quirky twist of humor, flashing her other thumb up.

"God, I hate you," Jane facetiously chuckled. "You and your...dress. Show."

"You have UFC and I have Project Runway. Maybe we should swap some time?"

"That's a dangerous idea," Jane slyly said, a glint in her eye. "I'm not sure you could handle it."

"Oh, please!" Katara insisted, kicking Jane playfully in the knee. "It's settled. This weekend, I will show you Project Runway and you will show _me_ this...'mixed martial arts' you seem to love so much."

"Deal," Jane agreed. "I'll be back in a sec."

As Jane lifted herself to her feet and trudged to her room across the hall - doors left open now - Katara found herself contemplating her situation. She had been avoiding Jet with careful excuses of classes and friends and work, but sooner or later she'd have to confront the situation. It didn't look like they'd stay together, but Katara had found some peace in that. At the very least, maybe she had made a friend in this gruff, likely lonely girl. Even if that was the solitary good thing that came from the entire situation, she'd be OK with that.


	8. The Family Name

  
  
[SRU - Ginnie 'Jin' Ackland](http://pineapplefactor.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Ginnie-Jin-Ackland-304940794) by ~[pineapplefactor](http://pineapplefactor.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

 

\- Friday, September 3rd, 2010 -

"So! Mr. Kurosawa."

Zuko sighed and drank from his tall ceramic tea mug, his black hair slicked to the side, combed neatly.

"So," he replied simply, avoiding the interviewer's gaze.

The excitable girl tapped her chin thoughtfully with her pen, notepad in hand. Her face was riddled with small bouts of acne with messy, thin bangs hanging across her forehead. Her brisly hair was bunched into a short, spiky tail at the base of her neck. She wore a pair of thin, rectangular glasses, curious pale brown eyes staring inquisitively at him.

"Tell me, Mr. Kurosawa: why should the Senior Class vote for you?"

Zuko gave the girl a smug smile and leaned back in his seat, fussing with his maroon tie. His thin face conveyed the sly network of gears rolling together in his head.

"Well, Ginny, I-"

"Jin."

"Pardon?"

"Call me Jin."

"A-all right, Jin." Zuko cleared his throat and shifted, now leaning forward across the table. "I know that a lot of the student body is going to assume that I'm trying to ride on my family name for this position, but I can assure them that it's the other way around: my family's reputation on this campus stems from our rigid work ethic. We seek responsibility because we handle it with pride and dedication. From the beginning, the Kurosawa family helped found this school as a haven for multiracial education."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm," Jin hummed quickly, scribbling her notes and checking her recorder to ensure it was on. "What about Ozai?" she dropped with nonchalance.

Zuko felt his intestines crawl with rage but contained them.

"What _about_ him?"

"Well, he's...your father," Jin plainly pointed out, casually pointing the head of her pen at his slightly scowling face.

"In the sense that I happen to share some of his _DNA_ , yes," Zuko specified forcefully.

"In light of recent events, don't you think his actions have tarnished the Kurosawa name?"

"The reputation I previously mentioned was within this campus," Zuko clarified. "The Kurosawa family has brought many good things to this school. My father is not related to this in any way."

"So you're admitting that what he did was wrong?"

"I am," Zuko coldly advised without skipping a beat before drinking more of his tea.

"So you think he's guilty of _all_ the charges he went to trial for, then?"

"With all due respect, Miss Ackland," Zuko firmly came down, "we're not here to discuss irrelevant legal issues concerning the members of my family I do not associate with." He placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. "Within the campus of Saint Roku University, the Kurosawa family has done nothing but good for its students and faculty." He nodded his head to the scattered wooden tables behind them, half filled with students. The coffee shop was buzzing with activity on this Friday afternoon. "The Jasmine Dragon, for example," he said, extending his palms up, "wouldn't exist, were it not for my uncle. And certain students - such as _yourself_ \- would not be hired under its employ."

Jin returned his passive-aggressive demeanor with a devilish smile, as if pleased to be put in her place and debated against.

"Very true, Mr. Kurosawa. Very true." She bit at her tongue as she jotted something else down. "Your sister Azula also played a very important role in the student government during her stay here."

"That's right," Zuko admitted with some reservation.

"Are you set to follow her example?"

"Not entirely."

"Elaborate."

"My sister was an effective politician here on campus - that much is true - but in her focus on the high-end issues she failed to grasp what's truly important about SRU - what makes it special."

"And that is...?"

"Its sense of community."

"I see." Jin's eyes lit up, burning into his retinas with interest. "What does this mean in the context of your campaign?"

"Saint Roku University was founded on the principle of diversity. No matter the race, country of origin, financial background, or previous school history, _any_ student is considered for enrollment. Each of our four dorms represents a different way of life, and all are valid. It's when these different teachings come together that the brightest minds emerge." He gulped some more of his tea, wagging his index finger as he continued eagerly. "In this same regard, it's only when the different students of our campus join and interact that a true sense of community and belonging is achieved. If elected as Class President, I will ensure that, budget large or small, our campus will offer numerous opportunities for our students to join together in unity."

"What do you hope to achieve in doing so?"

"Ideally," Zuko began, nodding his to the side in concession, "I'd like to see this approach result in a student body that is bound together, that learns from itself in a way most schools do not facilitate. Understand: much of what a student learns during their college career is learned outside of the classroom. By ensuring that this time is more actively edifying, we ensure that our students are not only happier and conjoined but also more mature in so doing."

"Interesting," Jin said simply, the head of her pen digging into her chin. "Let's discuss your stance on some of the big issues here..."

Zuko rallied back and forth with the girl like an unrelenting, verbal game of ping-pong. When all was said and done, Zuko took his leave. He walked through the glass double doors and up the stairway entrance to the Jasmine Dragon coffee shop. The Jasmine Dragon was an oriental-themed drink parlor located within the basement of the Gyatso Center - an external stairwell trailed underground at a corner of the building, allowing for a shop that felt like its own entity in a sense.

It was Zuko's uncle, Iroh Kurosawa, a professor of Philosophy at SRU, who had invested in getting the Jasmine Dragon running and was its owner and CEO. An active member of the local community, it was commonplace to see Iroh with students at his shop at any time of the week, whether to assist with classwork or simply to get to know the student body.

Mai was waiting for Zuko at the entrance to the Gyatso Center, dressed in tall black boots, shorts, and a T-shirt printed with a neon green heart dripping with green goo.

"You're wearing boots," Zuko noticed with flat distaste.

"Deal with it," Mai replied with a facetious snark as she took his hand and led him down the sidewalk to the center of campus. "How did the game of 20 Questions go?"

Zuko sighed and loosened his tie.

"I told her what she needed to hear."

"Is it what you believe?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. But it's what needs to be said if I'm going to be elected."

Mai smiled and shook her head, squeezing his hand.

"It's what your uncle told you to say, isn't it?"

"W-well, he's right," Zuko sputtered sheepishly.

"I think listening to your uncle is a good idea," Mai admitted, "but you need to make this your own. If you're going to be a leader you have to _lead_ based on what _you_ believe, Zu."

"I know," Zuko groaned, rubbing his tired eyes. "I just don't want to let myself...-" He trailed off and shrugged.

"Turn into your father," Mai finished his thought, rubbing her thumb across his wrist. "You won't," she whispered into his ear as she gave him a small peck on the cheek. He lifted their joined hands and placed a reciprocated kiss on the back of Mai's hand.

"No, I won't let that happen."

* * *

\- Winter, 2009 -

"Do you _honestly_ believe Father would do such a thing?"

Their eyes fought like two locked swords, scraping against each other, sparks flying.

"Honestly, Azula," Zuko said at last, ripping his gaze away from her, "After everything I've seen, I wouldn't put it past him."

"So now Father's a _murderer,_ " Azula incredulously declared, attacking her brother with her words. "You think he _killed_ Mother."

"I didn't say that," Zuko snapped, walking to the kitchen. "The courts can decide what he is or isn't guilty of."

"You sound so very _concerned,_ Zuzu," his older sister jabbed, following him into the kitchen, slippers silent on the tile floor. "It's good to know this family means so _very much_ to you."

Zuko opened the fridge, retrieving a jug of orange juice and pouring it into a tall glass, his back turned to his angry sibling.

"This family?" Zuko quipped quietly. He closed the refrigerator and turned around, glass in hand. He glared at his sister's seething expression. "This family meant everything to me, Azula," Zuko clarified before guzzling down half of the glass. He gasped and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his black pajama shirt, glancing at an old portrait of his uncle that sat on the lamp desk beside the couch. "And what's left of it still _is_ important."

" _I_ see," Azula sang a bitter song. "So now Father isn't part of this family?"

"You can't be a father while you're in _prison,_ " Zuko explained, pacing past her and back into the living room. It was adorned with various artifacts from his uncle's travels: a golden dragon statue that held up a glass coffee table, a large oak staff with a multitude of metal badges wedged into it, various exotic potteries...

"What about _me,_ then?" Azula demanded, her tone suddenly softer. Zuko scratched the stubble forming on his cheeks and nodded thoughtfully.

"You're my sister."

"And you're my brother," she irritably blurted, irked by the common sense of it all. Zuko shrugged and plopped himself down on the living room couch, a plate of hours-old sushi left over from his dinner on the coffee table before him.

"Guess that makes us siblings, then," Zuko observed with nonchalance before picking at a clump of rice and fish with his bare hands and slipping it into his mouth.

"Good to know," Azula growled, distraught by his apathy. She sat herself down in the leather recliner beside the couch, seeing the late-night talk show on the TV but not actually _watching_ it. The room was thick with tension, the stress of their situation weighing on them both.

"They're gone, you know," Zuko announced plainly.

"Yes, I'm _aware,_ " Azula moaned, her face contorting into discomfort as she kicked off her furry, red slippers and curled up into the recliner. She stared absent-mindedly at her brother's calm, walled-off expression, his gloomy eyes glued to the television.

"We can't wait around for them to come back," Zuko explained. "They won't. You have to stop pretending like things are going to go back to the way they were, Azula."

Azula had no reply but an embittered expression, any satisfaction withheld as Zuko didn't even look her way.

"It's just us now," Zuko concluded, finishing off his orange juice. "Us and Uncle Iroh." While there was a large collection of extended family back in Japan, they didn't count in the context that was being discussed here. Their mother's side of the family in the US was sparse and split apart, her parent passed away years prior. At this point in time, their father's brother was the closest thing they had to a parent.

"Sometimes I wonder if you love your uncle more than your own father," Azula accused, reaching over the top of the recliner for a small blanket to cover herself. She noticed Zuko raise his brows defiantly as he chewed into another piece of sushi.

"Fancy that," Zuko muttered between bites. "You _do_ realize that you're talking about the man who's letting us live with him right now," he pointed out.

"Out of obligation," Azula expressed.

"If you say so."

Due to the nature of Ozai Kurosawa's crimes, the ownership of his home was still under debate, and due to the nature of the holiday season, Iroh had invited the two young adults to stay with what they felt was the only family they had left. A well-furnished house in rural Wayward, the home was fitting for the old man's tastes and would easily accommodate his nephew and niece. Iroh's connection to SRU was rooted in the Kurosawa family serving as a benefactor of the college for decades, since its foundation. Ozai, in fact, had met his wife through the school as a result of this financial connection. A fair-skinned Caucasian, the woman gradually became Ozai's lover and incentive to move from Japan to America. This background resulted in a pair of half Caucasian, half Japanese children who had spent their entire upbringing grasping with a dual identity. Now that Ozai was no longer in a position to run his multi-million dollar company, it fell to one of his heirs to assume command, and Azula, being the elder of the two, had seen fit to place herself first in line before the end of high school. Zuko had desired to some day grow and assist her with this future task back in those days, but a great deal had changed since then.

"So what are you going to do with yourself now?" the biting tone of the older sister demanded after a few moments of reflective silence.

"I'm going to finish school," Zuko placidly proclaimed.

"You're going to let me run our father's business on my _own_?"

"Why not?" Zuko stared at her with a snide smirk. "You seem _more_ than eager to take the job."

"W-well, of _course,_ it's our family business. And I'm certainly _more_ than capable of taking charge."

They spoke simultaneously, Azula speaking with pride and passion, Zuko with apathy and exhaustion.

"It's what I was born to do."  
"It's what you were born to do."

Zuko rubbed his hands, cleaning them of food residue, and he picked up his plate and glass to take to the sink in the kitchen.

"So what's the problem? Like I said: you seem more than eager to take the job. There'll be a whole counsel of suits to help point you in the right direction, anyway."

"I intend to remove them from the picture as soon as possible," Azula assured with a shaky breath, fingers clamping on her temples. "Once I understand what needs to be done I will not be letting anyone abuse my power."

"I'm sure you won't," Zuko quietly agreed as he came back, laying himself onto the couch.

"Hey, Dum-Dum," Azula grumbled slowly. "Can we change the channel?"

"To what?"

"Anything but _this_ drivel."

"Sure."

* * *

\- Friday, September 3rd, 2010 -

"Hey, you gonna eat that?" Sokka asked, jabbing his finger at his sister's tray.

"No," Katara laughed, shaking her head, and leaned back as Sokka eagerly scooped up a small handful of chicken sandwich and munched it down.

"Hungry there?" Toph asked as she dug her fingers into her box of french fries. As she fed one into her mouth, bite-by-bite, Aang snuck a fry from her and stuffed it in his face. _Whump._ A swift knock to the arm. "I heard that," Toph warned with a scowl. It quickly faded when Aang jammed a piece of lettuce into her closed lips.

"There, we can trade," he joked, letting the lettuce fall off her face and into her laptop.

" _Peh_ ," Toph coughed, wiping off her mouth and flinging the leaf from her leg. "Thanks, there, Twinkle-Toes."

"Just trying to be fair, Pudding Basket."

" _What?_ "

"Hey, uh, Aang," Sokka cautiously began. "You, uh...You need some help with the whole 'nickname' bit, there? 'Cuz it seems like you're struggling to me."

Toph chuckled. "Yea, maybe you should get some training here from Meat-Head."

_Dun-dun-dun- **DUNNN.**_

"Oh my God," Toph groaned, immediately picking her phone up off the table and flicking it open to quell the sounds of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. "Hello?" she greeted rigidly through grit teeth. The table fell silent, each member fully aware of the situation at hand - save one.

"Wh-?" Suki began, but Sokka shook his head and lifted a finger to his lips to silence her. "It's Toph's parents," Sokka whispered in her ear.

["Toph! Ah, good. I finally got a hold of you."]

"Is this important, Dad?" sighed Toph, palm over her face. Aang offered support by rubbing her leg briskly.

["Don't take that tone with me, Miss."] Toph ground her teeth together and pressed her knuckle into her forehead, suppressing her impatience.

"What is it?" she asked with as much politeness as she could muster.

["It's about this weekend."]

"OK...So? _What_ about this weekend?"

["Your mother and I will be attending the annual Beifong reunion."]

Toph's plans for the weekend crumbled away to reveal a long-forgotten memory: the first weekend of September was when her family held its annual get-together. And, _oh,_ what a fun time it was for Toph: being led about by her parents to be fondled over and pitied on, without space to speak her mind but be spoken _about_ to all manner of relatives who never bothered to give her the light of day on any other occasion.

"Great," Toph blurted coldly. "Have fun with that."

["I'm sure we will, as will you. I'm calling to inform you of the arrangements-"]

"I...I'm not going," Toph managed in a tone that teetered between rebellious and uncertain.

["Why I...I beg your pardon?"] He spoke with earnest confusion.

"I _said_ ," Toph cleared her throat and repeated herself with more bold defiance. "I'm not _going._ "

["My Dear, you can't simply _not go_ \- this is crucial family business."]

"That's just fantastic," Toph snapped. "Then you guys should have it all settled, because they sure as hell don't treat _me_ like family the rest of the year."

["Think of your grandfather,"] Mr. Beifong quipped incredulously. ["Or your grandmother. She would be ash-"]

"My grandmother would want me to do what _I_ think is best," Toph thundered, slapping her hand on the table, shuffling her uneaten fries. "And I don't think me going is a good idea."

Her friends were all silent, exchanging wary glances like nervous statues.

["Toph Beifong,"] came the familiar scolding call, ["With all due respect, young lady, it is your obligation to this family to make an appearance at-"]

"I'm _not going_ ," Toph seethed, her head throbbing from the stress. "Period."

[ _Beep._ ]

Toph let out a growl as she slammed her phone into her lap, palm massaging her head. A long, drawn out sigh escaped her before Sokka finally broke the silence.

"Soooo, _yea._ " He jabbed the tips of his index fingers together. "That _just_ happened," he observed. "Snap."

"You just told off your parents," Katara whispered in impressed awe. "Nice."

Aang gave Toph a congratulatory kiss on the cheek and slapped her knee.

"Good one," he encouraged. Aang had a personal grudge against Toph's parents - and Aang didn't hold grudges. Toph found herself oddly grateful that it was on her behalf that the peace-loving boy bothered to actively dislike someone.

"So, like," Suki fidgeted her hands around, rotating her fingers around each other. "I'm taking it that...Toph's parents...We're not on good terms with them?"

"Ha!" Toph spouted. "One way of puttin' it..."

"They're...really super controlling," Katara explained. "Like, _creepy_ controlling."

"They're jerks," Aang put it simply, jamming his fork into his salad.

"Coming from Aang, that's _saying_ something," Sokka advised as Toph went back to her fries.

"Sounds like a pain," Suki muttered. "I get along great with my mom," she added softly, almost to herself. No one at the table besides her could properly relate to this sentiment, it seemed.

"We're not all so lucky," Toph bitterly remarked, licking salt from her fingers. She groped her hands across her tray before finding her baked potato and the plastic fork beside it.

* * *

\- September, 2009 -

Toph slipped her silk gloves off, hanging them over her chair. She fidgeted her position around, trying to be comfortable. This dress was form fitting and intolerable. She could hardly move her legs in it. So thoughtful of them to force her into it without any input. Naturally they hadn't even asked what color she wanted - as if being blind stripped away any right of making decisions concerned her appearance. Her hair was wadded into a slick bun, a tiara nestled over top of her head. Heavy earrings of gold had been fitted into her ears - whatever shape they were they kept tapping the edges of her jaws, which was irksome. Toph felt her hands across the table, attempting to look as inconspicuous as possible. Every piece of silverware was neatly laid out. Her fingers delicately sensed out the proper fork she needed at this moment in time and she pulled it off the table. She tenderly pressed the side of fork against the squishy chunk of material on the plate in front of her, getting a quick feel for how large it was. She stabbed it before carefully treading the knife in her other hand across its surface. She sawed away at it, slicing a clean piece of meat and bringing it to her mouth. She chewed on the juicy steak with some satisfaction.

"Oh, you poor thing." The voice of her Aunt Wu jarred her from her comfort zone. "Here, let me help you, Dearie." The utensils were stripped from her hands and - _skiss-skees-ssfff -_ she could hear them being put to quick work on the meat. Toph's face was warm with embarrassment at this gesture and her stomach twisted with irritation. "Now _where_ did your parents go off to?" the woman wondered. "To leave you alone to fend for yourself? Shameful."

_Ha, well...Can't really disagree with the 'shameful' part..._

"It-it's all right, Aunt Wu," Toph mumbled. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, Toph, but that doesn't mean you _ought_ to. What if you had cut yourself?"

_Christ. I know how to use a knife, woman._

Toph's face bent into a grimace, her shoulders slumped.

"There you are. That's much better." _Clakker-clat._ "I do hope you enjoy the food, Dear. The caterers are exquisite this year."

And off the Aunt went. Toph knew next to nothing of Aunt Wu except that the woman sounded a bit heavy and that she lathered Toph with pity at every rare impasse. A stray hair tickled at Toph's ear, and she tucked it back before reaching her hand out over her plate, groping around the edges. She pricked her thumb on the tip of her steak knife, growled, and retrieved it, setting it carefully in the correct position beside her plate. After locating her fork, she set back to eating her steak.

Some old-fashioned orchestra music played in the background, and while Toph would normally be able to appreciate its beauty, in this context it just grated against her ears like a nail file. The Beifong reunion was a ritzy, glamorous show of wealth and elitism, with each respective nuclear family vying to one-up each other, while Toph's parents had to play the 'blind-daughter' card in an effort to make themselves out to not even be in the running by circumstances beyond their control.

"Ah, Toph, Darling," her mom called, approaching swiftly. "There you are. Why are you sitting by yourself?"

"Because you guys left to go mingle."

"Well, yes, but we weren't expecting everyone around you to leave - why didn't you leave with them?"

"'Cuz I was hungry and I wasn't done eating?"

"Ah. In either case, your relatives are expecting you - everyone wants to say hello."

" _Do_ they, now?"

"Oh, yes, certainly." Her mom grabbed her arm and pulled her up from her chair. Toph squirmed and tore herself out of her mother's grasp.

"I can stand up on my own," Toph hissed, rotating her shoulders to clear space.

"Yes, yes," Mrs. Beifong dismissed, pressing Toph's arm to ease her daughter along.

"I wasn't finished," Toph grumbled, being prodded from behind and shooed away from the table.

"You ate plenty enough. We wouldn't want you to over-indulge, Darling."

_What the hell? Since when was some vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a single bite of steak over-indulging?_

"Ah, and there she is, our sweet, darling daughter." They approached Mr. Beifong, and Toph felt as if she was being showcased rather than introduced.

"My, my, she's growing into quite a lady," commented some elderly woman.

"I remember when she barely reached my knees," came another raspy voice. A chorus of voices Toph had heard before but not enough to properly recognize chimed in their thoughts as Toph's parents had separate discussions with them. Dumbfounded, her position in the room lost, Toph was trapped in a cloud of that which she hated most: pity.

"It really is such a shame."  
"Oh, I know, but we make the best of it."  
"Such a poor thing."  
"It's admirable how she manages."  
"And you said she wants to learn the guitar?"  
"She seems bound and determined."  
"Oh, how inspiring. Quite an uphill struggle, I imagine."  
"We shall persevere."

The words scraped at Toph's skull like fingernails on a chalkboard. She had dragged into this crowd of relatives to stand as some means of garnering attention. No one asked _her_ questions, they asked her _parents_ , as if her lack of sight deemed her incapable of answered questions.

"Uh...Hello?" Toph edged her way in, to no evail. " _Hello?_ "

"Yes, yes. What is it, Darling?" asked her mother softly.

"I...I need to go to the bathroom," Toph lied with a sugary whisper, folding her hands innocently in front of her waist. An empathetic chuckle at her expense, a slender hand on her shoulder, and she was escorted like a child to a restroom by her mother. "I can find my way back," she assured as she snuck into the one-room bathroom on her own, eagerly shutting the door behind her.

Victory: peace at last. She carefully felt her way through the bathroom, step by step. A metal bar along the wall aided her - this was likely a handicap bathroom. When she reached the toilet, she prodded her fingers around for the lid and pushed it down over the seat. She took a deep breath and sat herself down on the closed toilet seat. Hunched over, she was tempted to wipe the various oils and creams from her face but knew better. She'd rather be slightly uncomfortable than appear to be a mess and get treated like an even less capable human being than she was already being made out to be. With her hands clasped together in her lap, her heart ached as her mind wandered to days gone by: to the bizarre sensation of a tire swing, to creamy mashed potatoes on a Sunday evening, to cold glasses of lemonade and gooey, warm chocolate chip cookies, to funny-smelling hugs and funny-smelling hand-knit scarves, to fairy tales read by a squeaky old voice before bed.

_Why did you have to leave me all alone, Grandma? You were the only person I had left on my side..._

* * *

\- Friday, September 3rd, 2010 -

The crisp evening air was a bit chillier than expected, a hint of autumn hanging over them as they traveled across the long, straight sidewalk that led from the entrance of Aero to the side entrance of Aqua that was closest to Toph's bedroom. After their meal, Katara had been picked up by her boyfriend. After arriving back on campus Sokka and Suki had gone over to Terra so that Sokka could meet some of Suki's acquaintances there. Aang and Toph had retreated to Aero to spend a quiet evening together in Aang and Sokka's room listening to music and playing chess. Aang and Sokka had pooled their funds to buy a special chess set that had large, heavy pieces of glass and ridged squares, meaning Toph could fiddle with the pieces and the board and comprehend the game without knocking things over. It was a slow and tedious process, but by now Toph had basically gotten a hold of it. Sokka always _always_ won, but at least with Aang every now and again she could squeeze a victory, as she had on this particular night. At some point into their second game, chess had devolved into some nonsensical sweet nothings which gave way to stolen kisses, gentle touches, and snuggling on Aang's bed while listening to classical music that Toph was practicing on the piano for class.

"You have fun tonight?" Aang wondered.

"Yep," she replied with a peaceful smile, scratching at his arm while their elbows were locked. "Coulda had _more_ fun," she teased, "I mean, tour toes didn't _twinkle_ too much tonight."

"Heh." Aang wrapped his free hand over her wrist. "I'll work on that next time, then. Buttercup."

" _Buttercup_ today, huh?"

"What? What's wrong with that one?"

"Nothing," Toph earnestly answered. "Kinda like it."

"Wait...Huh?"

"Reminds me of the Powerpuff Girl. I'm OK with that."

"I thought I'm trying to find a nickname that _annoys_ you..."

"Yeeeaaa...About that. You really suck at this game."

"Crap."

"What?"

"I just lost The Game."

"Shit!" Toph whispered with a grin, smacking her hand on Aang's chest. "I just lost The Game! You _really_ suck."

"Winning is everything to you, isn't it?" Aang picked, folding her ear around. A small giggle escaped at the sensation, and she suppressed it. "We're here," Aang announced.

"It's not about winning," Toph clarified, slowing to a stop. "It's about not _losing_." She wound herself across the front of Aang's body and held him close, nuzzling her face into his neck and placing a kiss there when she had found her mark. As she retreated, she felt Aang's breath on her face and they shared a kiss on the lips that lasted shorter than she'd have liked. Fingers dug into her hair before gently pulling away.

"Love you," Aang said in a barely audible whisper.

"You, too," Toph barely retorted, running her hands down his chest before their bodies regretfully parted.

"Night."

"Night."

As Toph pressed her way into the door and found her path up the stairs to the second floor, her mind relaxed. By the time her surprisingly tired body collapsed into bed, it brain eked out a thought into the beyond before passing out.

_I hope you're not mad that I'm not going to the reunion this weekend, Grandma. Besides, it's not like you're gonna be there...But you know, I'm glad you found someone to look after me in your place._

* * *

**A/N: Let's just clear the air. Zuko doesn't have a scar. He will not have a scar. I'm not going to arbitrarily give him a scar because his role in the story doesn't offer any logical reason for him to have one. His scar is mental/emotional. Also, I should mention that I did change something here: Azula is Zuko's older sister in this story by one year. I know that's different than canon - but this is an AU and I have my reasons for changing things.**


	9. Just Like That

  
[  
SRU Sketch - Aang Leekpai](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Sketch-Aang-Leekpai-289807861) by =[daughterofthestars](http://daughterofthestars.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)

* * *

 

\- Saturday, September 4th, 2010 -

"She hasn't come back yet?"

"Sorry, Jane," Toph said apathetically, one earbud still tucked in as music trickled into her ear. "I dunno what's up."

"You don't think she's gonna chicken out, do you?"

"Nah," came Toph's confident reply. "She seemed pretty worked up about it."

"Guess you're right." Jane sighed and scratched her neck anxiously.

"Why? You _worried_ about her or somethin'?" teased Toph with a grin, her arms folding behind her head on her pillow.

"Maybe," Jane laughed with a shrug that couldn't be seen. She sat herself down in Katara's desk chair, lazily propping her socked feet onto Katara's desk. "Getting mixed up with the Freedom Fighters was just a bad idea," she explained. "I just hope she can make a clean break."

"She'll be fine," Toph insisted. "Getting bent outta shape doesn't seem your style," she pointed out. "Take a chill pill."

"It's _not_ my style," Jane grumbled, arms crossed as she tipped back and forth in the chair, pressing her toes against the edge of the desk. "I just know how Jet is. And Kat's too good for him."

"Probably."

"You seem to get along with _your_ boyfriend pretty well."

"Heh." Toph smirked and brushed loose hair from her face. "Guess I got lucky."

"So, like..." Jane scratched her jaw lazily. "You think I'll get along with him?"

"Who, Aang?" Toph snickered. "Why?" she asked, immensely curious.

"Wh-? Just...Ya know," Jane mumbled hurriedly, setting the chair back on all four legs. "Just in case."

"In case you actually decide to come outta your shell and hang with us?" Toph picked. "Sure. Aang's...hard to _not_ get along with. Ha. Probably the main reason why things turned out this way between us."

"What do you mean?"

Toph's snark dissolved into an appreciative smile.

"Sometimes people like you and me just need to find someone willing to put up with us until we realize what idiots we're being."

Jane's face eked out a similar smile as Johnny came to mind.

"Yep," she concurred, rubbing the bags under her eyes.

"Speaking from experience, Jay, our group's pretty awesome," Toph declared. "Don't get me wrong, being a total bitch has its perks," she smiled widely, "But it doesn't hurt to know when to dial it down. I know what's it like, where you're coming from. Trust me, we've got a good thing going here. If _I_ can fit in, you can, too."

"Fit in? I never said I wanted to fit in," Jane put off the idea with her words while her mind still lingered around it.

"Hey, suit yourself," Toph advised, tapping her foot to a beat Jane couldn't hear. "But if you're gonna be friends with Katara and all that, and avoid _us_...Well, like...Isn't that the big problem she had with Jet?"

"Hm." Jane was stoic, deeply considering the idea.

"Just sayin'..."

"Yea."

"Take it from a fellow psycho," Toph joked. "Being crazy is more fun with company."

* * *

"You enjoy the movie?" Jet asked, slapping her on the back.

"Yea, it was good," Katara decided. A simple nod, a simple shrug. It was as good as gun-heavy action could be, anyway.

"Hey, Sneers."

"Wuzza?" grunted the bartender with a slight tilt of the head.

"Here, get a pic of us, would ya?" Jet requested, passing the man his phone.

"Sure, sure," was the reluctant concession of obedience.

Jet slung his arm over Katara's shoulder. She was wearing a modest red sweatshirt with a cute cartoon monkey face printed on it - a gift from her brother a couple of years back. Her hair was fastened into an intentionally messy, disorganized bun. Normally, she would've worn a little makeup for Jet's sake but had specifically chosen not to today.

It was cramped and awkward, being drawn close to this person whom, with each passing day, she had been finding herself less and less attracted to if only by principle of knowing things would never really work out.

"Ahright," said Sneers gruffly. "Cheese." His complete lack of enthusiasm likely didn't help matters, but Katara could only manage a half-hearted, wistful smile, her eyes clouded and thoughtful. Her mind was afloat in that sea of questions of doubts and regrets that she'd been previously drowning in all week. At least now she had found her raft, her way out - she just had to ride it to shore. _  
_

"Whaddya havin' tonight, girlie?" Sneers' question jarred her from her scattered mind.

"Oh, uh..."

"The lady'll just have a Coke," Jet answered for her, having caught on to a beverage he knew she preferred.

"Comin' up." Sneers filled a glass with fountain soda as Katara watched Jet sip on his whiskey.

"Somethin' goin' on, Kat?" Jet wondered with a curious glance as he typed away on his phone. Katara's eyes fled to her drink as it was set on the counter before her.

"Just...long week," she spurted out as she went to sucking on the straw propped in the glass. Her phone vibrated in her pocket as Jet set his aside. She knew he had just sent to her the picture they had just taken - he always sent pictures as soon as he took them.

"Yea, Smellerbee told me you guys had a bit of a cat fight a while ago."

"Mm," Katara admitted through her nose, still drinking the cola. She breathed out after she gulped it down and added, "But we sorted that out. Just...ya know. Girl stuff."

"Girl stuff, huh?" Jet muttered, amused. "With _Smellerbee_?"

"Well, she _is_ a girl," Katara remarked with a tinge of defense. Jet 'hmphed' at this as if to express, 'If you _say_ so.'

Katara wanted to kick him and shout at him and defend Jane after what she had been recently told concerning how the two had broken up a couple of years prior - Jet had decided that Jane wasn't 'girl' enough for him. And while there may have been some valid reasoning behind this, it was downright rude and insensitive, the way he had gone about it. Granted, Katara had heard this story from Jane, but...At this point Katara trusted Jane's words more than Jet's. Jane was as straight with her as could be expected. She'd say, 'I can't tell you that,' not pretend like there was nothing being hidden. How could she let herself get involved romantically with such a judgmental person who exerted so much effort for the sake of hiding things? Ultimately, though, this was not about Jane, as had been established earlier.

"Anyway," Jet cut over the topic, grabbing her hand tightly. "Let's make better use of this weekend than last, huh?" He lifted her hand up and kissed her on the wrist. Her insides went empty and she fought to contain herself. She had been letting hormones win over long enough.

"Jack," she mumbled, her gaze still avoiding his.

"What's up, Kat?" he asked intently.

"What were you _really_ doing Tuesday night? With all of those other people in the back." She nodded her head to the rear of the Treetop Pub. She finally felt empowered enough to resist his temptations and stared him down insistently.

"Wha?" he whispered out, slack-jawed. "Are you _still_ bothered about that?" He sighed and rolled his head back incredulously. "Kat, babe, it's _no big,_ it was just a business meeting."

"Then why did you lie to me about it? Why won't you tell me what it was _about_?"

"It was about donations, like I said before," Jack insisted, his voice low but tempered now. "What is the _problem_ here? You don't trust me?" His chocolate glance pleaded like a puppy.

Katara pulled her hand out of his grasp and covered her eyes with a bitter frown.

"I guess I don't," she confessed. "Those people didn't look like the 'donating' type."

"What are you implying?"

"I don't _know,_ Jack," Katara seethed quietly through grit teeth. "Why don't you tell _me?_ "

"Do you have a paranoia problem, or somethin'?" Jack pondered aloud, taken aback.

"Do you have a _lying_ problem?" She refused to look him in the eye and even risk giving in. She drank some more soda and took a deep breath in their moment of awkward silence.

"The specifics are the business of Freedom Fighters _only,_ " Jack explained, jabbing his index finger into the counter. "And you don't seem like you want any part of being one."

"Because I _don't,_ " Katara put it simply. They continued their exchange with quiet, sharp words.

"Yea," Jack growled, "Been _gettin'_ that impression lately."

"You can't be with someone who isn't going to join your little club? Is that it?"

"This is my _work_ , Kat. Not just some hobby."

"Well, your _work_ rubs me the wrong way. I just have this bad feeling."

"Bad feeling?"

"Yea. Like maybe _some_ of what the Freedom Fighters do isn't as charitable as it's made out to be."

"Listen, Kat." Jack drummed his fingers impatiently as Katara finished her drink, angry eyes stuck to the counter. "Hey. _Hey._ " Jack snapped his finger by her ear. She twisted her head around and gave him a dagger glare. "If you can't trust me, Kat," Jack mandated, "then maybe this ain't gonna work out."

"Maybe it isn't," she tartly agreed, raising her brow.

"So... _What,_ then? You're gonna just...break up with me?"

Katara's heart was pounding through her rib cage, a sense of freedom and strength surging out.

"Y-yea," she blurted, her eyes shifted to the side. She had raised her voice to a more standard volume level, collecting her confidence.

"Are you serious?" Jack asked, clearly confused. "Just like that?" He snapped his fingers again before raising his hand up to his mouth in befuddled aggravation.

Katara wiped her palm across her forehead, distraught.

"I've...had my doubts for a little while now," she informed him. "If you need to hide behind...behind _secrets,_ and _lies,_ and-and constantly be trying to make yourself look good, then...I can't be with you." Sure. That sounded reasonable. Right?

Jet bit his lip, his tongue irritably poking at the inside of his cheek as he nodded repeatedly, the gears coming together.

"Fair enough," he said at last, obviously dissatisfied. "So you're just gonna take off, then? We're not even gonna work at this?" There were those puppy eyes again, despite the edge in his tone.

"There's nothing to _work at_ , Jack," Katara declared, tossing her arms up. "You won't be _honest_ with me."

"You're _paranoid._ "

"You...you're in a _gang._ "

"Don't you think that's exaggerating it a bit?"

"If it's such a tidy operation, how come you're so secretive?"

Their eyes locked again until Jack retreated.

"Whatever," he huffed, tossing his hand. "Take off, then. Seems like you've already made up your mind about this."

"I have." Katara scooped some cash out of her pocket and slammed it on the counter beside her empty glass. "Good bye, Jack." She refused to show weakness, to crumble under the pressure he somehow suppressed her under. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, turned away, and took a deep breath. The words, 'I'm sorry,' were writhing to come out, but she wouldn't let them. If she showed any regret or vulnerability, she'd set herself up to be pulled back in all over again.

_This is what's best. I should have done this sooner. Why did I let myself fall into this situation in the first place?_

"Good bye," Jack called out dismissively.

Katara walked out of the pub and into the dry evening air. She stood on the sidewalk and stared at the motorcycle before her - the one that had carried her here. Her memories assaulted her: the very mystery and intrigue that had made this relationship so refreshing and exciting months before was exactly what had turned her away from it in the long run.

She had been so blunt, rash...It felt strange. In retrospect, she knew that this was how she had needed to act in order to break things off. During the summer, she had spent so long interacting with Jack, the man of mystery and charm. Once she was physically around him again he was Jet, not Jack, and she had become more fully aware of just how incompatible their lives were. Their friend groups just didn't mesh together, nor did their lifestyles. He seemed like a decent enough guy, aside from the secrets he insisted on keeping. But her gut feeling was that he simply wasn't _right_ for her. She knew how he was capable of tugging her strings, and acknowledged that the only way to end things was to cut those strings.

She cleared her head and took out her phone. She ignored the picture message she had recently received and made a call to her brother. She sighed as his ringback played, something she had grown tired of months before.

[~"Never gonna give you up."~"Never gonna let you down."~"Never gonna-"~]  
["Katara?"]

"Hey, Sokka..."

["Uh, yea. Hey. What's...up?"]

Katara's breath shortened and wavered as she talked. Somehow she'd managed to keep her cool back in the pub but now that her thoughts were running circles around her she was getting dizzy.

"I, um..." She swallowed. "I need a ride back."

["Oh. Uhhh...Sure. Yea."] His voice was muffled for a moment. ["Yea, it's my Sis, she needs me to pick her up."] His attention came back to her in full. ["Everything OK?"]

"Y-yea, fine," she insisted with a sniff. She raised a shaky hand to her forehead, fingers trembling. It dawned on her that she was starting to choke up. Sokka was her brother, the person who knew her better than anyone else. She knew that _he_ knew that everything was _not_ fine.

["A-all right. Well...Well, uh, yea, Suki and I are at the ACC. We'll hop in the car and come get you. Where you at?"]

"Oh, I'm...-" She glanced around for a point of reference. She'd rather he not pick her up in front of this bar. For all she knew Sokka was already aware of this place, but she wasn't certain, and she'd rather avoid a potential gasket-blowing. A familiar red-roofed restaurant was down the block. "I'm at the Pizza Hut," she told him, knowing he'd be familiar with the only on in town.

["Gotcha. All right. Hang tight, Sis. we'll be there in like, 15 minutes."]

Katara nodded out of habit and stuffed her free hand back in her pocket.

"Mm-hm. Thanks," she squeaked, her voice losing the strength it had found minutes prior.

Some fragment of her heart was kicking the rest of her, shouting, 'You idiot. A gorgeous man was all about you and you're throwing him away. Nice job, Stupid.'

 _Why_ did _I even bother dating a guy like him?_

The question gnawed at her. She had thought she'd figured herself out - that she knew who she was, what she stood for, what she wanted. And here this dashing biker fellow came around, swept her up, and practically hypnotized her. How could this have happened? Katara Kesuk was not impulsive. Was she?

_Rrrmmmm._

[From: Jane]  
[so you dump him yet or wut? :P ]  
[Sent: 9:32pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jane]  
[Yes. -_- I feel horrible.]  
[Sent: 9:33pm]

[From: Jane]  
[i thnk that's natural kat]  
[Sent: 9:34pm]

Katara couldn't think of what else to say, but before she could consider it for too long, her phone started ringing.

[~"So what?"~"I'm still a rock star."~"I got my rock moves."~"And I don't need-"~]

"Hey, Toph," Katara mumbled after flicking open her phone, finding her roommate's timing too coincidental.

["Hey, Katara,"] Toph greeted with her sneaky cheer. ["You kick that guy to the curb or _what_?"]

["Wait, did you just call her?"] came a distant voice.

["Yea,"] Toph loudly called back.

"I'm guessing you're with Jane right now, huh?" Katara observed, amused despite her melted mind as she paced down the empty sidewalk.

["We've been like, on pins and needles here, man,"] Toph teased. ["Jane was worried for a second that you were gonna chicken out, but I knew you'd stick to your guns."]

"I did," Katara sighed. "Doesn't feel too good, though."

["Nothin' some rocky road ice cream can't fix, right?"]

Katara found herself smiling through the stress at her friend's comfort.

"I suppose not," she choked out.

["You're better than him, anyway!"] Jane's shout echoed from the distance as Katara said 'not.'

["Yea, I'm with her on this one,"] Toph agreed. ["Good riddance. Now I don't have to put up with all your whining about him,"] she teased.

A sound that was half-laugh, half-sob dribbled out of Katara's mouth and she dabbed her finger at her swelling eyes. She couldn't understand why she was suddenly so emotionally shaken and it was beginning to get frustrating. Perhaps her roommate was right, and that she'd be better off just doing something comforting and not thinking about it. It was done. Like a menial chore she'd be putting off, she'd brazenly shoved herself away from him, and the sooner she could separate herself from the thoughts and feelings associated with him, the better.

["Hey, you still there?"] Toph checked with a more serious, almost apologetic tone.

"Oh, yea. Yea," Katara breathed out, her intestines tied up. "Sorry."

["Sounds like someone's got the post-break-up jitters."]

"The _what_?"

["I dunno, I just made that up,"] Toph confessed in a rush. ["Just get yourself back home so we can smother you in ice cream."]

"I don't think Aang would approve of that kinda thing," Katara mockingly scolded.

["Heh. What he doesn't know won't hurt him,"] was Toph's devilishly flirtatious reply.

["Ice cream's a turn off for me,"] Jane flatly declared from the background.

["You pick friends with bad taste,"] Toph decided, speaking to Katara.

"What does that say about _you_ , then?" Katara countered.

["Exactly! This is why we need to find friends with _good_ taste so that I can learn. I don't know any better!"]

The familiar sight of the Kesuk family car that Katara and Sokka shared cruised down the road ahead.

"My brother's here," Katara announced, her voice more clear and firm after that bit of humor. "I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

["'Kay. Chin up, Katara."]

"OK."

[ _Beep._ ]

The car slowly pulled into the restaurant's parking lot, rotated around, and pulled up beside Katara, just beside the lot entrance. Katara could see Suki in the passenger's seat, so she slid into the back and buckled herself in.

"Hey, Sis," Sokka greeted. "How ya doin'?" His tone was delicate - he knew how to dance this line. He'd try to be optimistic and jovial per his usual self, but not so much as to be irritating. This talent was something that had taken Sokka their entire childhood to master, and one that many like-minded guys never completely attained: being able to temper his boyish stupidity when the situation called for it without diving into complete seriousness.

"I've been better," Katara bluntly admitted as they took off down the road.

"What happened?" Suki wondered with some concern.

"I, um..." Katara shrugged, staring out the window as the buildings of Wayward slipped by. "I kinda...broke up with my boyfriend just now."

"Oh," Suki blurted, stupefied as to how to respond.

"Really?" Sokka muttered, his tone a mix of sympathy and relief. "That seems...kinda sudden."

"I've been...kinda thinking about it all week," Katara explained, fidgeting with the pencils holding her hair bun in place.

"Why did you break up?" Suki inquired, glancing at her through the rear-view mirror.

"It was just...-" Katara blew out a sharp groan and shook her head quickly. "It didn't feel right. It wasn't going to work out between us."

"Yea," Sokka was quick to agree. "I'm sorry," he added his condolence.

Katara laughed at his words and plunked her head against the window, eyes following the street lamps as they sailed by. This was what Sokka had wanted - for her to break things off. But she understood what he really meant: he was sorry that she had gotten hurt.

"Thanks," Katara expressed, the car window chill against the side of her head.

"Anything I can do for ya?" Sokka asked after a moment. Katara smiled and shook her head, though he likely couldn't see.

"It's OK. I just need to go back to Aqua right now, that's all."

"Gotcha," Sokka solemnly acknowledged. The rest of the quick car ride was free of discussion - only the sounds of the radio, which Katara tuned out for the sake of her sanity.

* * *

[From: Jet]  
[you fuckin knew bout this didnt you?]  
[Sent: 9:54pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[so what? maybe I did. whats the problem? I didnt do anything.]  
[Sent: 9:55pm]

[From: Jet]  
[you could have told me kat was nurotic]  
[Sent: 9:55pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[my fuckin bad. didnt realize fixin your gf trouble was my job.]  
[Sent: 9:56pm]

[To: Jet]  
[and btw shes not neurotic. she knows your lying.]  
[Sent: 9:56pm]

[From: Jet]  
[did you put her up to this? did you tell her anything?]  
[Sent: 9:57pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[no. but i think shes right. dont think you two would work out. and you LIED to her so yea.]  
[Sent: 9:58pm]

[From: Jet]  
[like you never lie to people]  
[Sent: 9:59pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[you were the last one. so no. i dont anymore. stfu.]  
[Sent: 9:59pm]

[From: Jet]  
[whatever just show up tmorrow on time w/the noobs]  
[Sent: 10:02pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jet]  
[fine.]  
[Sent: 10:02pm]

"Is he _still_ texting you about this?" Katara groaned to Jane.

"Hey, hey," Toph snapped, kicking her foot out and bumping Katara's chair. "Stop worrying about that. Ice cream. Eating. _Now_."

While Katara shoveled more dessert into her mouth, Jane huffed out an exasperated breath of distress and collapsed, burying her face into Katara's pillow.

_What the hell am I gonna do now? Do I really want to leave the Freedom Fighters? Even if I did...I can't risk it at this point. Not right now, anyway._

"Frick, now I'm hungry for ice cream," Toph grumbled, rubbing her stomach with an exaggerated pout.

"Soooo...Have some," Katara offered. "It's _your_ ice cream, remember?"

"If you _insist_ ," Toph sighed jokingly, reaching her arms out. Katara chuckled and passed her the half empty carton, then the spoon.

"I still can't believe all of this," Katara murmured, shaking her head to herself as Toph slurped away.

Jane sat up and let her legs dangle off the side of Katara's raised bed.

"What? The fact that you just broke up with your boyfriend?"

"No, the fact that I was _dating_ him at all," Katara moaned, turning to look at her neighbor with furrowed brows. She shrugged and continued. "I shouldn't have even started. I just let myself get swept up by him."

Jane snorted and raised her eyebrows knowingly.

"Yea, that bastard'll do that," she growled, gnashing her teeth slightly.

"How did I _ever_ think that was going to work?" Katara went on, eyes filled with perplexation. "It's like...We had a thing for a couple weeks, and then summer hit...and I was lonely, so I just...clung to him. It's like it made more sense over the summer when we were _apart_ then when we could actually see each other."

"'Course it did," Jane agreed. "All you saw was Mr. Charming with his slick as hell sweet-talk and bullshitting."

"Yea." Katara nodded, seeming to be at peace after logicking her way through it. A small burp slipped from Toph's mouth and she wiped her lips with her finger, licked said finger clean, and went back to work.

"Take my advice, Kat," Jane insisted, established fierce eye contact. "Just stay away from that whole scene. You don't belong there. And you don't _want_ to belong there. Speakin' from experience here."

Katara's eyes pried for details but Jane wasn't going to divulge them.

"Probably a good idea," said Katara solemnly, pulling the pencils out of her hairbun and letting its mass tumble down. She tugged at it with her hands to straighten it out. "What about _you_?"

"I've still got work to do," Jane stated, tossing her hand. "Don't worry 'bout it."

Katara was in fact worrying about it, though - Jane could see it in her face, despite her lack of response.

"Argh," Toph gasped. Both girls glanced at her, clutching at her forehead. "Fuckin' brain freeze," she hissed, eyes squinted shut.

"Whoa," Katara cried, peering into the practically empty ice cream carton. "Toph, Hun, maybe you should take it easy with the ice cream next time, huh?" She swiped the container away and set it on Toph's desk, an amused smile on her face.

"I refuse," Toph defied dramatically, still grabbing her head. "I shall not give in to my mortal enemy. Do you hear me, ice cream? You may have won this battle, but the _war rages on_!"

"Is she always like this?" Jane wondered, scratching her head.

"Pretty much," Katara chuckled, patting Toph on the back as the blind girl smirked.

* * *

\- Sunday, September 5th, 2010 -

Aang carefully studied his nearly finished product. He'd been sketching away for the past hour or so. This had to look just right - it wasn't for some class, it was for his friend. The image he had created displayed a willow tree, swaying in the breeze, with stars inexplicably hanging from the tips of some of its branches. It rested on a small hill, alone, a large crescent moon arching over top from the left. When Aang's friends were feeling down, he'd try and draw them something - it was his way of showing that he cared and instilling hope without any action on their part. They didn't need to talk to him, or listen to advice, they just had to look. After Sokka had come back late the night prior, he'd informed Aang about Katara's breakup with Jet. He hadn't wanted to bother her about the matter, since he had a feeling she was probably trying to take her mind off of it. Instead, he had engaged a simple exchange with her.

[To: Katara]  
[hey katara, what's your fav type of tree?]  
[Sent: 2:09am]

[From: Katara]  
[Um...Probably willow trees. Why?]  
[Sent: 10:08am]

[Reply]  
[To: Katara]  
[just wondering. :) ]  
[Sent: 10:20am]

As Aang darkened the outline of the moon, the sound of flatulence popped his thoughts like a burst bubble. Hunched against the wall on his bed, he glanced across the room to the pile of blanket on the opposing bed. He checked the time: [11:33am]. It'd be lunch time soon. If Sokka missed out on lunch he'd get pretty cranky.

"Hey, Sokka," Aang shouted.

"Muuuuhhh?"

"It's almost time for lunch."

Within seconds, Sokka had slid out of bed and into his desk chair. He slowly opened his laptop, like a zombie, and began his morning protocol of checking e-mail and the like.

"You sleep all right?" Aang wondered.

"Meh," Sokka drawled. "Guess."

"How did things with Suki go?"

"Awwwwwsummmm." Yea. He wasn't quite awake yet.

Aang went back to scribbling extra blades of grass onto the hill to fill it out as he let his roommate awaken. A few minutes passed, and he felt his work was complete. He got off his bed and flashed the sketchbook to Sokka.

"You think your sister will like this?"

Sokka stalled for a moment, his attention still on the screen, before twisting his head to see the picture.

"Yea, yea," he muttered with a sloppy nod.

"I hope so." Aang tucked it into his messenger bag and peeled open his dresser to find a shirt to wear for the day. "Gosh," he mused, "Seems real sudden that she'd break up with her boyfriend like that, don't you think?"

"Honestly, I think it's about damned time," Sokka grumbled, closing his laptop at last. He yawned and stretched as Aang fit himself with a plain white t-shirt. "That jerk's a menace. She should never have even started dating him in the first place. Good riddance."

 _Oh, right. Sokka was always against that whole thing, huh? Well...Guess I don't blame him. But still, I'm sure Jet can't be_ that _bad a guy if Katara dated him. Kinda wish we coulda met him._

"So, uh...We should probably head out, right? Don't wanna be late for food."

"I am _never_ late for food," Sokka declared, jamming a striped button-down shirt on with a pair of khakis. He popped on his familiar black loafers and straightened his shirt while Aang slipped a newsboy hat over his head and slung his messenger bag across his shoulder.

"Onward," Aang bellowed, stabbing his finger into the air. Sokka joined him in shouting, "Onward to _Sunday!_ "


	10. Simple

  
[SRU - Katara Kesuk](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Katara-Kesuk-205841607) by NatsumiStar at [DeviantArt](http://www.deviantart.com)

* * *

[Boomerang Blog: Back At Ya!]

[ **About That...** ]  
[Posted on _September 7th at 11:46pm_ ]  
[by **Noble Sir Kesuk Esquire** ]

[So ya know how my ex-girlfriend has been hanging out with us? Yea. About that...It's starting to get kinda weird. There's definitely something still there, ya know? Not surprising, really. The only reason we broke up Freshman year was because she transferred. My friends keep picking on me about it _._ I just don't know what to do. Every time those feelings start coming up I can't stop thinking about Yue. Like I'd be betraying her or something...Does that even make sense?]

[I need to think about all of this.]

[Blargh.]

* * *

\- Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 -

"So, uh..." Jane scratched her ear, fidgeting in her chair. "Yea." She glanced across the table to Sokka, who was filling his face with a bacon cheeseburger. "How...How ya doin'?"

"Mmfffnnn," Sokka calmly replied through his food. Was that 'I'm fine,' or...?

Jane sighed and tucked her hands between her legs, squirming in her seat. She desperately hoped the others would come back soon. This was super awkward. Katara's tray sat beside her, its owner having gone back to retrieve a drink. Toph was being aided by her boyfriend, and Sokka was practically halfway done at this rate. Geez. The guy was an animal when it came to food.

Jane's mind reeled through memories as she sought a topic of discussion. She recalled visiting his room a while back and seeing a bunch of tribal decor - tiki masks, a staff...

"Er...Yea, so, all that stuff in your room," she fumbled around, searching for conversation. "Where'd you get all that from?"

"Heh." Sokka smiled in reminiscence as his yes glazed over with nostalgia. "My dad used to travel a lot. All over the place." He took a bit of his coleslaw.

"Oh." Jane felt like there should've been more elaboration there, so she decided to pursue the topic for the sake of stalling more time. "Uh, so...What kinds of places?"

Sokka swallowed, his eyes rolling upward as he counted his fingers.

"Well, lessee...Madagascar, South Africa, Kenya, China, Mexico..." He paused, his expression twitching with melancholy. "Australia," he finished, somewhat solemnly.

"That's...kinda cool," Jane decided. She was trying to work on this 'complimenting' thing Katara had suggested she try working on.

" _Woooow_ ," Katara jeered, sitting down next to Jane, glass of apple juice in hand. "Jane is saying _nice things_ to you, Sokka. You should feel honored." She shoved Jane playfully on the shoulder.

"Yeeeaaa, I figured I oughtta work on that 'being polite' crap," Jane confessed with a sheepish shrug, mocking herself.

"Don't hurt yourself there, Ginger," Sokka chuckled. He quickly demolished the rest of his burger. "You might lose some of your street cred or something."

Jane fidgeted in her seat, a bit off-out by the seemingly random nickname she'd just been assigned - not to mention the uncomfortable reminder of the very group she was avoiding at the moment. Fate was having a comedic sense of timing this afternoon, though.

"Smellerbee!"  
"Miss Smellerbee!"

J ane whirled her head around to see two Freshmen staring at her, wide-eyed. She recognized them immediately as the two new recruits she had recently pulled into the organization days before. They were almost laughable to look at together: the larger on was gigantic and brutish, with dark brown skin, brisly black hair, and a basketball jersey, the smaller one a short blond boy with blue eyes and a formal dress shirt and tie.

"See, man?" muttered the larger one, nudging his short friend. " _Told_ ya it was her..."

"Wh...-?" Jane managed. They both dramatically saluted to her before she could say more, and announced their code names.

"Pipsqueak!"  
"The Duke!"

"Reporting for duty, Miss Smellerbee!" they said in unison. Thankfully, they were intelligent enough to keep their tones to normal speaking levels given the fact that they were tucked in a corner of a crowded cafeteria during lunchtime.

Jane whirled her head back around, eyes flustered, freckled cheeks flushed. Sokka and Katara gave her the same puzzled glance like two siblings, indeed - nearly like twins.

"Uhhh..." Jane scrambled out of her seat. "I'll be...back in a sec," she declared, nodding her head for the two boys to follow her. She led them against the giant windowpane that opened up across the rear of the cafeteria, forming the front of the ACC's second floor. "What are you guys doing?" she whispered to them.

"Oh, well, Miss Smellerbee," the blond boy explained in his confident and proper tone, "We simply saw you across the way and saw fit to-"

"Could ya drop the 'Miss?'" Smellerbee demanded with a low voice, slapping herself on the forehead. "Guys, ya can't just go around being all open about our organization like this...You need to keep it on the DL, all right?"

"Oh..."  
" _Ohhhhh._ "

"Whaddya want, anyway?" she asked irritably.

"W-we just wanted...to say hi," Pipsqueak mumbled, his enormous thumbs twiddling.

"Yes, just a simple greeting," The Duke agreed.

Smellerbee sighed at their pathetic pleading faces and shrugged, running her hand from her head up over her hair.

"Well... _Hi,_ " she said simply. "I'm kinda busy at the moment."

"Who are those guys?" wondered Pipsqueak.

"A re they other members?" inquired The Duke.

"No-no," Smellerbee quickly dismissed the theory. "They're just...-" She paused, contemplating the word that immediately came to mind as she saw Toph and her boyfriend sit down. The word seemed accurate enough, at least concerning the females at the table. "-...my friends. And I've got a class coming up," she began, heading back to her table, "So I really oughtta eat. But, uh..." She wiggled her hand around hurriedly as she reached her chair, the two young men on her tail. "I'll see you guys Friday night, eh?"

"Yes, Sir!"  
"Yes, Ma'am!"  
"...I mean, Ma'am!"

Off they scurried away, and Smellerbee groaned as she flopped into her chair.

"Who were they?" Katara asked sharply as Toph had her hands guided to the objects before her.

"O-oh, they're...They're the-"

"Fresh meat?" Katara snipped with that polite but demeaning way she occasionally would. Jane had quickly grown to recognize it - that tone Katara used when she was disappointed with you. She was quoting the very words that had been used to describe the two very souls in question a while back at the meeting Katara had happened to witness.

"Members of your little club, huh?" Sokka guessed, his tone also put-off.

"You could say that," Jane grumbled defensively, staring down at her plate with a bit of a frown.

"So, what year are you, again?" Aang asked, cutting through the tension that had surfaced.

"Junior," Jane replied, already liking this 'Aang' kid and his seeming knack for avoiding tension. "Biology Major."

"What do you wanna do with that?" Aang continued his questioning, taking a sip of his fruit punch.

Jane shrugged, her head sunken into her shoulders as she hunched over her meal. At last, she chewed on a spoonful of mac and cheese.

"I wanna be in the military," she explained.

"Yea," Toph cheered. "She's gonna kick all _kinds_ of ass."

"Wow," Aang murmured. He ate some of his lima beans and stared at her for a moment. "Why do you wanna do _that_?"

_This guy's just full of questions, huh? Better than putting me down, I guess..._

"Er, I...I just want to be put to good use..." Now that she was thinking about it, it was hard to explain why she had made this decision. "I want to fight for my country?" She was aware she came off as uncertain. "I dunno...It just gives me something to work at."

"I thought it was just for the ass-kicking," Toph mumbled, somewhat disappointed, it seemed.

"That's part of it. Totally," Jane insisted.

"So you're in training, then?" Sokka theorized.

"Yea." Jane nodded, passing it off like no big deal. "Keeps me in shape." Sokka nodded back at her, and she could tell from his expression that she had just earned some respect points.

"K at told me that you're...what? History?"

"Yep. And before ya ask: no, I have no idea what to do with it, either," Sokka jumped the gun. He glanced to his sister as she slurped on some alfredo pasta. "Katara thinks I should try and get into teaching or something, like she is. _Ha._ Like I have the patience for _that_." He grinned and shook his head.

"I still can't believe you're going to _teach_ people, Kat," Jane mused. "I feel like you're a little too short tempered for that kinda thing."

"What? I-I'm not _that_ short tempered," Katara defended herself, getting a bit more flustered than Jane had intended to make her.

"Ya kinda are," Sokka confessed.

"I am when you're _twenty-two_ and you act like you're _twelve_ ," Katara picked. "But if I'm dealing with teenagers, I think I can manage."

"Why do I feel like they'd be _worse_ than twelve year-olds?" Aang pondered. Jane had quickly noticed the cute hint of a lisp Aang's voice carried that Toph had specifically pointed out to her. She could see how Toph found it so be so endearing.

"Good luck, Katara," Toph wished with a chuckle. "Either way, you're screwed."

"Gee, thanks." Smiling, Katara rolled her eyes as she twisted her pasta around her fork.

"You're an art major, right, Aang?" Jane checked.

"Sure am."

"Soooo, what kind of art?"

"I draw a lot. I don't really paint much, though. But I'll take my drawings and then add stuff to 'em on a computer."

"Mixed media sorta stuff," Toph clarified.

"He's got this thing for mashing animals together," Sokka added.

"Wha?" Jane was confused.

Aang's eyes curved upward and he sighed with an almost embarrassed shrug.

"I like combining animals into new ones. Liiiike a Playtpus-Bear. Or a Boar-Q-Pine."

Jane raised an amused eyebrow, her chin in her hand, elbow on the table. "That sounds like it'd either be super wicked or butt fugly."

"It is," Sokka commented. "Both." Aang shot him a jovial glare and the two smirked at each other.

"I-am-a-muse-ick-may-jore!" Toph blurted with an almost robotic excitement.

"Uhhh, yea," Jane chortled, bobbing her head up and down. "I already _knew_ that."

"What instruments do I play, then?" Toph quaintly demanded before munching into a baby carrot.

"Er..." Jane scrounged about her memory banks but couldn't come up with a confident answer. She must have never specifically discussed it, but she knew Toph played piano since there was a keyboard tucked in their room below Toph's bed. "Piano?"

"Uh- _huh_ ," Toph conceded, but obviously expecting more.

"Um..." Jane shook her head and shrugged. "I dunno. You play more?"

" _Hells yea,_ I play more," Toph bragged, thumbing herself in the sternum. "I dabble in a bunch of stuff. But my heart belongs to the guitar."

"You play guitar?" Jane was a bit baffled. She had no idea - she had just assumed that Toph was a stereotypical case of Asian Pianist Master.

"You didn't know?" Katara seemed just as surprised. "Don't _you_ play guitar?"

Jane shook her head and crossed her arms. Katara must have seen her instrument in her room at some point and assumed it was a guitar.

"Uhhh _no,_ " she clarified. "I play _bass,_ which is way cooler."

" _What?_ " Toph snapped, appalled by the notion. "How the hell is bass cooler?"

"Bass is the backbone," Jane noted to the group with a raised index.

"Guitar is the freakin' _soul_ ," Toph countered.

"What are drums, then?" Sokka interjected their disagreement.

"The heart," said Jane.  
"The stomach," said Toph. There was a moment of befuddled silence before Toph, keenly aware that all eyes were on her, explained, "'Cuz it...digests the notes." It made about as much sense as expected.

"'Cuz...-" Sokka slowly began, picking up where he left off. "Suki plays drums."

" _Really_?" Katara spat out, astonished. Clearly this must not have been expected. "Since _when_?"

"Since she transferred," Sokka elaborated, just as bemused as his sister. "She used to play drums in high school, apparently, but kinda dropped it when she came to SRU. She was just tellin' me that she's been picking it back up again this summer."

"Hey-hey-hey," Toph cried, flailing her hands about. "You guys are stealin' my thunder here! _I'm_ the music person." Aang rubbed her on the arm and patronized her as she crunched bitterly on another carrot.

"Yes you _are_."

Toph stuck her tongue out in reply and slapped him on the back appreciatively. Her expression suddenly went stark.

"Frick, what time is it?" she wondered.

"About 12:55," Katara informed per a glance at her phone.

"I gotta go soon, Twinkle-Toes," Toph informed.

"I know," Aang acknowledged. "I'll finish up quick." Aang proceeded to dive into his salad like a swimming pool.

"Come to think of it, where _is_ this Suki chick?" Jane wondered.

"She has to eat lunch later today," Sokka explained. "You can probably meet her soon, though. She's been hanging out with us a lot lately, too."

"We're being over taken by _girls_ ," Aang wailed.

"What are _you_ complaining about?" Sokka laughed. "Have I taught you _nothing?_ " He raised his fist and grimaced. "In mixed company, there should always be a higher ratio of girls than guys."

" _Here_ we go," Katara sighed. She glanced at Jane as she rose from her chair. "C'mon, let's change the ratio up, huh?"

"Oh, uh..." Jane peered at her barely touched plate. "Sure." She scooped up her tray. She could care less, anyway. Wasn't like she had put much on her plate. She grabbed her coffee mug and guzzled down her barely warm drink.

"Oh," Katara spurted suddenly. "You hardly ate anything," she observed.

"Ehhh, not hungry, I guess," Jane dismissed, slapping her empty mug onto the tray.

"Wait, you guys are leavin' me here?" Sokka accused, his tray more clean than any of the rest.

"Places to be, Meat Head," Toph excused as she wound her arm across Aang's.

"Fine." Sokka trimphently began his march back to the food counters. "I'll just get seconds to keep me company."

"See ya later, Sokka," Aang called, stacking Toph's plate and silverware onto his own and compacting his tray over hers. He grabbed the dirty dishes in both hands and carefully weaved his way over to follow Katara and Jane to the dish-washing belt.

"So are we gonna do anything tonight?" Aang asked Katara.

"Ummm..." Katara's eyes rolled around as she considered the question. "Shhhhure?" was her slow, uncertain reply. "Let's meet in the AAC at 8. Sound good?"

Aang nodded and Toph gave a reciprocative, "Sounds good."

"Cool. Have a good one." Aang waved them off, leading Toph down the staircase to the main lobby.

"Peace." Toph wiggled her hand above her shoulder.

Katara grabbed a Kiwi from the fruit section on her way out, and Jane trailed along behind her.

"Ya know, you're invited to come, too," Katara advised. Jane's head fell into her shoulders and she nodded.

"Yea. We'll see," she mumbled.

"You could bring your boyfriend if you want," Katara followed up.

"'Kay." Jane shrugged as she recalled her responsibilities for the evening. "I dunno, though - we've got work to take care of tonight. Wednesdays are always busy for us."

"Ah." Katara nodded, and Jane could detect a tinge of disapproval. "Well, whatever happens...Offer's open," she insisted, regaining her composure.

Jane meekly nodded, her mind whirling from what had just happened - she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten a meal in the cafeteria with a group like that. They seemed nice enough - aside from the whole 'Freedom Fighters' thing she couldn't detect a hint of hostility. And that wasn't personal, anyway. Of course, they didn't _know_ what Katara did...

"See?" Katara squeezed her shoulder and flashed a smile. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" She retrieved her backpack from under the stairs amongst the small field of bags.

Jane shook her head, hands dug deep into her cargo pants still baffled by the simplicity of it all.

"I've got a class to get to, but I'll see you tonight."

"'Kay. Later."

Katara headed off on her way out of the ACC, and Jane retrieved her math textbook from the floor beside where Katara's pack had been resting. She threw herself onto one of the couches in a corner of the lobby and cracked open her book to refresh herself on the concepts from the class prior.

_That was all right, I guess. Now I kinda know how Kat's been feeling, bouncing between two worlds like this. Not that I have a choice like she did. It's like they all just...say what's on their mind. Like it's so simple._

* * *

\- Thursday, September 9th -

" _Agh_ ," Toph groaned to herself, slapping her hands into her lap in frustration. She kept losing her concentration and fumbling things up, meaning she'd have to scan her fingers across the bumps on the page before her, try and memorize it again, and go back at it. She was confident that her fingers could perform what they needed to, she just was having an off day. There was no other explanation - she was practically a virtuoso, she was sure. The week as a whole had been starting to weigh on her, as her friends had all been noticeably busier than the weeks prior. This meant a lack of social interaction , which meant a lack of Toph feeling in a good mood. Isolated in the practice room she took as her own, she had been hammering away at this piano piece for the past hour or so and simply wasn't making enough headway on it for her liking. It didn't help that it was a song that had been assigned to her - not one she had chosen herself.

It was a Thursday night, and Thursdays were when the group often broke off deliberately to get work done before the weekend. For Toph, this essentially meant practicing her music performance. But that didn't seem to be going too well at the moment, she decided to do something to help clear her mind. She reached inside her hoodie pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She slid her fingers across the key, pressed the familiar shortcut, and punched in the large button on the upper left. It began to hum as she raised it to her ear, tapping her feet impatiently.

["Hello?"]

"Hey, Twinkle Toes."

["What's goin' on Cubbie Bear?"]

"Ulgh," Toph reacted, as if to vomit.

["Oh! _Oh!_ Did I do it? _Cubbie Bear?_ "]

"Nope," Toph grunted. "Nnnope. But that one's pretty bad."

["Dangit."]

"What're ya up to, ya loser?"

["I'm in the art studio working on a project."]

"I see."

["Why? What's up? Did you need something?"]

"Not _really,_ I'm just...bored. Can't seem to get this song right."

["Whhhaaaat? _Toph Beifong,_ having difficulty with music?"]

"Shuddup."

["Hee. Just an off night, huh?"]

"Guess _so._ "

["Try listening to something else for a while."]

"Huh?"

["Take your iPod and listen to something completely different, then try it again."]

"Hm. Shhhhure. I guess that couldn't hurt."

["Yea. See if that helps."]

"Thanks."

["Sorry, I'm actually kinda busy, so I should probably go."]

"O-Oh, OK. Yea, all right."

["But I love you, Toph."]

"Yea." She put on a mischievous grin. "I know."

[" _Hey_..."]

"I love you, too, Aang," she snickered out, running her hand through her bangs.

["Bye."]

"Bye..."

She let him hang up the phone before closing it and stuffing it back into her hoodie. She took a deep breath and ran her fingertips across the keys before leaning over to the side and grabbing her leather bag. The bag had been a gift from her parents for her college career, and while she wasn't too keen on her parents, she couldn't deny the quality of the bag - during the course of the spring semester, Aang had been giving her various pins and buttons to stick to it. They weren't just standard pins, they were oddly shaped or textured. She dug in and felt around until the smooth, metallic rectangle touched her hand. She pulled it out and slipped the buds into her ears. She pressed a button and off the music went, streaming through her brain.

[~"It's been a hard day's night."~"And I've been workin' like a dog."~"It's been a hard day's night."~"I should be sleepin' like a log."~]

* * *

\- December, 2009 -

She edged her way along the sidewalk, sweeping her cane back and forth as she headed back to the House of Terra after a flawless stint of piano practice. It was utterly infuriating that her dorm was on the complete opposite side of campus as the Music Building, but she had memorized the path at this point. She knew where she was right now: the long stretch of sidewalk that ran across campus between the ACC and the entrance parking lot.

"Haha, yea! I'll see you guys later, then."

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. It was that same voice from days before.

 _"Like I told you: I want to be your friend." "I don't know. I just_ do _. That isn't good enough for you?"_

She had backhanded him with her words and had found herself regretting it the next day. She had spent the days since carrying out her routine as usual, trying desperately to ignore the gaping holes in her life, hoping that this weird kid that had inexplicably sought her out would return and that she could try again.

"Aang?" she called out, his name something she had taken to memory. "Aang Leekpai?"

"Huh?" The boy sounded like he was crossing her path about twenty feet away. She turned to face the voice and tried waving her hand.

"Aang," she called. "Is that you?"

"Y-yea, it's...It's me," he replied, confused, his voice closer as his footsteps carried him toward her.

"Heh..." She could feel her face heating up with embarrassment at their awkward situation. "Hi, uh...It's Toph. That girl from the music building?"

"Yea." Aang acknowledged with a hint of disdain. It was warranted, she supposed.

"So, umm..." She coughed, her insides gurgling with discomfort. "I'm...kinda sorry about before."

"Oh." She could hear some nervous shuffling. Maybe his bag? "Yea...It's OK." His tone had softened.

"No, really, I...-" She paused, frustrated with herself. Should she be straight? She hated being straight when the subject was _herself_. But given the circumstances, she was feeling desperate, whether she'd admit it or not. "It's just that...I-I don't really get out much, and I kinda keep to myself."

"That's what I've heard."

_What you've heard? What the hell? Who the fuck has been talking about me? Urgh. OK, OK. That's not important right now..._

"Honestly, I'm not usually very friendly to _begin_ with, and I was having a sucky day." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I've been thinking about what you said."

"About...hanging out with my friends?"

"Yea. I...Well, I, um..." She tapped her cane against the ground a few times, her head bobbed low. She didn't want to admit it, she didn't want to let her wall crumble, but something about this boy was easing her to do so. "I don't really _have_ any friends...Ya know?"

There was a moment of silence in which Toph took a shaky breath, containing her suppressed doubts and anger and fear as best she could.

"Not any friends here at SRU, huh?" Aang sympathized.

"No," Toph corrected. She drummed her fingers across her cane. "N-not... _any._ In general. Not anymore."

" _Oh._ " The boy seemed taken aback. "I...I thought you came from a rich family?"

_How does he know this stuff about me? What is he, a stalker?_

"Wh-...Yea, that's _true,_ but..." She frowned, perfectly comfortable being blunt about her family. "My folks are stuck-up and controlling. I was home-schooled. The only kids I ever met with cousins, or-or other kids from other stuck-up families. My fucking parents think that because I'm blind I need to be...to be _protected_ all the God damn time, so it's not like I was ever able to get out much and meet anybody." Toph had admittedly found ways to function as a social being through her own means behind her parents' backs, and some of the servants at their home had been kind to her, but Toph had never found any genuine connections with her peers that could be depended upon, so she'd learned to depend on herself.

 _I did have_ one _friend...But she's gone now._

"Gosh. I'm sorry." The boy placed his hand on her shoulder, and she flinched, shocked by the contact. His hand didn't come back, though she found herself wishing it would in retrospect. When was the last time someone _touched_ her? Not just guided her out of obligation, but...just made a friendly gesture like that? This 'Aang' boy seemed awfully concerned about her well being. _Why?_

"N o, no...Not your fault," Toph sputtered. "Could I...Could I ask you something?"

_Please please please. Let this all be true._

"Er, yea. Go ahead." This all seemed so nonchalant to him. Pff, yea, no big deal, just randomly talking to a stranger and touching her and trying to invite her to hang out with you like it was nothing.

"I know I asked you this before, but, like...Why _me_? Why did you bother-...I-I mean, _approach_ me? In the first place?"

"Hm." He paused to reflect, as if he himself didn't quite know. "I'm...not really sure. I guess I'd say it was like a sixth sense sorta thing."

"Huh?"

"You know - like my gut told me to. Or something. You ever get that?"

_What? That's it? This doesn't make any sense._

"Ummm...Can't say that I do," she skeptically decided.

"Ah. Hm. Er, well...guess I can't really explain it, then, it's...I dunno, it doesn't really make any sense."

 _Oh, great. It doesn't make any sense to_ him?

"W hat? Like you had a _vision_ or some bullshit?"

"Heh...A-actually, something like that..."

" _Rrrrreally?_ " she muttered, even more weirded out.

"Do you want the truth?"

_Ech. This sounds creepy._

"Sure...?"

"A few weeks ago I had a dream," the boy began. He sighed and she could hear him fidgeting around. "I had this dream where this girl was playing a piano. I don't remember what song was, or what the girl looked like. She'd play her piano, and when she was done, she would smile at me and laugh. And then I had this...this dream again. And _again._ Like, every other night for a week. B ut then my friend, she asked me to come to a recital with her. I had no idea who was playing or what, but I said, 'OK, let's go.' And I mean, like, other people played the piano there, right? But when _you_ played the piano...I dunno. It reminded me of my dream."

_Oooookay, then. This sounds just a little bit kooky._

"Sooo...What? You think it was, like, a _holy sign_ or something?"

"I don't know, OK?" Aang insisted, getting defensive.

 _Whoa, watch yourself, Toph. You wanna scare him off, again? This kid actually_ gives a shit _about you. So what if he's a little...odd? Beggars can't be choosers. Not that I'm a beggar. Hmph._

"A ll right, all right," Toph huffed, rapping her sandaled foot impatiently. "Well, _whatever_ it was...here I am. I don't know if _God_ in all his _infinite wisdom_ has some...some _plan_ or whatever. But you're the first fucking person on this whole campus who's actually gone out of their way to try and make friends with me. I'll give ya that."

"Does...does that mean you wanna be friends?"

"That-...Um...I-...Sure? Yea. OK."

_Blaaaagh. Having some tongue trouble, huh? Must be shocked by the whole...simplicity of the thing._

"All right, then!" Aang eagerly grabbed her hand, and when she squeezed back, he shook vigorously. "F riends."

"Ummm...W-well, we're not _friends_ yet," Toph clarified with a toothy tease. "You have to _make_ those. But if you're gonna stalk me I might as _well_ give it a try."

_Wait. Aw, fuck. That probably came across as kind of assholic, huh? Damnit. I'm just tryin' to be funny..._

"Haha...Careful, you might get stuck with me," Aang warned her.

"Heh, I'm kinda tough to stick onto," Toph insisted. "But you're welcome to try."

 _Shit. OK,_ that _didn't sound inappropriate_ at all... _God, what's my problem?_

"H ow about I introduce you to my friends some time?"

"Oh...Totally, that's...probably a good plan. How about tomorrow?"

"That should be fine. What time?"

"Seven? Eight?"

"Eight would be good."

"Eight. Cool."

"Come meet us in the ACC."

"Yea. You got it."

"We'll be on the first floor - just show up, we'll find you."

"Yep. It's a plan."

"Great."

"Sweet."

"So, uh...Have a good night, then, Toph!"

"Yea, you, too, Aang."

As his footsteps faded, Toph realized that her heart had been doing extra duty by the end of their conversation. Flustered by what actually seemed like a successful social interaction with a _real life person_ right in front of her, Toph carried on her way back to Terra, her mind whirling with possibilities. What would his friends be like? What was _he_ like? She had so little to work with, here. But in that moment, this didn't matter. What mattered was that some random stranger gave a shit about her, and not because she was blind. Whatever the motivation was, she had been a jerk to him for no good reason and he had let it roll off as soon as she'd approached him . What kind of person was this 'Aang' kid? Going out of his way to make friends for practically no purpose? She wanted to believe that there _was_ no purpose, that a person like this could actually exist.

* * *

\- Thursday, September 9th, 2010 -

"Hey, Katara."

"Hi, Toph. How was practice?"

"Bleh. I got the basics down by the end, but God _damn_ , I just wasn't in the zone tonight."

"Heh, I _hear_ you. Me, neither. Today was...stupid."

"It's almost the weekend, though, right?"

" True. Hey, have you seen Jane at all today?"

"Uh, _well,_ given the whole _blind_ thing, I-"

"Er, _sorry_ , I meant-"

"B aha, it's cool, Katara, I'm just messin' with ya."

"Hm. Why do I feel like that's always going to be the case?"

"Hee. I'm a crazy one. You gotta keep your eye on me 'cuz I can't do it myself. Oh, but, no, I haven't run into Jane at all."

"Huh."

"Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I just...Found it odd that she never showed up last night, is all."

"Meh, you shouldn't worry so much. I think she's just got a lot of crap on her plate. Trust me, speaking as a fellow crazy person, ya gotta let people like us find our way in. Remember how it was with me?"

"Yea. _Yea,_ you're right."

" _Obviously_. Damn, don't act so surprised."

"Haha, oh, _sorry._ Hey, are you heading to bed?"

"Yea, I'm freakin' _dead_ ."

"Guess I should, too..."

"Night, then."

"N ight."


	11. Comfort Zone

\- Sunday, September 12th, 2010 -

"Why don't you do something with the other guys?"

["Oh. Because Toph and Aang had the same idea that you did. Ha."]

"Ah...Well, I'm sorry, Sis, but Suki and I haven't really spent a lot of time alone yet and she keeps trying to get me to go along with it...and...-"

["No, no! I understand. You really should, Sokka..."]

_Bah. Like I'm some pity case or something. Urgh. Is my situation really that pathetic?_

["When I see you with her, you seem happy."]

"I...I guess..."

["Sokka, seriously. It's no big deal. I'll be _fine_. I want you to have a good night, Brother."]

"Yea. I'll try. Thanks, Sis."

["Love you."]

"You, too."

[ _Beep._ ]

[From: Suki]  
[hey, i'm on my way. i'll come up to your room.  ]  
[Sent: 6:34pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Suki]  
[Sounds good. I'll be here.]  
[Sent: 6:41pm]

Sokka flopped back in his chair and sighed deeply, a blank stare glued to his ceiling. It wasn't like he had never spent time alone with Suki Kyoshi, or gone out on a date with her. But things had been very different back then. Much simpler, at least. Boy meets girl. Girl moves away. Boy meets other girl. Other girl dies horrible death. Boy meets first girl again. Awkward.

A sharp knock - one, two - stirred Sokka from his introspective confusion. He answered the door to find Suki, as expected. She was dressed in a more formal outfit than her usual: a thin, fuzzy sweater of pine green and black slacks. Business or pleasure, either worked here. She flashed him a coy smirk and slapped his shoulder.

" _So,_ we ready for the evening?" she asked him with eager vigor.

"Yep." Sokka straightened the collar on his maroon dress shirt and ensured that the laces on his loafers were tight. His hands were surprisingly difficult to maintain in this endeavor but he didn't let on. He checked his pockets for his wallet, room key, and cell phone. "Off we go, then," Sokka decreed, sliding out into the hall and locking the door behind him.

* * *

"You could have a missed call from your parents."

"Don't care."

"They left you a voicemail."

"Whatevs."

"But...But Toph, what if it's, like, an emergency or something?"

" _Baha!_ Twinkle-Toes, with my parents, _everything_ is an emergency."

"Hm. Good point."

"But that's it?"

"That's it. No other messages."

"'Kay." Toph sniffed, accepting her phone back and setting it on the corner of her desk.

Aang lifted her arms as she squirmed herself into a more comfortable position, her head against his chest. They were resting on her bed after a chilly walk across campus. Toph's nose was still a bit runny from the cold weather, but they had been inside long enough for their hands to have warmed back up. Lying on his back, her head against his chest, her chest against his stomach, he scratched at her back slowly. Enjoying a simple moment of quiet intimacy, he ran his fingers across the ripples in her sweatshirt's fabric.

He smiled as Toph breathed out a peaceful, relaxed sigh. Sometimes he wondered if he was the only one who ever heard that sound - it sure seemed like it. He had never felt this comfortable with so much physical proximity with any other person before...Well, not anyone that was _female,_ at least. He and some of the men of Aero could get pretty physical, but that was _quite_ different, and usually involved humor or sloppy wrestling.

Aang's mind was drawn to the stubby hand that was pressing itself against his left pectoral, Toph's head resting on his right. She seemed to like doing that - massaging his chest - and he certainly did not mind in the slightest. The weight on the bed shifted as Toph inched her way upward until her face met Aang's neck. She rubbed her nose against him twice before kissing him. That was Toph's 'signal.' Two nose rubs and a kiss: that meant she was in a cuddling mood.

Over the course of the three or four months they had spent together dating during the previous school year, Aang had come to understand that with Toph, it was important to pay attention to these little things. She kind of spoke in her own language - one of touches and sounds. Aang often wondered if Toph herself even realized many of these things.

A string of slow, gentle kisses were placed across Aang's neck, and he rubbed his hands over Toph's hips as she did so, his fingers hovering atop the waistline of her sweatpants. He soaked in her affection, savoring the scent of her hair, until at last her lips found their way to his. Short, slow kisses rapidly evolved into forceful and fast ones. Aang's body tightened as Toph pressed herself down on him, but he kept his hands attached to her hips, cautious to not let them drop any further, while her own rubbed against the back of his head, her thumbs hugging his ears. The slimy surface of Toph's sharp tongue squirmed its way-

"Uhh...?"

Their mouths ripped apart and Toph flipped her abdomen off of Aang's, a _thud_ indicating her heel ramming the wall behind her, a whispered " _Fuck!_ " thereafter.

"H-hey, Katara," Toph sheepishly spat out. Aang knew he was likely blushing, but was too busy appreciating Toph's now bright red cheeks to consider his own. "I, uh...I didn't know-"

[ _(comic by reader PochiMochi)_ ](http://pochimochi.deviantart.com/art/Ohai-thar-219986269)

"It's OK, guys."

Katara giggled, closing the bedroom door behind her. She wore a toothy grin as she peeled off her denim jacket and hung it on the doorknob.

"I didn't know you were planning on coming back here," she explained. "I could've stayed out longer, ya know."

"W-well, no, it's, um..." Toph briskly wiped saliva from her lips. "It's fine, I just assumed...you'd be off doing somethin'. And stuff. We shoulda...Shoulda prolly called you, huh?"

Katara gave Aang a knowing glance and a smirk as Toph said this.

"It's _fine,_ Hun," she said. "Do you guys...need some time alone?" she asked with a sneaky tone.

"No, it's OK," Aang insisted, easing out his palm. "We were just...-"

"I know," Katara assured, stroking sympathy across the room with every word she spoke. "We're all big kids here, guys."

This marked the first time Katara had bumped into them when they thought they were alone and were up to this particular brand of mischief. At least she was understanding. Sokka would've probably had a baby tantrum and exaggerated the matter had the same thing transpired in their own room in Aero instead.

" _Baha,_ maybe _you_ two are big kids," Toph joked.

"Yea, Katara," Aang chimed in, ruffling Toph's bangs. "She's pretty childish."

"You don't have to _live with her_ ," Katara pointed out, sliding into her desk chair and flipping open her laptop.

"I'm a terror," Toph agreed, sticking her head back on Aang's chest, as they had been originally.

"So how come you're back early?" Aang wondered.

"Yea, you told me you were gonna be out late," Toph recalled.

"Oh, right." Katara stared at her bootup screen, undoing the ponytail in her bushy hair. "Well, Sokka has the car, so I'm stuck on campus tonight. I was gonna hang out with Jane, but...she got called out to go do stuff for _Jet_." Her tone had withered into one of bitter disgust by the end of the sentence.

"Why does she still hang out with those people if she doesn't like them?" Aang inquired, remembering a rant Katara had shared to him about the situation a couple of days prior.

"Yea, I don't get that, either, Toph seconded the notion.

Katara sighed, covering her mouth with her palm as she dwelled on the thought.

"She told me that she can't just leave," was her explanation, clearly not much more informed than they were. Katara's head rapidly shook left and right a couple times and she clicked at her laptop. "Like if she did, something bad would happen."

"Sounds like a _great_ bunch," jabbed Toph's sarcasm.

"She won't tell me a thing about it," Katara explained, "So I just dropped it. It's probably best if we all tried not to talk about it when she's around...I think it bugs her."

That much had been obvious enough to Aang based on their initial group gathering with her at lunch not too long ago.

"That's OK," he assured. "She seems like she's been through a lot. You really care about her, huh?"

Katara's eyes found their way to his, and he saw a spark of anger hiding beneath a thick layer of sympathy.

"Yea, I do."

"I like her," Toph threw in with a more casual approach.

"Then I'm sure me and Sokka will, too," decided Aang, giving Katara a promising smile. She nodded to him and went back to her computer. "Soooo, did we want to do anything tonight?" A couple of "dunno" tones bounced back at him and he shrugged. "Can we just...Listen to some music, then, or something?"

"Sure." Some slow alternative rock flowed from Katara's speakers.

"Meh, these guys are OK," Toph scoffed, running her hand across Aang's stomach in slow, soothing motions. He moved his thumb up and down across her arm in return.

"If you want to play _your_ music, Toph, go right ahead," Katara offered, amused at her roommate's implied criticism.

"Nah, I'm too lazy," Toph replied. "Just don't put on anything I hate and we'll be good."

"OK, then," chuckled Katara, carrying about her business on her computer.

Aang's eyes wandered across the room to the door. Attached to its surface above Katara's coat on the door handle was a drawing of a willow tree on a hill with stars hanging from its branches. Aang felt his insides beaming with pride at the fact that his gesture seemed to have been appreciated. This made his mind wander to the fact that Katara had seemed to have awful luck with her first college boyfriend. It hadn't been a 'he's a nice guy but it's not going to work,' it had just been...her giving a chance to someone far outside of what Aang assumed to be her comfort zone. At least he had lucked out somehow with _this_ one at his side. She'd been letting them take their time, this whole 'dating' thing being a first for them both. As the music played on and Toph's body stilled itself, Aang's memory played out his first kiss.

It had been in February of that year, a couple of weeks after they had decided to start dating. The cold winter air had been particularly brisk that day, but Toph had insisted on going outside, anyway. Bundled in winter coats, they had journeyed a complete lap around The Ring, Toph's hand wedged inside his roomy pocket. He had been wearing mittens, but she wore those mittens that had the top that velcroed off, turning them into fingerless gloves. She flat-out refused to wear any other kind of winter apparel on her hands. At least she was generally wise enough to wear boots in this weather - though Aang had definitely spotted her outside in the cold with her sandalls on once or twice. Insane girl.

After rounding The Ring Toph had asked if there was any place they could sit down. On their way back to the House of Terra, Aang spotted a park bench by the sidewalk, so they took a break. At first Aang had found this confusing - sitting down in the bitter cold.

"W-why are we sitting out here in the snow?" he asked after a few moments of silence, their sides smashed together, both bodies trembling.

"J-just b-because," Toph shivered back.

"Because wh-what?"

Toph snickered through chattering teeth and squeezed Aang through his puffy, feather-down coat.

"I f-felt like k-kissing you," she bluntly explained, taking the tops off of her mittens and grasping at his face with bare fingers. They were icey to the touch as they contacted his jaw after fumbling around his hood.

"Oh." He could feel his face warming up despite a runny nose. "W-well, that's-" Her hands tugged at his cheeks, twisting him to face her. Her teeth rattled and her hands quivered against his face. Before he could think of anything to do or say, paralyzed by the combination of cold and shock, her frozen nose bumped into his upper lip, then found its way up. She nuzzled her snout against his own twice before puckering her lips. Aang was startled, almost afraid of her blunt approach. When her icicle mouth pressed into his, Aang's own lips extended, as if by instinct, and they kissed for a couple of seconds before he slowly pulled away. She was smiling a very rare smile: eyes closed, mouth curved in an embarrassed satisfaction.

"See?" She dropped her hands down, flipping her mitten tops back on. "Painless." Toph's eyes were still closed, and she bit her lower lip, teeh showing. "A-and you were all n-n-nervous 'bout it..." she sniffled, and Aang wiped her runny, red nose with his own mitten. He had always known that whenever they _did_ kiss for the first time, it would be her that would initiate it. He'd been skittish about the matter but now he didn't know why he had been to begin with. After removing snot from her face, his mitten had somehow attached itself to her chin, and his face had inched its way toward her. They kissed again, another short and sweet touch. This seemed like something he could get used to. Toph stuffed her hands in her pockets and plopped her head on his shoulder, the furry edge of her hood tickling his cheek.

"Is she asleep?" Katara asked quietly, turning down the music on her computer. Aang blinked at her for a moment, perplexed. He glanced at the clock and realized that fifteen minutes had passed while he had been laying there, lost in thought. It was probably around eleven by now, and they had stayed up late the night prior. Aang glanced down at Toph's motionless body. He could feel her chest expanding and contracting into his right side. Based on the pattern, she seemed asleep.

"I think she is," he mumbled, unsure of what to do.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" Katara offered, getting up from her chair and traveling to her dresser.

"Wh-...?" Aang gasped out. He had slept at Toph's side before, but never in a bed, much less in a bedroom - only on a couple of camping excursions toward the end of the prior school year. "Is that...? You're OK with that?" He was a bit shocked at the idea.

"Aang," Katara laughed as she pulled out a set of pajamas speckled with penguins. "You're her boyfriend. I'm fine with it if _you_ are. Just...make sure she doesn't do anything naughty," she added with a raised eyebrow. "I _know_ how that girl is..." Aang nodded to her with a smirk as she went into the side bathroom to change. He retrieved his phone from beside Toph's on her desk and set his alarm so as to wake up for class the next morning. He was hitting bed early tonight, so he could always wake up early the next morning to run back to his room and change and gather his supplies for class.

[To: Sokka]  
[hey, im spendin the night at tophs. ill see you tomorrow. good luck!]  
[Sent: 11:12pm]

Katara came out of the bathroom with a lion's yawn, her arms stretching upward as she rose on her tip-toes. Aang's eyes were distracted by her curved copper stomach peeking out from under her shirt, but her arms fell back, setting the displaced fuzzy fabric back over it. He tore his glance away from her hips and up to her face as she shuffled her thick hair about, rubbing at her tired sapphire eyes.

"'Kay. I'm goin' to sleep now," she told him simply. He saw her eyes sparkle as she glanced at the two of them. "You guys are so cute," she complimented with a squinting smile, hands clasped before her. She shut off the light, casting the room into darkness save for the white glow of her laptop's screen. She snapped the device shut before throwing herself into bed and tossing her sheets over her. "Good night, Aang," she whispered. "Good night, Toph."

"Good night," Aang said back before kissing Toph on the head and relaxing himself into her pillow. Her light snoring was the lullaby that put him to sleep.

* * *

\- Monday, September 13th, 2010 -

Sokka gave his cell phone a glance: [12:34am]. Stopping by for a bite to eat after the movie had put their arrival back on campus a bit later than he would've liked, but Suki didn't seem to mind. She seemed like as much of a night owl as he was.

"So, uh...You want me to drop you off at Terra, or...-?"

"Well, your roommate's staying some place else, right? We could probably go hang out in your room for a while, don't you think?"

Sokka held in a nervous whimper. 'Hanging out' in his bedroom, alone, after midnight? What kinds of things did she have in mind? He was pretty certain he knew.

"Oh, er, well..." He swallowed hard, hands tight on the steering wheel. "I was, er...I was thinkin' of hitting the sack, ya know? Classes tomorrow, and all that."

"Yea." Suki nodded, glancing off out the side window. "Right. I mean, it _is_ pretty late, isn't it?"

"Yeeeeep. Sure is."

"For _most_ people," Suki added. "You usually stay up until two, three in the morning."

"Heh, w-well, some times, sure. But I mean, it's been a loooong weekend, and-"

"What are you so nervous about?" He could feel the heat from her glare on his face. She had dropped whatever niceties she'd been playing in favor of scathing, straight-forward conversation.

"I...W-w-whuh-?"

"First you're all excited to see me again and spend time together but lately it feels like you just want me to leave you alone," she observed with some irritation.

Sokka dared to give her a glance, and used the excuse of driving to immediately tear his eyes away from her scowl.

"Sorry," he squeaked out with a shrug. "This is just...I dunno. It's kinda weird."

"Weird?" Her tone had softened. At least she was going to hear him out.

"Yea." He took a slow breath, his heart pounding as her hand rubbed against his shoulder to comfort him. "Things just ended so suddenly, and then you were gone. Now that you're back, I can't just... _jump_ right back into it, ya know?"

"I'm not asking you to," Suki pointed out. "I'm not asking you to do _anything_. I'm just wanting to know what you want from...from _us._ From _this._ Do you _want_ us to try again?"

Sokka's stomach suddenly felt empty despite the fact that a recently chewed chicken sandwich was most definitely still sitting there digesting.

"I, uh...I want..." His fingers were drumming along the steering wheel fretfully as he considered this question.

"You're not sure," Suki noticed with a laugh. She slapped his leg a couple of times, shaking her head. "It's OK. I get it."

"It's not-...I just want what's best...-"

Just as Sokka's body leaked out some tension, he felt the old but familiar sensation of her lips against his cheek.

"Just a reminder," she teased.

"Heh, right," he murmured, focused on slowing down to pull into the small parking lot by Terra. "Gimme...some time to think about it," he requested, seriously pondering whether this shimmer of romantic interaction was within his comfort zone or not.

"Fair enough," Suki agreed. "I had a good time tonight, Sokka."

"I did, too," Sokka pushed out, eager to ensure she was aware of this.

"I'll see you soon, then." She opened the passenger door and hopped out, waving him goodbye.

"Yea, see you around."

* * *

The ringing of his phone jarred Aang from his sleep. He fumbled to switch it off, the weight of groggy, half-awake girlfriend making this task more difficult than he'd prefer.

"Ulllggghmmmmrrr..."

"Whuh?"

"Mfffllrrhhggmm."

"Oh...OK...?"

Toph's arm tightened around his waist, her fingers digging into his ribs. He could hear the sound of the shower running in the bathroom nearby. Toph hummed happily and yawned, pulling her hand down and sloppily sliding it underneath his shirt. Aang sucked in a sharp breath, surprised by the sudden contact of her cold fingertips tickling his stomach, but as he exhaled slowly, the sensation became relaxing. He kissed her on the forehead and she let slip a dreary "heee." She wrapped her legs around his right leg, clinging to half of his body as tightly as a sleepy person could. Aang knew he had to get up and get ready, but it was extremely hard to force himself to do this given the circumstances, and given how determined Toph seemed to keep him there. This all became even more true after the kissing began - this time working from his neck over to his ear. At some point or another, Toph had discovered that Aang's big ears were quite the weakness. He could feel his body numb from the pleasure. He'd reciprocate something but he was too enraptured by her hand and her lips paralyzing his senses.

"Gooood _morning_."

Aang's eyes popped open at the sound of Katara's voice, and he could feel Toph's mouth arc into a smile against his neck.

"Rizzmmfracka..." Toph grumbled, retracting her hand from beneath Aang's shirt. She gave him a pat on the thigh before detaching herself and rolling onto her back.

"Sorry I keep ruining your fun," Katara taunted, shaking her head with that same amused smile she had worn the night previously. She had a navy blue towel wrapped around her head and was walking in barefeet, a pair of black shorts and a gray T-shirt on. She pulled out a pair of socks from her dresser and fit them on.

"You little lovebirds sleep well?" she asked.

"Y-yea, slept like a log," Aang replied, surprised at how solidly he had slept. he couldn't recall waking a single time.

"Yehyoodid," Toph moaned, elbowing him slowly in the rib. "Didnhaffenneefunn."

"Hey," Katara snapped in jest. "I told him he could stay the night as long as you two behaved yourselves."

"Rrrrrrgh..." Toph huffed, scratching her head lazily.

"Don't you have a nine o'clock?" Katara checked, raising a brow to Aang. He nodded as he stretched out his legs. "You've got forty-five minutes," she advised.

"Nooooo," Toph whined, groping at his waist as he slid his legs out. Aang chuckled and grabbed her hand, planting a gentle kiss on it before standing up.

"You gonna have time for breakfast, Aang?" Katara wondered, squeezing her towel to dry out her hair.

"Probably," he answered, wiping crust from his eyes as he searched for his sneakers. He prodded Toph's leg with the back of his wrist. "Hey, you wanna join us for breakfast, Toph?"

"Mehhhh..." She puffed out a frustrated sigh that expressed her desire to stay in bed conflicting with a desire to eat.

"I'm just gonna change after my morning class," Aang explained, turning his attention to the more awake girl as she began to brush through her damp hair.

"Haha, all right, go ahead," Katara suggested, her eyes fixated on their mirror. "I don't think you've got enough to go back, change, _and_ catch breakfast - and getting some food in your system in the morning in important. But you _will_ change as soon as class is over, right?"

"I will," Aang promised, siiting himself down in Toph's chair.

"Well, OK," Katara concluded. "I don't want to be encouraging bad hygiene here by letting you stay the night."

"Izzit hash browns?" Toph managed out, her mind still on the idea of food.

"Yes, there's hash browns," Aang answered with a jokingly demeaning tone. "But you have to get up if you want any." He shook his head slowly as Toph laid on her bed, not budging an inch. "How do you get her up in the morning?" he asked of Katara.

" _Ha!_ " she blurted, running her fingers through her brushed hair. "I _don't._ I gave up on that by the end of the first week. It's not _my_ problem if she misses class."

"Class..." Toph growled. "It hazz _assss_ innit." She rolled onto her side, now facing the wall. Katara smirked slyly and wound her towel up. She snapped it gently into Toph's behind, eliciting a fidget of the rear and a swatting of the hand.

"Speaking of which, it's time you got _yours_ up and outta bed," Katara teased.

In that moment, Aang wished Sokka had been around to make some snide remark that he didn't have the wit to come up with. Then again, in that same moment, he also recognized what Sokka was getting at with his theory about gender ratios, but perhaps from a different angle than Sokka would've intended. He clasped his hand in Toph's and tugged, pulling her over onto her back. Katara teamed up with him and dragged Toph's legs to the edge of the bed, letting them fall over.

"Argh," was the only response they received.

"C'mon, Toph," Katara snipped with a more serious tone. "We haven't got a lot of time, Hun. Are you coming or not?"

"Coming," Toph mumbled through grit teeth, pushing herself up to a sitting position. She slogged over to her dresser as Aang checked his phone to see if he had left any notes regarding homework due that day. He couldn't recall anything...

" _Toph_ ," Katara squeaked, bounding to her side. "Aang's still _in the room_."

"Wh-?" Aang looked up to see Katara, arms spread out before his shirtless girlfriend's back. She shot him a tired glance and nodded her head to the door.

"Well, Goddammit, Twinkle-Toes," Toph roared dully. "Girlz tryin' ta change in here... _Geeeeezzz._ "

Aang hurried himself out of the room with a hasty "Sorry!" and shut the door behind him.

"It's not your fault," Katara laughed through the closed door. "Your girlfriend's just a zombie when she wakes up. That's all."

Aang smiled to himself, leaning against the door with his hands crossed over his stomach. The door straight ahead of him cracked open and a pair of drab, olive eyes with dark circles set between a mess of orange hair and a batch of freckles peered out at him before the crack in the door closed.

"Oh," she grunted, wiping her nose. "Hey, dude."

"Uhhh...Hey, Jane," Aang greeted back, tilting his head up at her before she closed the door. How were these girls so comfortable with him being here at this time of day? It was foreign to him.

"We'll be ready in a couple minutes," Katara advised. "You should go meet us in the front lobby."

"Yea, OK. See ya in a bit."

After he got to the main lounge area of the dorm, he pulled out his phone and decided to send his roommate a message.

[To: Sokka]  
[sooooo how did things go last night dude?]  
[Sent: 8:24am]

[From: Sokka]  
[They went well, but I'm super confused now about what to do.]  
[Sent: 8:26am]

Aang was surprised at the speed of his reply, especially given that he knew Sokka didn't have class on Monday until ten and usually squeezed every ounce of sleep he could out of his mornings. As the two favorite girls in his life strolled side-by-side to meet him, he put any concerns at the back of his mind and

"Ready for Monday?" he asked them. Katara shrugged her shoulder, swinging Toph's arm forward and back. Toph seemed more certain of her feelings.

"I can't believe you guys are making me eat breakfast on a _Monday._ "

"Breakfast is good for you," Katara explained.

"It's the most important meal of the day," she specified with confidence.  
" _It's the most important meal of the day_ ," Toph mocked in squawking voice.

"Once you have some hash browns in that mouth of yours," Aang theorized, "you'll feel better, Tater Face."

Toph's lips curled into an unwilling smile and she detached her arm from his, punching him in the shoulder sharply before rejoining.

"That nickname stuff is finally getting into that thick skull," she observed. "You gotta go with the details like that, Twinkle-Toes."


	12. Pessimistic

  
  
SRU - Freaky Odd by [Coffeekins](Coffeekinns.Deviantart.com)

* * *

\- Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 -

[Calling...]  
[ **Jet** ]

"God damnit, Jet," Jane growled, stuffing her phone back into her pine green vest. She kicked her boot into the sidewalk impatiently as she waited for the vibrating to stop. Where was her boyfriend? He was way late, which wasn't like him. The phone rattled against her side again.

[Calling...]  
[ **Jet** ]

"Argh, fuckin' eh," she huffed, tugging the phone back out in frustration and flipped it open. "What _is_ it, Jet?"

["Christ, it's about _time_ you picked up,"] Jet replied, his voice unnaturally panicked. ["Where the fuck _are_ you, Smellerbee?"]

Jane ground her teeth together, her boot tapping against the pavement.

_What am I, your damned slave?_

"I'm at school. Ya know: _school?_ The whole reason I'm _here?_ In the state of Pennsylvania?"

["Well, get your ass down to seventh street behind the seafood place. _Now._ "]

"What the _fuck_ , Jet?" Smellerbee snapped. "This is the third time in the past week, man. I can't be at your damn beck and call every day!"

["Just-!"] There was some shuffling and skidding sounds, and Jet called to the background. ["Whoa-whoa-whoa, Longshot, take it easy there, man."]

"Longshot's there?" Smellerbee inquired, perplexed. This explained why he wasn't _here_ with _her_ , but why hadn't he let her know what was going on?

["Listen, Smellerbee, this is fuckin' _important,_ OK? Just get _down here,_ please."] Not a terribly polite 'please', but the fact that Jet was using the word at all was a sign of urgency.

"What happened?" she firmly asked, piqued with concern.

["I'll explain when you get here. Just do it."]

[ _Beep._ ]

_Shit. This sounds bad...What the hell did you do this time, Jet?_

Jane shut the phone and drew a few rough, slow breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Suddenly her heart was thumping hard. She had an awful feeling, and more often than not, this particular gut reaction turned out to be correct.

* * *

"Why not, Sokka?"

"Why not? Wh-whaddya mean _why not?_ " Sokka's voice cracked, and he stared at the back of Aang's head in exasperation. Aang's body tilted to the left and his arms twisted, steering his white plastic wheel sharply to round a tight curve on the screen.

"I just think you're kinda freakin' out too much," Aang explained simply.

"A-pfff!" Sokka fizzed out. He spazzed out a response. "It-it-it's not moral! She...She _died_ , I can't just go...go _gallavanting_ about with other women all of a sudden, it's-"

"I thought it's been a couple years," Aang pointed out.

"Almost," Sokka sighed, rubbing his eyes, taking the pen out from its wedged position behind his ear and dropping it onto his desk.

"That's kind of a long time," murmured Aang. A thundercrack boomed from the TV and Aang growled as his car shrank to a tiny, toy-sized vehicle.

"It just doesn't _feel_ right," Sokka insisted.

"Sounds like it feels right to Suki, though, huh?"

Suki's sly mannerisms and suspicious smiles crept through Sokka's mind, invading the memories of his time with Yue.

"Are you gonna, like...not _be_ with anyone ever again?" Aang wondered, clearly rhetorically. Sokka scratched his stomach, leaning back in his chair, his sister's pleading words reverberating through his skull about how he needed to let things go and try to find happiness again.

"Noooo," Sokka slowly groaned in defeat. "It's not like that..."

"I feel like if Yue was as nice as you say she was, she'd want you to be happy," Aang concluded.

"My sister told you to say that," Sokka hypothesized with a smirk.

"Th-that doesn't make it any less true!" Aang spruted back, smattering banana peels onto the track as he drove by a pair of rivals.

"Yea, yea," conceded the tired roommate as he kicked off his loafers and yawned. "Made your point, Bud. I get it," he dismissed the matter with a tone of acknowledgment dashed with irritation.

"You think you're gonna give it a try, then?"

"Mmmmaybe."

A sneaky giggle came out of Aang as he launched a flash of blue into the air that sped off like a rocket. There an explosion and a flash of azure flames as Aang whizzed by to the finish line. A whirring whistle signified his victory and he pumped his fist in a small gesture.

"I think you should just go for it," Aang advised, turning around to meet his friend's gaze as the game tallied results.

"I, uh...I figured, there, Pal," chuckled Sokka. "I dunno how to deal with it, though. Like..." He flapped his wrists in a circle. "Like I wouldn't know what I was doing, and it'd be all awkward, and..."

Aang shrugged, clicking a button his steering wheel to let the game progress to its award ceremomy. "Let _her_ show you what to do." He showed Sokka a wide grin. "That's what I try. And that works out pretty OK for me."

[You got 1st place!]

"Yea," Sokka kicked one leg over the other, his black sock loose on his foot. "Suki's persistent, too. She ain't gonna leave it alone until I say 'no'."

"But you don't _wanna_ say 'no'. Heh."

"Hmph." Sokka nodded. "Pretty much."

* * *

Enveloped in the mystic melody of some intricate piano piece she had never heard, Katara typed away at her homework. Her roommate's keyboard painted a merry mood of notes while her own keystrokes analyzed an essay she had just finished reading.

The sound of a door closing trickled from across the hall, their room open. Katara paused her writing, intent on the sound. Nothing more came. She contemplated her next move before completing the sentence she was on and sliding out of her seat. A quick glance at Toph revealed a serene expression, her fingers like fairies prancing on flower petals to the calming, joyous tune they created.

Katara snuck over to the door across the hall, coffee mug clutched tightly in her hands. She was dressed in her penguin pajamas and matching penguin slippers - everyone was staying home that evening and she had felt like dressing cozy since she had no where to go. A fresh pot of coffee, a practicing musician, and a lot of reading and writing had been her company all evening - until now.

She knocked at the door three times and stood and waited for a moment that was unnaturally long. Jane was usually pretty quick to open her door, and Katara knew she had only just gotten in. She supposed it could have been Jane's roommate, instead, a quizzical girl whom she hardly saw, much less knew. She decided to knock again, calling out "Hello?" this time. Still no answer. She drummed her fingers on her mug and bit her lip. It had been days since she had spent any time with Jane and she hadn't been answering texts the way she normally did. Something was amiss. Since she had knocked and greeted, she felt she was within her bounds to open the door, given that it was unlocked.

As she had guessed, it had been Jane who'd entered the room. It was only about 11:30pm, and Jane's roommate never came in before midnight - at least, as far as Katara knew. Jane was curled in her bed, boots and vest still on. A pair of wide, pale eyes stared up at her for a moment. Katara's heart skipped a beat at the sight: shock and fear was dripping from those eyes, things Katara had never seen in Jane's face up until that evening. Neither girl said a word, they just locked eyes, exchanging doubt and concern. Katara took a warm sip from her mug and set it on Jane's desk corner before sitting on the bed in front of her friend's stomach.

" _Jane_...! What...-?" Katara mumbled, brushing back dishevled hair strands from her face.

"I'm tired," Jane answered dryly, her voice no less gravely than usual, her eyes wandering, struggling to retain their usual dull composure.

"I _see_ that." Katara noted, working a hand around one of Jane's. She squeezed tightly to say, ' _I am here._ ' Jane didn't squeeze back. "What's going on?" Katara quietly inquired.

"I had a long night," was the reply she received, spoken with the rehearsed nonchalance Katara had grown accustomed to hearing when Jane was, in actuality, upset about something. As Jane buried her face in her pillow, a sympathetic puff of air passed through Katara's nostrils like a confused laugh. There was dirt in Jane's matted hair, more messy than usual. Katara immediately recognized that this wasn't going anywhere and that whatever the problem was, she wasn't going to find out - not right now, anyway.

"I'm sorry," she offered, rubbing her thumb across Jane's bony wrist. "Guessing you don't want to talk about it." She retreated her hand and stood up on her slippers. Grabbing her mug, she noticed the music from just outside the door come to a stop before Toph began the song over again.

"If there's anything we can do for you..." Katara stared at the mess of orange sitting on the pillow, watching as it rotated to form a weary face. "Just let us know, Jane. OK?"

"Yea." She stared at Katara with furrowed brows - not in anger but sheer bafflement.

"So, uhh..." Katara shuffled to the door, taking another gulp of coffee. "I'll be across the hall. Have a good night, Hun."

"Night."

* * *

\- Friday, September 17th, 2010 -

[Boomerang Blog: Back At Ya!]

[ **First Base (Again)** ]  
[Posted on _September 17th at 7:23am_ ]  
[by **Noble Sir Kesuk Esquire** ]

[Holy crap. Why am I awake at this hour on a weekday? Who gets up early for class? Seriously? Well, I'm not up early for class. I'm up early because I needed to blog about how freaking awesome I'm doing. Who hit first base last night? _This guy._ But that just makes me wonder what, exactly, is on second and third base...Does anyone know? Not that I'm planning on rounding to home base _anytime_ soon, I'm just saying.]

[I don't know how it happened but last night while everyone was studying, my ex-GF asked me to meet her for a cup of coffee. Now hey, I'm not stupid. I knew where this was going to go. But my roommate and my sister have been drilling at me ever since this girl came back on campus to just go with the flow. For whatever reason, I finally decided to do that.]

[And thank God I did. It's like part of me that died came back to life. Only _not_ as a zombie.]

[I probably should let my friends know about this, huh?]

[Oh-oh-oh-oh did I mention that she's _Japanese?_ So hot. Domo arigato.]

* * *

"Are you _feeling_ OK, Sokka?"

"Perfectly fine, my dear," Sokka replied, a wide grin glued to his face as he slapped his arm around his sister's shoulder. "Perfectly fine, indeed."

"What happened?" she demanded with a suspicious glance, narrowing her eyes at him as they paced into the line at Appa's. Naturally, Sokka's choice for Friday night dinner was the location that had the most easily accessible beef.

"Ohhhhh _nothing_ ," Sokka teased with a wink, cocking his head to the side and giving Katara a squeeze. She dropped her jaw, brows furrowed with impressed surprise.

"You finally gave it another chance," she whispered in disbelief. "Really? Did you _really_?" She prodded his hip with a shove.

"You could say that." Sokka casually ignored her wild expression and surveyed the menu ahead.

Katara hopped up and down and wrapped both her arms around Sokka, her chin on his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm so excited," she oozed out enthusiasm. "That's _great,_ Sokka! I can tell: you already seem like you're doing better."

"I am," Sokka admitted. "We're going out on a proper date this weekend."

"Wonderful." Katara ran her hand across his back, smiling at him in admiration of his feat. "Just don't go overboard," she warned with a skeptical glare.

"I won't, I won't," Sokka assured her. "I feel like we're just gonna slip back into where we were before or something...ya know?" He removed his hand from her back and crossed his arms as they neared the register. "What did the guys want, again?" he mumbled into Katara's ear.

"Aang wanted a Veggie Wrap and Toph wanted a large Curly Fry."

"Right, right." Sokka dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened it up and grabbed a twenty dollar bill. His eyes passed by a photograph of a blonde girl with blue eyes, posed formally at his side for a Christmas photo. He sighed to himself and closed the wallet, putting it back into his pants. He'd have to swap out that picture, he decided. Not to forget Yue, but to forget his guilt.

_She wouldn't want to be the cause of me beating myself up for so long...And I don't think she'd like me holding onto this if it's going to prevent good things from happening._

"What's up, Kesuks?" asked Haru, leaning forward against the counter. Sokka slapped his bill down and rattled off his list.

"Double Bacon Cheeseburger, BLT Wrap, Veggie Wrap, Large Curly Fry, and four waters."

As Sokka exchanged cash with Haru, Katara instead exchanged a sheepish glance with him. All of this talk about dating lately was getting to her head. Jet had been a mistake, and she was _not_ keen on making more mistakes right now. She took two cups of water while her brother took the others. Then a thought struck her in the stomach as they went back to their booth: this weekend, she would be a seventh wheel. Toph and Aang, Sokka and Suki, Jane and John...And then her. She herself had been the one to orchestrate their Saturday evening, so it wasn't like she had a right to complain - and really, what was so bad about it? She had friends who had found people who made them happy, who in turn became her friends. Win-win, right?

Katara set a cup before Aang and another before Toph, placed Toph's hand against the cup with an affection rub on the shoulder, and sat across from them beside her brother.

" _So,_ Sokka," she began, nudging him with her elbow as he drank. He glared at her, having nearly splashed himself. "You gonna tell them your news?"

"You finally start dating that chick again?" Toph immediately guessed, fingers clutched around her cup. Sokka's still grinning face pinkened slightly.

"As a matter of fact, I _did_ ," he confidently replied.

"Wow, good for you," Aang encouraged. "That's awesome."

"Sweet," Toph agreed. "Maybe _now_ you'll be in a better mood and stop whining and awkwardly stuttering about it." The group shared a laugh at Sokka's expense as he pushed his doubts to the back of his mind.

"Does it feel weird to be in a relationship again?" Katara wondered, chin in her palm as her eyes wandered over to the counter across the way.

"Not... _really_ ," Sokka decided after a moment of thought, surprised himself at this fact. "Not with Suki. I mean, like...We never had a falling out or a real breakup, ya know? We just...-" He shrugged, taking a gulp of water. "-...stopped seeing each other. So...Now, it feels like we're just trying to pick up where we left off."

"Or something," Toph muttered to add to his explanation.

"Or _something_ ," Sokka concurred.

"Maybe I gave you good karma when I broke up with Jet?" Katara jokingly hypothesized, finding the proximity of the timing oddly coincidental.

"Keep the good karma comin', Sis," Sokka advised, raising his palm and gesturing toward himself. "Maybe if you fail your next test it'll make me pass _mine_."

"When do you ever fail tests?" Katara countered, baffled at the prediction.

"I don't," Sokka declared, beaming. "I'm just trying to figure out how it works."

"The worse my life gets the better yours does, huh?" Katara noticed.

"Somethin' like that," he teased back. She slapped him on the back of the head.

"Thanks, Sokka," she snickered. "Jerk."

"Speakin' of your ex..." Sokka topped off his water. "Can I do The Dance yet?"

"The Dance?" Katara mumbled in confusion, shooting him a shake of the head.

Aang sighed and scratched at his ear, head bobbed.

"The Dance," he grumbled.

Sokka stood up in the booth, staring down at Katara with facetious menace.

"The _I Told Ya So Dance!_ " he defiantly cried, stabbing a finger through the air as he rotated his hips wildly, thrusting his other arm up and down. This evolved into all manner of seemingly random dances as Katara looked on with dismay. She should have known.

"Dear God, _what_ is he doing?" Toph whimpered through the sounds of grunts and humming, her body pulled back, face flinching from the way the table shook as he'd bump into it.

"How do you not know about The Dance?" Aang asked, perplexed, obviously very aware of it himself.

"I do," Katara sighed. "It's just been ages since he's had a reason to do it around me..."

* * *

\- Saturday, September 18th, 2010 -

"I didn't like it," Toph threw out her two cents on the matter.

"You didn't like it?" Katara doubled back.

"Nope."

"But it's a great book!"

"Meh. Booooring. Pass."

"Seriously? It was one of my favorites growing up - still is."

"Yep. Got, like, halfway through it, stopped listening."

"Maybe the audio book had a boring reader?"

"Nah, it was just a boring _book_."

Katara smirked in spite of her boldly opinionated roommate.

"Well, _I_ liked Walk Two Moons," she confirmed. "I guess we don't share tastes in books, then."

"No, I just don't have _taste_ , remember?"

"Oh, right," Katara played along. "We need to rub some good taste off on you."

"Pff, that sure ain't gonna happen while I'm livin' with _you_ ," Toph dismissed her roommate.

" _Hey!_ " snipped Katara, grinning through her mock irritation.

"Hey, Jane!" Toph called out loudly into the open hall. "We need your opinion here!" Katara turned around to see that Jane's door was closed.

"Her door's shut," Katara observed aloud for Toph's benefit. "I'll go get her."

A couple of raps against the door later and Jane's face peeked through a crack that formed.

"Hey, Jane."

"Hey. What is it?"

Katara suppressed her nervousness at Jane's stone wall attitude.

"Uh, Toph and I were...were wondering if you've ever read Walk Two Moons..."

"Never heard of it," Jane mumbled, her expression entirely unamused. "Was that it?"

Katara's eyes drooped away meekly, her fingers locked together before her waist, thumbs twiddling.

"Y-yea, that was...That was it."

"'Kay."

The door closed gently, but it felt like it might as well have been slammed in Katara's face. She stared at the wooden surface for a moment in contemplation before shuffling back into her own room and sitting back down with Toph.

" _Damn_ ," Toph grunted, a disgusted look about her. " _Someone's_ in a bitchy mood lately..."

"Yea," Katara agreed with some bitterness on the tip of her tongue.

"Well," Toph clarified to lighten the mood. "More than _usual_ , I mean." Toph smiled at her comment, but Katara did not - she was dipping her toes in the pool of concern she often swam in, especially in regards to Jane Fitzpatrick.

"Hey."

Both girls' interest turned to the voice that had called from the doorway. It was Suki.

"I was trying to figure out where you guys lived and then I saw Katara in the hallway," she explained, slowly entering the room.

"Oh, hi, Suki," Katara greeted, dropping her worries in lieu of the news from that day.

"Well, well, if it isn't Miss...-" Toph trailed off. "Er...Crap." She rubbed at her forehead, confused. "I don't think we have a nickname for you yet, do we?"

"No?" Suki replied, baffled. "Not yet?"

"Not yet," Toph affirmed. "Gimme time, I'll come up with something."

"What's going on, Suki?" Katara wondered.

"Oh, I just...Wanted to say 'hi', figure out where you guys lived..."

"That's right," Katara recalled, "You live in Terra."

"Yea."

"So, Suki," Toph blurted, "Is Sokka a good kisser? 'Cuz he's always bragging and I just can't-"

" _Haaa_ ," Katara laughed out, cutting Toph off with a sharp smack on her back. "Toph's a bit _nosy_ , sorry."

"Bleh," Toph said, sticking her tongue out. "You guys are no fun."

Suki's face had paled at the question but she regained her color after a moment.

"He told you about us, then," she concluded, amused. "I figured as much."

"I'm happy for you two," Katara congratulated. "He's had it rough for a while. Take good care of him."

"I'll do my best," Suki chuckled. "He can be a handful."

" _Believe_ me," Katara agreed, " _I know._ "

"How _big_ of a handful?" Toph wondered. "Six inches? Seven?" There was an awkward, baffled silence, and Toph burst out a giggle. "Sorry, sorry," she spat. "My head's in the gutter or somethin'."

"I wouldn't know about that," Suki quickly insisted, clearly flustered by the comment. "We never did anything like _that._ "

"That's good," Katara rushed through the thought. This was her brother they were talking about. "Sorry, Suki, Toph can be..."

"Difficult," Toph mischievously decided. "You'll get used to it."

"Uh- _huh_ ," Suki quizzically acknowledged, still put-off. "So...I've actually gotta, like...head out now. I have to meet someone in Aqua to work on a group project, I just thought I'd say 'hi'."

"That's fine."

"Yeehhp. Have fun."

"Nice seeing you guys. I'm coming tonight to hang out, so I'll see you at...It was eight, right?"

"Yes, eight."

"Cool. I'll see you then."

"Bye, Suki!"

"Later."

A couple of moments passed as Suki fled off down the hall before Katara broke the silence.

"Toph, why did you _do_ that?" Katara sighed, a bit frustrated with her friend.

"It's what I do," was the straightforward answer.

"I think you annoyed her."

"Good. She's gonna have to get used to our stupid humor if she wants to fit in."

Katara believed that Toph had intentionally been saying those strange things just to goad Suki and make her uncomfortable - Toph was known to do this from time to time. The way she explained it, it used to be _all_ of the time, so her friends had helped her improve this problem.

"OK, well...Just try to tone it down a bit, Hun."

"Yea, yea," Toph huffed, rolling her head around to stretch her neck. "I'll try."

Toph's comments had made Katara curious as to what kinds of...things...Suki and Sokka would be up to when they got back into their groove. She sincerely hoped they wouldn't make any stupid decisions.

* * *

["YOU HAVE... **THREE**...NEW MESSAGES. **FIRST**...MESSAGE."]

[ _Beep._ ]

["Smellerbee. It's Jet. You've been lying low, right? Damnit...I don't know what the hell is going on. The shit has hit the fuckin' fan, for sure. Stay on campus until this blows over - same goes for Longshot. Was hopin' it wouldn't come to this but we don't fuckin' get everything we want. Right? Fff. Anyways...I'll keep you posted. Just sit tight."]

[ _Beep._ ]

["NEXT MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep_.]

["Heya, Jane. How ya doin' lately, huh?"] It was Toph. ["Katara's gettin' pretty worried about you. You've just been hiding in your room all the time. Did you even go to class today? You should stop by some time, Janey-Jane. This week has been boring without your smart-ass remarks and bitchy attitude. And besides, you've got Katara all freakin' out about ya. You know how she gets."] Toph's tone turned down its humor just enough to convince Jane she was being genuine. ["She really cares about you, ya know. And, like...I'm startin' to. Also. Or something."] She took on a snappy defense, ["B-but don't let that go to your stupid Irish head! I just wish you'd come chill with our friends, is all. I know it's kind of awkward at first - and I know that's usually _my_ fault, heh - but seriously, they're sweet guys. Er, like..'awesome' sweet. Sokka's not 'sweet' sweet. Pff. He's an idiot. What the crap was I...-? Oh, right. OK. So, like, come hang with us and stuff. Saturday night we're gonna do something. Give us a call or, ya know, _walk across the hall,_ we'll fill you in. Whatever. OK-OK-OK, I'm done now. 'Kay. Byeeeee."]

[ _Beep._ ]

["NEXT MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep_.]

["Good evening. Smellerbee, is it?"] Whoever this was, they were using a device to disguise their voice. This fact alone caused Jane's stomach to lurch as she had an idea as to who it was - generally speaking - and why they were calling. ["Smellerbee...Kind of an odd name for a girl. You _are_ a girl, right? It's hard to tell. Interesting stories about _you_ floating around. But don't worry. You're not our concern. We just thought it'd be courteous to request that you relay a message to your _fearless leader,_ as you seem to be his right hand man. Or was it woman? Let Jet know that the Rough Rhinos know what he did, and that the favor is going to be repaid. Tonight."]

[ _Beep._ ]

["END OF MESSA-"]

Jane closed her phone, her body stiffened, her mind drowning in fear. She stared at the phone in desperation before throwing it onto her bed as if touching it infected her with the poison of doubt.

" _Fuck_ ," she growled aloud. "Fuck-fuck-fuck." Her hands were trembling and she stuffed them into her baggy pants to try fooling herself into not noticing this fact. Her bare right foot tapped rapidly against the floor of her dorm room as drops of sweat formed on her forehead. She pondered what to do with herself next. She had to call Jet to make sure he was aware of the situation. Begrudgingly, she grabbed her phone and dialed Jet's number. No ringback.

["It's Jet. I'm out fighting for freedom at the moment."]

" _Shit._ "

["Leave me a message."]

[ _Beep._ ]

"Jet, what's going on? I thought you said things were going to calm down? I just got a message from them. I don't know what's up but I think they might be coming after you. Watch your fuckin' back, man...Maybe you should skip town? I dunno. Call me _back_. Be careful."

Jane had known that sooner or later, something like this would happen, but she always figured it would play out differently. For some reason she had always expected something like the big fight in Gangs of New York - a mass of people all laying into each other - not a simple tit for a tat like this.

Now even more paranoid than she'd been before, pacing in a circle around her room repeatedly, Jane acknowledged her mental state. She considered her choices. She could continue to hide out, or she could take action. All of this hiding only seemed to be making her stir-crazy and freaked out. She meandered to her closet and dove through her things, retrieving a shoebox. She pulled out a small case and unclasped it. A four-inch knife, clean as a whistle, stared back up at her. Its hilt formed into the shape of a lioness, its mouth open in a roar.

_Hello, old friend. What shall it be tonight? Business or pleasure? What do you think? I'm thinking 'business.'_

* * *

"What about your friends?"

"What about 'em?"

"Aren't they eating lunch with us?"

"Nah," Sokka shook his head with a shrug.

"Oh." Suki seemed disappointed, as she had been hoping to be seeing them more this weekend, especially with how the situation had changed.

"Don't worry, you'll them later. We've got all night tonight," Sokka assured. "Now, c'mon, woman. You're not gonna keep me separated from my food, are ya?" He stuck out his hand, jiggling his fingers to ease her in. She slid her fingers between his and they strode together up the stairs, hand-in-hand in public for the first time since their re-coupling.

After they joined at a side booth on one of the edges of the cafeteria, Suki found herself baffled as to the sheer amount of food Sokka piled together onto his plate, but she knew he would, in fact, be capable of eating it all.

"How was your day yesterday?" Sokka asked, rubbing his hands together before digging into some meatloaf with ketchup.

"It was fine," Suki advised. "Our project is coming along pretty well. We've got kind of a downer in the group, but..." She shrugged, shaking her head. "What can you do?"

"What can you do?" Sokka repeated the sentiment.

"Oh, and I ran into your sister and Toph while I was there."

"What were those two goofballs up to?"

"I'm not sure. But they already knew about us."

"Yea, I told them last night. They're all happy about it. They like you well enough." He gave her a smile after taking another bite of food, his cheeks puffed out. She snickered and prodded at her salad.

"I still can't get over how odd your friend Toph is."

"Man, she's a weirdo, all right," Sokka chuckled. "Never a dull time with _her_ around." He chugged down half of his cup of root beer.

"No," Suki knowingly conceded with a raised brow, recalling the uncomfortable comments the girl had made in their last interaction. "But your sister seems very supportive of...well, _us_."

"Haha, she's been bugging me to start dating you again since you last showed up."

"Really?" Suki spat, surprised. "How come?"

"Wh..." Sokka's brows burrowed in thought as he chewed into some more meatloaf to stall time. "It's, er...I kinda got pessimistic about the whole...'dating' thing for a while there."

"Aw," Suki cooed. "Your little sister just wanted to see you give it another try, hm?"

"And she's getting what she wants," Sokka slyly observed with another gulp of soda.

"So why were you pessimistic?" Suki wondered. "Was that...It wasn't _my_ fault, was it?"

" _Nooo_ ," Sokka immediately assured. "Nuh-uh. It was...-" He sighed, his eyes cast to the window beside them, the sky overcast. "Sophomore year, I met this amazing girl...We really hit it off. Really quick, actually."

Suki instantly knew this wasn't going to be a happy story and she felt her heart sink at the fact that Sokka had been through some heartbreak while she had been away.

"Things were...well, I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty freakin' great." His eyes wouldn't meet hers as he spoke, but she understood how hard it was for him to talk with her about it. "But...well...not all good things last."

Suki drank some lemon water through a straw, intent on his every word. While she was curious about the details, she knew that it didn't matter in the context of this conversation, and she certainly wasn't going to tear his heart open for more information than he was willing to give.

"We got in a car crash. She was killed instantly." About as rough as Suki had feared. How discouraging...The pieces were all clicking together now.

 _Wow...No_ wonder _he's been so awkward. I can't even imagine what that must be like. He probably has been feeling guilty about the idea of dating again._

"That's so sad," Suki plainly acknowledged. "I'm...really sorry, Sokka."

"Me, too," he groaned. His eyes, now staring at his food, made their way up to him. "That's...kinda why this has been so hard for me."

"I understand," she told him with as much warmth as she could. She extended her hand across the table and opened it to him. "Thanks for telling me."

Sokka accepted her hand and took a trembling breath.

"I'm not going to up and leave this time, I promise." Suki squeezed his hand before tugging it toward her and kissing him on the wrist. "I know it's probably hard, but if this is going to work, you're going to have to give it a real chance."

"I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering what the fight scene from Gangs of New York is like...It's pretty crazy.  
> www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqEZyn_riV0


	13. Gone

  
  
[Oh What a Bee-utiful Morning](http://doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/art/Oh-What-a-Bee-utiful-Morning-206224991) by *[DoodleBuggy](http://doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

 

\- Saturday, September 18th, 2010 -

[To: Jane]  
[Hey, where are you guys? We're about to start things here but we haven't heard from you. Are you not coming?]  
[Sent: 8:04pm]

"Katara, you playing?"

"Oh!" Katara slapped her phone shut and nodded. "Yea, yea. I am."

"Well, _git over here_ , then!" Sokka insisted with a wave of the arm. Katara sighed deeply, her concern for her friend having been spiked up sharply since she had last seen Jane huddled on her bed the other day.

She sat down at the wooden table, Aang to her left, Sokka and Suki across from her, and Toph on the tables narrow side between Aang and Suki. A small pile of red cards had already been laid at her chair. Apples to Apples was a curious card game that Toph couldn't play, of course, but enjoyed spectating. Sometimes the group would alter the rules a bit and have Toph judge the winner of every round, but she wasn't up for it this time, it seemed, preferring to lay her head down on the table and listen.

"You know how to play, Suki?" Sokka checked. Suki nodded back, surveying her hand. "Then let's get on with it." He flipped the first green card from the top of the deck in the center and revealed it: {Burly} "First word is 'Burly,'" he announced. "Have at it."

As the other three players shuffled through their hands, Katara's phone vibrated in her pocket. She hesitated for a moment, but her worry got the best of her and she checked it.

[From: Jane]  
[sorry we cant come tonite somethings goin on with the ff.]  
[Sent: 8:06pm]

"Hey-hey-hey!" Sokka snapped, jamming an accusing finger across the table. "No phones during the game!"

"It's the other guys," Katara explained, sidestepping his scolding. "They're not gonna be able to make it tonight..."

"Big surprise _there_ ," Toph grumbled. Katara shared her irritation. What was keeping the Freedom Fighters constantly busy lately?

"It's not their fault," Katara defended. "It's just that stupid group they're in."

"Their loss," Sokka hurried the topic along. "Let's get playing."

"You're really impatient today," Aang pointed out.

"So I am," agreed Sokka with a shrug. "Now pick a card." After everyone had laid down a card from their hand, he shuffled them a bit and read them aloud with the adjective beforehand. "We _have:_ Burly Abraham Lincoln. Burly Plum? Burly Motorcycle. That's easy, I have to go with Abe. That man was a _beast_."

Aang's face lit up as he swiped the green card and set it to his side.

"Yea, I'd pick that one, too," Toph commented. "Who got that one?"

"I did," Aang triumphantly informed her.

"Way to _go_ , Twinkles."

Despite the presence of her friends, Katara's focus stumbled out of context and into concern. She knew something strange was most certainly going on, especially after the way Jane had been acting the night before. What if something serious were going on? Should she try and intervene?

"Hey, Katara, you gonna wait all night to put a card down?" her brother teased.

"Right. Sorry." She placed a card in, having not been paying attention to Suki's adjective.

"Spunky Kite, Spunky Harrison Ford, Spunky Wheel Chair." She lifted an eyebrow at her choices and shrugged. "I pick Wheel Chair."

" _Whaaat_?" Sokka whined. "That doesn't even make sense."

Katara, amused by her accidental victory, grabbed her prize as Suki defended her decision.

"I thought half the fun of this game was not making sense. That's how _I've_ always played it."

Sokka grumbled an exaggerated, "Rizzarazzafrackafrizza."

"Can't always get what you want, Sokka Darling." Suki tapped his cheek with her lips and he smirked back.

"That's why you get _other people_ to get it _for_ you," he coyly countered.

* * *

\- Sunday, September 19th, 2010 -

Katara was jarred awake by a rough shaking on her shoulder.

"Whaaa?" she moaned, her face buried in her arms. Lifting her tired head, she found herself staring at Frontierville on her computer screen. Her pumpkin batch had died.

"Kuh...Katara," whispered a voice from above.

"Mmm?" She rubbed her drooping eyes and saw Jane's face lit by the pale white light of her computer screen. What time was it? Late at night, clearly, based on the roaring, nasaly breathing from her left where Toph was asleep like a log. She'd fallen asleep at her computer, waiting intently for precisely this moment - for her friend to get back home.

"Jane?" Katara mumbled, confused and dead tired. "What's goin' on...?" she wondered, wiping hair from her face.

"He's dead," Jane whispered with a petrified tone unbecoming of her. Katara's vision was clearing now, and she could see that the normally dulled olive eyes on her friend's face were wide, appalled, baffled.

"What?" Katara grumbled, her brows furrowed, mind foggy. "Dead? _Who's_ dead?"

"Jet," Jane snapped. " _Jet's_ dead. He's fucking _dead_."

"How...? Why would...?" Katara was finding this hard to believe without an explanation.

"I...I tried," Jane muttered, staring at her right hand. Katara could see that it was soiled, bruised, and stained. "I couldn't...I just couldn't _do_ anything. Shit... _Agh._ " She pounded the side of her fist into her hip in frustration.

Katara was startled wide awake by this situation as she came to notice that the stain on Jane's hand was dried blood.

"Oh my God," she gasped out, managing to contain herself for the sake of her roommate's rest. "Jane, what...What _happened_?"

Jane was bouncing up and down slightly, like a nervous tick, her hands trembling. She tugged on Katara's hand and pulled her up from her seat, nodding her head as a signal to follow - her hand was clammy and cold and crusty with the dried fluid. Hands clasped together, they quickly made their way across the hall before Jane briskly closed the door as quietly as she could. She spun around, back pressed against the door, and stared at Katara with a pleading expression.

"Jet's _dead_?" Katara demanded, running her hand over her head through the light tangles in her hair.

"Hit by a car," Jane quickly explained. "Was on his bike, trying to get away..." She shook her head, hands wrapped around her gut as if in reaction to abdominal pain.

"Trying to get away? From _who_?"

"A gang."

"A gang?"

"The Rough Rhinos."

"Who's that?"

"Buncha thugs," Jane swiftly dismissed. "Doesn't matter." Jane was slowly running her finger across her orange eyebrow habitually, back and forth.

"Why would they be after Jet?" By now Katara felt it was crystal clear that her instincts had been right and that the Freedom Fighters were less than pristine concerning the operations they carried out.

"W-well, Jet, he, erm..." Jane's finger slid up, and her whole hand was on her forehead as she hurried past Katara, sitting herself down on her bed. She hunched over the edge of her bed, her finger digging into her skull. "Fuck," she grunted in pain. "Head's killin' me..." she explained through grit teeth, eyes squinted tight.

"Oh, I...I can go grab some aspirin if you want," Katara offered. Jane shook her head and gestured to her desk's shelf.

"I've got some right here," she informed, blindly pointing her finger up. Katara fumbled her hands around some textbooks before locating the small white bottle. She passed it to her friend who popped a couple of small pills into her mouth. She huffed through the pain, opened one of her eyes, and continued through her headache. "Jet got into a bad scrap with...with their leader the other day. Things got... _urgh_...outta hand."

"Out of hand?"

" _Yea_ , Kat." Jane's open eye swiveled up, shooting out a glare. She seethed out in a whisper, "He almost got _killed_ so he thought it'd be better if the guy that died wasn't _him._ "

Katara let the idea sink in for a moment, fingertips pressed against her lips.

"Jet... _killed_ someone...?"

_As shady as he could seem I never would think he'd have it in him to do something like that..._

"Yea, Katara, he _did,_ " Jane insisted. "Not like it'd be the first time," she added quietly, her words loaded with anger. "But this was self-defense."

Katara's mind was having a lot of difficulty coming to terms with all of this all at once.

"Wait, so...Jet got killed because he killed someone _else_?" she concluded incredulously.

"Technically it wasn't a murder that did him in," Jane specified. "But... _pretty_ much, yea."

"So...So what's gonna happen?" Katara's tone was raising the further they got into the conversation, but she was still maintaining her voice at a reasonable level despite the shock.

"What do you...-?"

"What's gonna happen to _you,_ to the Freedom Fighters? Are you guys in danger, then?"

"Good fuckin' question." Jane didn't seem to care much about this detail at the moment, her hand still clutching her skull. Katara sat down beside her and stared deeply at her troubled face.

"What about...What about a funeral, or-or...-"

"I don't know!" Jane hissed, tossing her arms and leaning out. "I-don't-fucking-know, OK?"

Katara arced back at the hostility, propping herself by her palms on Jane's sheetless mattress. Where _were_ Jane's sheets? The angry Irish girl leaned over her knees, head drooping, and clamped her hands over her face. She sat there like this, motionless, for a few moments. Katara noticed the back of Jane's head: more dried blood stained her hair. Katara put the pieces together and realized that her friend must have gotten hurt somehow during... _whatever_ it was that had gone down that evening.

"Jane," Katara soothed, pressing her side into her neighbor's shoulder and slipping a gentle arm across her back. "Are you all right? It looks like you got hurt..."

"Ya fuckin' _think_?" was the rasping counter Jane forced out through her hands. "Hurts like a bitch. _Agh..._ "

Katara's ever thoughtful mind was resistant to Jane's bitter attitude at the moment, and it immediately found itself exploring the thought, 'What if she has a concussion?' As she pondered this, Jane's body was pressing into Katara, using her friend's side to support her weight. She slowly let her arms drop, and Katara's heart sank at the sight: Jane's freckled cheeks were sticky and damp, her drab olive eyes bleak. The combination of the pain she was in and the sheer shock of her friend dying were likely causing her thorny wall to crumble, but the razor wire defensiveness left over was still apparent.

Katara drew in a quick breath as she herself was now starting to choke up. She wrapped her other arm around Jane's lean stomach and held her tightly, as if her body could act as a shield and protect this already broken girl. Tears came more naturally for Katara, and she led them slide down her face.

Jet was dead. She believed it from Jane's reaction. Only something as startlingly real as that would shatter Jane like this. Immediately after coming to terms with this in full, she found herself regretting how she had acted. What if she had never broken things off? What if in doing so, she'd set him off somehow to act more aggressively? She managed to gather these doubts together and compress them, locking them away and setting them to the side.

 _This wasn't my fault. I can't blame myself for_ his _choices._

But this realization didn't make it any easier. Just a few weeks ago Jet had been a rather important aspect of her life. And now he was extinguished, and she'd never speak with him again - and she'd never be able to apologize for abandoning him so suddenly.

Jane's breathing was rough, almost whimpering. Likely, adrenaline had set in earlier, and now that it was depleted, her body was coming to grips with the damage done to it.

"Fucking... _shit_ ," Jane spewed out between breaths, her voice cracking. "He's...he's _gone_. Why'd he have to be such an _asshole_? He coulda just...-" She coughed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve as her thought evaporated. "Didn't have to be like this," she concluded with a quivering sigh. She dropped her head on Katara's shoulder in a rare instance of vulnerability. Katara knew deep down that this was why she had been woken up - why Jane had seemed to come straight to her room: she needed Katara's shoulder to rest on in this moment of insanity and felt like Katara was the only person she could turn to for this at that moment. This inherently brought the question: where's Johnny?

"Where's...your boyfriend?" Katara asked at last.

"Probably asleep," Jane mumbled, her eyes closed. "He was busy with something else and didn't know they were coming after Jet, and...I didn't want him involved." She shifted her head and pushed some loose hair strands from her eyes. "So I just told him we had to call off tonight because Jet needed me to take care of something." She sighed, digging her ring finger into her tear ducts to wipe them clean. "He'll probably find out in the morning what happened...He'll be mad but...at least he won't be hurt."

"Like _you_ are?" Katara clarified with a sympathetic smile but a furrowed brow. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking...-" She paused and her eyes squinted tightly for a moment before she continued. "-...that I could save Jet...with...without anyone else getting mixed up in it."

Katara sat and contemplated her friend's brave but foolish actions.

_You're lucky something worse didn't happen to you...You really need to be more careful. For everything bad you had to say about Jet, you really_

were _still his friend when he needed you. I hope we can find you some people who will be like that for you, like I'm trying to be._

Jane yawned and smacked her lips a few times.

"You should get some sleep, girl," Katara advised warmly, rubbing her hands up and down across Jane's side. She gave two gentle pats before letting up on their embrace. Jane sniffed sourly and got up, going to the shared bathroom at the side of her room. Katara sat at her friend's bed, baffled at the entire situation, as the sink ran.

"Owwww. Fuck," groaned Jane's voice quietly but calmly. "Katara, could you...could you grab the first aid from the closet?" she grunted out a request.

Snapped to her senses, and to Jane's injury, Katara rummaged through the sliding door closet beside the bathroom door. She immediately saw the first aid kit sitting on top of a shoebox and retrieved it. Katara proceeded to help sanitize Jane's head and wrap a bandage around it. With a white band of cloth around her head, Jane's exhausted body was clearly ready for sleep, especially given the bags hanging from her dead eyes. Katara helped her remove her shoes, but Jane was content just collapsing in the dirty, stained jeans and shirt she had been out and about in. As she settled into bed, Katara advised her on the situation.

"I think you might have gotten a concussion," she expressed.

"That...might happen when your head hits pavement," Jane yawned out. Katara sighed at her neighbor's plight and crossed her arms over her stomach with doubt.

"Don't you think you should go to a hospital?"

"Are you _crazy?_ I'm already connected to this whole mess...I don't need any more attention than I've got right now." Jane's eyes were closed.

"Fine," Katara gave in with a sigh. She didn't approve but she also preferred her friends not being in jail if things were quite that bad. This only further confirmed that the Freedom Fighters must've been up to no good. Her mind whirled around the situation, trying to decide the best course of action. She would simply have to let Jane rest at this point.

"I'm going to come wake you in a couple hours," Katara explained, recalling how she'd been informed to care for someone with such an injury. "Get some rest." Jane didn't respond, her eyes closed as she lay on her side, her lips slightly ajar. Katara scratched an inch on her ear as she cautiously left the room, closing the door behind her with hardly a sound. She slinked into her own room and grabbed her cell phone. She set a vibrating alarm before tucking it below her pillow and setting her head above and beside it. She quickly faded back into sleep, choosing to ignore the smoldering questions about the future of this situation.

* * *

["~You got designer shades just to hide your face~And you wear 'em around like you're cooler than me~"]  
"Katara...Your phone's goin' off..."  
["~And you never say 'hey,' or remember my name~It's probably 'cuz you think you're cooler than me~"]  
"Katara?"

Katara groaned at the music pouring from her phone and the nagging of her roommate. She cracked her eyes open and groped her hand around under her pillow for her phone.

[Calling...]  
[ **Sokka** ]

"Ugggh," Katara moaned as the music looped. "What does my brother want?" she whimpered, noting the time: [11:43am]

"Probably buggin' ya about lunch," Toph guessed from her dresser, retrieving clothes to change into.

"Hey...Sokka," Katara greeted with groggy irritation, still lying in her bed.

["Hey, Katara. You OK?"]

"I was better when I was still _sleeping_ , but..."

["I woke you up? Haaaa. _Wow_. When was the last time you slept in this late?"]

"I had a long night...What is it?"

["It's almost time for lunch - I was just wondering if you wanted us to wait for you, or...-"]

"I'm staying in. I'm too tired to go out right this minute."

"I'll stay, then, too," Toph decided.

"Toph just said she's gonna stay in for now, too."

["Oh. Uh, OK. I guess we'll see ya later then."]

"Yep..." Katara's eyelids were drooping back closed.

["You _sure_ you're all right?"]

"Mm-hm. Tell ya later..."

["All right. Well, see ya, Sis."]

"Mm."

[ _Beep._ ]

"You want me to check on her?" Toph offered.

"Could you?" Katara gratefully mumbled out.

"Sure thing," said Toph as she grabbed her walking stick from its designated spot: leaning against the corner where her bed and the wall met. She prodded her way across the hall - both doors were open - and called out upon entering her neighbor's room, "Janey Jane! You asleep?" No reply - not a sound. "Jane? Get up!" Still nothing. Toph bit her lip and paused. " _Get up_ ," she cried again, louder. Not so much as a shuffling of sheets. "Uhhhh, Katara?" Toph meekly called to her roommate. "Jane's...not waking up...or something."

Katara sprung from her bed and swept into the room, easing Toph aside. She laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Jane's not _here_ , Hun," Katara chuckled, rubbing Toph on the shoulder.

"Oh...Figures," Toph huffed, suppressing her embarrassment.

"Hey, guys. Morning." Jane entered the room with a large plate full of scrambled eggs, the smell scintillating to the Sunday morning senses.

"Did you make eggs?" Toph gasped with excitement, clearly familiar with the aroma.

"Yea...You, uh...ya want some?" Based on the pile on the plate, Katara had surmised that Jane had intended to share.

"Like that's even a _question_!" Toph grinned and ran her palms together eagerly.

"We've got some spare silverware," Katara advised, popping back into her room. She continued conversing as she sorted through their closet. "You must be feeling better, Jane."

"Better. Yea." The way Jane said it tipped Katara off that she wasn't feeling _well_ yet, but this was expected.

"How's your head, Fitzpatrick?" wondered Toph, who had been informed of the situation - at least, the head trauma - earlier that morning when Katara had last woken the bruised girl.

"Oh, er...It's, uh...It's been better," Jane tried to make light of it.

"How'd you whack your skull so hard?" Toph further prodded as Katara came back in with a pair of plates and forks to match. "Some o' the ol' Fightin' Irish come out at the wrong place, wrong time?"

Jane shot Katara a humored glance as she replied, "Basically." Toph continued to poke at her for information.

"But the other guy probably walked away worse, am I right?"

"One or two of them? Yea, probably."

"One or two? How many did you _scuffle_ with?"

"Three."

"Ouch."

"Exactly."

"I'm surprised you didn't come back with something worse, then."

"Are you saying I can't handle three?"

"Pff."

"'Cuz I _coulda_ taken all three if I hadn't been distracted."

"Why were you distracted, then, Jay?"

At this question, Jane sighed, dropping her humor, and she pleaded to Katara with an expression. Katara shrugged, nodded, and closed the door to the bedroom.

"I was trying to protect someone," Jane explained.

"This is bad," Toph immediately decided, a suspicious face pointed back toward the door that had just closed. "Some shit goin' on with your gang?"

"Yea. And it hit the fan last night."

"Jet died," Katara cut to the chase, scratching her head through her unkempt hair. She sighed, latching a hand on her arm as the reality of the words she uttered caught up to her.

"Say _what_?" Toph murmured, jaw agape. "Jet's _dead_? Wh...What the fuck _happened_?"

"Crashed while riding his bike," explained Jane with more ease than she had the previous night.

"Sounds like you had a hell of a night..." Toph observed solemnly. She crossed her arms over her chest, sticking her walking cane straight into the floor. "Bar fight and then a motorcycle crash...Um...Good _times_." An awkward silence fell over the trio as Jane and Katara both contemplated whether or not the full story was necessary. They both seemed to have decided it wasn't, as neither clarified things.

"Let's get some food in our systems," Katara suggested. "I'm sure that'll help us feel better."

After they had situated themselves in a circle, plates divied up with eggs, Toph attempted to lament further.

"I never really _knew_ the guy..."

"It's OK, Toph," insisted Katara.

"Probably better that ya didn't," scoffed Jane. This set the tone back down a negative notch. Fortunately, they had eggs to keep their mouths busy for a minute.

"These are pretty good," Toph confessed.

"They're just eggs," Jane dismissed the compliment.

"Ehhhhh, but not everyone knows how to cook eggs _right_ ," Toph insisted.

"OK," Jane chuckled with a shrug. "Thanks?"

"Were you planning on eating all of these by yourself?" Katara picked, narrowing her eyes facetiously.

"I could totally eat all of these," Jane denied the implication, avoiding Katara's gaze.

"Thank you for sharing, then," Katara pressed her gratitude.

"Yeh, ffankff," Toph pushed out through her chewing.

"Welcome," Jane muttered, seemingly embarrassed, as she stood up and reached for her aspirin container on her desk. She popped a couple into her mouth and swallowed them before sitting back down to finish her food. Katara fretted herself over Jane's condition as the girl ate, a band of gauze and cloth wrapped around her head. It may not have been necessary waking up every couple of hours to stir Jane to consciousness, but it had been safe, which was what Jane deserved after all she'd been through.

_She's going to be fine, Katara. Stop worrying. Jane's a tough girl._

* * *

Sokka had been perusing the pages of the Wayward Times issue he'd scooped up on their way up to lunch while Aang enjoyed a chunky peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A particular story had caught his attention regarding a motorcycle accident.

"Looks like Katara's ex died last night," he nonchalantly informed Aang.

"Wuff?" Aang muttered, his mouth sticky and full.

"Apparently our old friend 'Jet' was out joyriding on his freakin' motorcycle and got himself killed."

"That's...horrible," Aang decided, having swallowed his bite of gooey sugar and bread.

"What woulda been _horrible_ would be if my sister was riding with him that night. _Then_ it'd have been horrible."

"Hm," was all Aang could think of to say. Sokka was clearly not feeling terribly sympathetic.

"I'll bet he was probably _on_ something," Sokka continued to theorize with some disdain.

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

A clean-shaven, neatly combed young man, about their age, stood beside their small table, dressed in his Sunday best: a tie, button-down shirt tucked into his dress pants. He had pale skin and slightly slanted eyes - definitely some Japanese in him. He was carrying a clipboard with him, a fancy fountain pen to complement it.

"Errrr...Hi," Aang greeted back.

The stranger stuck out his hand to Aang, who took it and shook, noticing the boy's firm grip.

"Zuko Kurosawa," he revealed his name, shaking Sokka's hand next.

"Ohhhh, you're that kid who's uncle teaches Philosophy," Sokka immediately pointed out. The boy nodded. "I'm in his class - that guy is _great_."

Zuko chuckled and shrugged.

"So I've heard." He cleared his throat and carried himself with a bit more formality. "Can I have a minute of your time?"

Sokka and Aang swapped puzzled glances before Sokka, lifting a palm up, replied, "Sure."

"How often you participate in dorm-hosted activities?" Zuko asked, pen at the ready.

"All the time," Aang cheerily informed.

"Yea, like, once every week or two," Sokka clarified.

"What dorm are either of you from?"

"We're both in Aero," declared Aang with pride.

"Das _right_!" Sokka concurred, sticking out a hand, which Aang high-fived.

"And what kinds of activities does your dorm host that you go to?"

"We had a bonfire the first week of class," said Sokka, tapping his chin. "Meet-N'-Greet kinda thing. With hot dogs."

"We went bowling last week," Aang pitched in.

"So," Zuko continued, "What kinds of things make those events appealing?"

"Food," spat Sokka as he chomped into his slice of pizza.

"I just like how you know there will be people there," Aang answered more concisely.

"All right. Thank you." Zuko scribbled something onto his clipboard.

"What's the survey for?" asked Aang before crunching on a couple of croutons from his salad.

"I'm running for president this year, and I'm trying to get a grasp of what kinds of events the budget should be put into."

"Stuff with food," Sokka insisted.

"I'll...keep that suggestion in mind," Zuko conceded, capping his pen and stuffing it in his breast pocket. "Thanks for your time, gentlemen. Have a good meal."

"Peace."

"See ya."

As the man headed off for more volunteers to collect opinions from, Aang couldn't help but recall what they had just been talking about.

"Do you think your sister knows?"

"About what?"

"About...about Jet."

" _Oh._ Hm. Probably. I mean, she's friends with those thugs, right?"

"Maybe she's feeling upset? Maybe _that's_ why she didn't come to lunch today?"

"Could be," Sokka admitted, cocking his head thoughtfully. "She's probably guilt-tripping herself about it."

"Sounds like somebody I know," Aang taunted with a knowing glance.

"Huh? Th-that was totally different," he defended. "Yue was a freakin' _saint._ "

"I'm sure Jet couldn't have been so horrible if Katara dated him..."

" _I'm_ sure you're giving my sister too much credit for her taste in boys."

"Sooner or later she'll bump into the right guy," Aang assured.

"I sure hope so...I'm gettin' sick of having to be ever-vigilant and keep watch over her." Sokka sighed, shaking his head. "God. _Girls,_ man. They just have no sense."

"Yea, Toph doesn't make sense half of the time, either," Aang agreed. "That's part of what makes her so fun, though."

"Katara's probably gorging herself on chocolate right now."

"Huh?"

"Chocolate. When Katara's stressed out or really upset she'll just eat chocolate. It's a girl thing."

"Oh..."

"Comfort food."

"I just eat chocolate all the _time_. It's _always_ comfortable."

"Well, _obviously_." Sokka was tapping his foot impatiently as he finished off his food. "Come to think of it, I thought I saw some cake up there..." He gathered his tray together and stood up.

"I like cake," Aang announced, joining him.

"Who _doesn't_ like cake?"

"Crazy people."

"I hear dat!"

* * *

"Uhhhh, Kat? You hungry? We could, like...go...eat something..."

Katara ignored Jane's suggestion, cramming another square of chocolate into her mouth. She shook her head as she chewed, jamming keys on her keyboard and running a search.

"I'm OK," she explained. "I can wait until dinner."

"If you say so...What are you...-? Why are you looking up videos about _kittens_ on YouTube?"

" _Christ_ ," Toph grumbled. "Is _that_ what she's doing?"

"I swear, this is...the most _adorable_ thing ever," Katara insisted, scrolling through the video titles before running another search.

"This is what she does when she's feeling stressed out," Toph informed. "She eats chocolate and looks up stupid videos on YouTube."

"Shut up," Katara snapped meekly, ignoring the criticism and her own embarrassment. "Aha! Found it." She started playing a video, Jane hovering over her shoulder, and contained a grin about to burst from her face.

"Ohhh my _God_ ," Jane whispered in an uncharacteristically squeaky voice. "That's too cute..."

"Make it _stop_!" Toph wailed. "You're taking away Jane's bad-assery!"

"Wh-what? _No_ ," Jane cried in defiance. "I have..." She prodded a finger at the side of her head, despite the fact Toph couldn't see this. "I was in a hardcore fight last night! I...I kicked a dude in the balls and I punched another in the jaw, and-and-"

"I'm just picking, _geez_ ," Toph laughed. "I _guess_ it's OK if you girl it up now and again, but over a _kitten?_ "

A teeny 'mew' slipped from Katara's computer speakers and Katara smirked at how Toph's face contorted into an 'aw, that's so sweet' expression. It rapidly erased itself in favor of exaggerated anger.

"Damn you, kittens," Toph growled, her fist clenched against her chest. "You've won _this_ round...But the war rages on..."

"You like making enemies of things that can't hurt you, huh?" Janed pointed out, humored. "First ice cream, now kittens? What's next on your agenda? Rainbows? Lollipops?"

"Fuckin' _lollipops_ ," seethed Toph without skipping a beat. "You'll be the death of us all..."

"Toph is impervious is rainbows," Katara observed, breaking off another chunk of her candy bar.

" _Haha_! Them and their...fancy ' _colors_ ' that render you pathetic beings mesmerised."

"Wow, Toph," Jane flatly mocked. "What _ever_ is your weakness?"

" _I_ know her weakness," Katara teased, beginning another YouTube search with coyly narrowed eyes.

"No," Toph gasped, throwing herself into her bed and stuffing her pillow over her ears. "Don't do it!"

Jane laughed, confused at this, and waited for Katara's search to end.

[ \+ 'Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds, by The Beatles + ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKXfqpg-Q-k)

["~Picture yourself in a boat on a river~With tangerine trees, and marmalade skies~"]

"Nooooo," Toph wailed, her tone decidedly giddy.

["~Somebody calls you, You answer quite slowy~The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes~"]

"Toph's in love with The Beatles," explained Katara, flashing a satisfied smile toward Jane.

["~Cellophane flowers of yellow and green~Towering over your head~"]

"And potatoes," Toph added. "God, I love potatoes."

["~Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes - and she's gone~"]

"And your _boyfriend_?" Jane checked.

"Ohhhh, yea. Him, too," Toph confessed with a giggle. " _Especially_ when he feeds me potatoes. Or sings The Beatles."

As the chorus to Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds picked up, both Katara and Jane joined in and sung along while Toph cried out to the disembodied voices.

"Take me away, Good Sirs, to this magical land of which you speak!"

As they took turns picking music to listen to, Katara retreated to her phone briefly.

[From: Aang]  
[hey are you ok? sorry about your friend. :( ]  
[Sent: 3:21pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[Thanks. I'm OK. Just spending time with the girls. I'll be fine.]  
[Sent: 3:22pm]

[To: Aang]  
[Does Sokka know, BTW?]  
[Sent: 3:22pm]

[From: Aang]  
[ok as long as youre doing all right. and yea he knows.]  
[Sent: 3:23pm]

[Reply]  
[It's just so strange. I just feel bad. Like it's my fault somehow.]  
[Sent: 3:24pm]

[From: Aang]  
[well it's not your fault! stuff happens.]  
[Sent: 3:25pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[I know. Thanks, Aang. Toph says 'hi.']  
[Sent: 3:26pm]

[From: Aang]  
[np. tell toph i said xoxo]  
[Sent: 3:26pm]

"Hey, Toph, Aang says...uh...'ex-oh-ex-oh.'"

"He says 'ex-oh-ex-oh?'"

"Yea."

[From: Aang]  
[taterface]  
[Sent: 3:26pm]

"He also says 'Taterface.'"

"Pssh. Ohhh, Twinkle Toes." Toph sighed happily, flopped on her back on the floor as Jane sang along to some grungy metal music. "I say 'ex-ex-ex' back."

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[She says xxx back, Twinkle Toes.' You two. =P So cute.]  
[Sent: 3:27pm]


	14. Cursed

  
  
[SRU Sketch - Sokka Kesuk](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Sketch-Sokka-Kesuk-287778441) by =[Destiny-Smasher](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

 

\- Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 -

It didn't rain. It was clear and clean out that afternoon. Katara wished it rained. It didn't feel right. These were always supposed to dull and dreary and rainy, weren't they? Somehow it'd have been easier that way - she could've hid under an umbrella or a raincoat or something. She was wearing a dark gray sweatshirt and black slacks and shoes out of respect for the occasion. Her friend was garbed in torn gray jeans and a black hoodie with a pink skull emblazoned across her left chest and was giving her eulogy.

"-and regardless of what anyone might think, much of what he did was with good intentions," Jane contnued, eyes planted on the wooden box resting in the hole in the ground before them. "He made me realize that being stubborn...can have its benefits - when you're being stubborn about the right things." Her eyes were leaky but didn't drip tears. She dabbed at her face before drops could fall and sucked in a deep breath. Katara, standing right beside her, took her hand and clasped it tightly as she finished. "Jack didn't always make the right choices - none of us do. But at least the choices he made were for others. Maybe he did a lot of things he shouldn't have, but try telling that to all of the people he helped out over the years. Jack always made sure that Freedom was what we were Fighting for."

Her speech concluded, she tightened her fingers back around Katara's hand before letting it go. Katara sighed slowly and silently as she retrieved a folded paper from her back pocket.

"I, uh..." She coughed to clear her throat and spoke up. "I have a reading," she announced calmly. "I know that...most of you...You probably knew Jeh-... _Jack_ better than me. But I...I just feel like...from what I knew...this is how he would feel. Or _does_ feel, or...-" She slowed her breath, a knot forming in her throat before she'd even began. She unfolded the note, grateful for the space she was given, and began to read.

 **"When I come to the end of the road,**  
And the sun has set for me,  
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room.  
Why cry for a soul set free?"

The rain pounded against Sokka's umbrella like so many regrets and desires, hard and unrelenting in that moment. His sister held him close, her arms wrapped around his waist in sympathy. He would let no one else touch him. His father stood beside them but gave his son space to grieve.

{Ulrika Alfven}  
{1988 - 2008}  
{Our Princess has returned to}  
{The Kingdom from whence she came}

"Are you going to say anything?" Katara whispered in his ear through the thumping raindrops.

"What more is there to say?" he quietly replied.

Sokka had no words of eulogy. The tombstone said everything that needed to be said. The Alfven family had already spoken their peace - anything Sokka would have expressed, anyway. Yue's funeral wouldn't be tainted by redundancy.

He could feel it in his sister's breathing against his shoulder: she desperately wanted to comfort him, to say _something,_ to find the light in the darkness, the silver lining. But she said nothing. And he was grateful for this. His sister's arms around him were all that he needed at that time. Nothing more, nothing less.

 **"Miss me a little, but not for long**  
And not with your head bowed low.  
Remember the love that once we shared.  
Miss me...but let me go."

Toph's world stood still and quiet - that icy cold quiet she loathed. Her lips were frozen, snowflakes pricking at her face every now and again when the wind gusted. Her mittens were constraining, hands dug deep into her fut coat's pockets. She could feel the presence of her parents looming behind her but she ignored them. They didn't matter in this moment. No one did - no one but Grammy Gram.

Toph pushed the chilly air from her mind and bathed herself in warm thoughts of book readings and being tucked in at night, of gingerbread men and eggnog, of baked potatoes for afternoon snacks, of the soft wrinkles of old skin and the funny smells of old sweaters. Toph ignored the words of relatives she'd never known - and _would_ never know - opting instead to highlight her grandmother's funeral with the music they would listen to together, the songs that made her fall in love with music, the songs she _knew_ her grandmother would've wanted played on this day. At least they would play in her own mind if no one else would listen to them on Grammy Gram's behalf.

~All you need is Love~  
~All you need is Love~  
~All you need is Love, Love~  
~Love is all you need~

 **"For this is a journey we all must take**  
And each must go alone.  
It's all part of the master plan -  
A step on the road to home."

The freckled child with the orange hair glared at the priest with rage as he spoke.

"Let us commend Mary and Joel Fitzpatrick to the mercy of God, and by His will...-"

_God?_

At the age of six, the child with the grouchy face didn't quite understand who this God person was, but if this was His fault then He was a person to be hated. Hated for His stupid guts for taking a kid's parents away. Hated for making a child like this - children weren't supposed to be made this way. The angry redhead could comprehend this, at least - that they were not born natural, that their parents were the only ones who had treated them like a normal child. And now those parents were gone, because this _God_ had taken them away. He was a stupid-head-booger-face and was to be hated.

"-...We therefore commit their bodies to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection of eternal life."

_Ashes to ashes..._

The child knew very well what 'ashes' were. Those dry, flaky black things that fire made out of everything. Their home had been turned to ashes while the kid had been away with cousins. The parents had been turned to ashes, too. And now that child was alone without them, a ball of Irish fury that would turn anything they didn't like into ashes - dust to dust.

 **"When you are lonely and sick at heart,**  
Go to the friends we know.  
Laugh at all the things we used to do.  
Miss me...but let me go."

So many strangers...So many people Katara didn't know. Her mother must have touched a lot of lives.

Everyone's words of sympathy meant nothing to her on that day. No "I'm sorry for your loss" would give her anything back. Her mother was gone, and...that was that. She had waited patiently for everyone to say their good-byes and express their consolation for the Kesuk family, and now she had her time alone. Her father and brother had each had their peace - it was her turn, and they had left her to have it.

She fell to her knees in the summer evening's grass and folded her hands together, bobbing her head in vigilance over the wooden box in the ground in the light, misting rain. She tucked her raincoat's hood over her head, cleared her head, and prayed.

_Dear God, please take care of my Mom. And tell her that I miss her already. Very much._

Her eyes were dry, their tears long expired during the funeral ceremony, their drops stained into the coffin. The twelve year-old was surprised at how she began to smile at that cold hole in the earth, remembering so many fond memories she had shared with her mother. Was it wrong to smile? No...No, Mom would want her to smile, to remember those things, to keep those good memories with her. She couldn't just live life crying, right? Certainly not.

She couldn't do anyone any good if she was crying all of the time.

"You need more time, Sport? Don't want you getting sick. Your Mom would hate that."

Katara was stirred gently from her thoughts by the firm hand of her father on her shoulder.

"Heyyyy, I told you, Dad, I'm not a 'Sport,'" Katara protested with a sniffle and a smile. "That's a _boy_ name." Finding something to make light of in this mood was a blessing.

"You play a sport," Hakoda reasoned. "Is volleyball not a sport anymore, or...-?"

"But you shouldn't _call_ me 'Sport,'" Katara giggled, taking her fathers hand and letting him lead her away while Sokka filled in her place and gave his own peace.

"What, you wanna be called 'Princess,' instead?" her dad prodded.

"Ew, no," she snickered, rubbing misted water from her face from the fizzing, gentle rain.

"Well, you're gettin' older, Kiddo. I can't keep callin' ya 'Kiddo' forever."

"How about 'Hun?'"

"'Hun?' But...isn't that...-?"

_What Mom called me._

"Yea, call me 'Hun,' Dad. I like that."

Maybe her mother wasn't entirely gone. Katara would make sure that her mother's kindness and caring would live on through her own actions. During the funeral, Katara's dad had said something that had stuck to Katara's brain like a prophecy.

_"She never turned her back on people that needed her."_

_Neither will I._

**"When I am dead, my dearest,**  
Sing no sad songs for me.  
Plant thou no roses at my head,  
Nor shady cypress tree."

"Why _here_ , Uncle?"

"This is their home, Zuko."

The young Zuko stared, perplexed, at the memorial stones that resided beside one another. They had mysterious symbols etched into them that he recognized as Japanese characters, but he didn't understand what they meant.

"But...But Uncle Iroh," Zuko muttered, confused, twiddling his fingers together. "Aren't they...Aren't they _gone_?"

"Their spirits may be elsewhere, Nephew, but their bodies belonged to this home - and this home is where they shall stay."

Zuko was puzzled by this idea: his aunt and his cousin were laying in boxes under the ground at his feet. Keeping dead people in the dirt in your backyard? Kinda creepy. Uncle Iroh had a _really big_ backyard, though, so...maybe it wasn't so weird. At least Uncle was feeling better than he had days before. It had been so bizarre, seeing happy old Uncle Iroh cry so much.

The pink petals on the tree that the stones were planted by wobbled in the wind as a warm afternoon breeze made them dance on their branches.

"And eventually," Iroh continued, "I will join them."

"Don't you want to join them _now_?"

"Of course, Nephew. But then I would have to leave you, your sister, and your parents behind." His chubby hand patted Zuko on the head. "And besides, I am sure I was left here because I still have work to do."

 **"Be the green grass above me,**  
With showers and dewdrops wet.  
And if thou wilt, remember.  
And if thou wilt, forget."

Toph clenched the servant's hand tightly, her feet skittering across the grass. These blades...were different than others. They were solemn and serene, tickling her feet with melancholy. She had come to recognize this particular field of grass very well.

"We're nearly there, Miss Beifong," advised the portly woman.

"Excellent," Toph affirmed her servant, gripping the device in her other hand by its handle tightly as they marched their way along. She had gradually taken to expressing some more courtesy to the servants who actually treated her with respect, especially since she'd be leaving soon enough for school and they'd be stuck with her intolerable parents.

When they had finally arrived at their destination, Toph set down her bulky device - an heirloom - and felt her hand out to the smooth, marble rock jutting out of the grass. Her fingers slipped across the elegant curves etched into its surface. This was her Grandma's grave.

"Thanks, Madison," said Toph. "I'll call you when I'm ready to leave."

"Certainly, Ma'am." Madison's steps carried her away, and Toph waited until she could hear them no longer.

Toph stood at the grave, continuing to scroll her hand along its surface.

"Heya, Grammy," she whispered. "I came to see you again. I'm going to be leaving soon." Toph smiled as she let her hand drop from the stone. "You'd be proud of me. I told my parents off. I'm going to college where _I_ want to go. Just a few more days and I'll be off..."

Toph sighed deeply as she set herself down in the grass in her summer dress and her bare feet.

"And ya know where I'll be going, Grammy Gram?" she coyly teased, groping her hand around the device she'd set down. She clicked in a stiff button, and the device winded up into life, pouring sound out from its speakers. She sang along with the words in a solemn, sentimental way - the way her grandmother would sing her to sleep.

"~Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup~They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe~"

Toph slowly swayed her body to and fro as she sang, envisioning the grainy voice of her late relative joining in.

"~Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind~Possessing and caressing me~"

["~Jai guru deva om~"]  
["~Nothing's gonna change my world~"]

"I've been getting better at the guitar, Grammy. Soon I'll be just as good as you."

["~Nothing's gonna change my world~"]

"You'd better keep an eye on me while I'm at college."

["~Nothing's gonna change my world~"]

"'Cuz you know how I can be, heh. Make sure I find the right people. OK?"

["~Nothing's gonna change my world~"]

"I'm counting on you to still be there for me, Grandma."

 **"I shall not see the shadows,  
I shall not fear the rain;  
** **I shall not hear the nightingale**  
Sing on as if in pain."

"Put on your coat, Dum-Dum."

"I'm not cold."

"Then stop shivering. It's irritating."

Zuko frowned at his sister's bitter attitude and took the formal coat in his arm and stuffed his body into it. Jamming his hands in his pockets and acknowledging that he was, in fact, pretty chilly, he stared at the extravagent memorial stone left for the sake of his mother, presumed dead. Deep in his gut, Zuko knew that she was dead. She would never have abandoned her loved ones, even if it put her in danger. It seemed that being put in danger must have been what had happened.

"Should we...-?" Zuko shuffled in place. "Should we say something? Or...or sing? Or...I don't know."

"Of _course_ we should say something," Azula hissed. "This is our mother we're talking to."

"What are we supposed to say?" Zuko grumbled. "She's not exactly going to hear it."

"Please excuse your _ignorant_ son, Mother," Azula bellowed to the stone, tightening her blood red scarf around her neck. "I've been trying to keep him in line, but as you can see, it's next to impossible."

Zuko rolled his eyes at her melodrama and considered the question, _Why did I let her drag me out here?_

"We miss you, Mother," he declared, cutting through his sister's tirade. Whether she could hear them or not, at least Zuko was going to put his sister in her place and on track rather than letting her slip down the usual hypocritical road.

"We most certainly do," Azula insisted with more solemnity than usual, her mittened arms crossed over her chest.

With that, Zuko turned tail and began walking away from the stone, marching through the cold night, down the cemetary's walkway.

"Wh-? Zuzu, where are you going?" Azula demanded with some slight urgency.

"I told Mother what she needed to know."

"So you're just going to leave her here?"

"If I have anything else to say to her it'd be just between us," Zuko explained. "So I'm giving you some time alone with her."

"Buh...But I don't...-" Azula seemed lost with her little brother to ridicule. "Fine," she curtly decided at last. "I'll go first, then."

"Good for _you_ ," Zuko grumbled, his words outside of her earshot. He approached the Wayward Cemetary gates after a minute or two and dropped himself into their expensive car, the chaufer asking not a word while they waited.

_He's not going to get away with this, Mother. He's prison now. I'm not sure what we'll do, but...we'll work through this._

Zuko lay his head against the one-way window and dozed off into thoughts for a few minutes. His sister entered with a chattering sigh, rubbing her arms.

"Back to our Uncle's," she announced, and the car started up.

"Do you feel any better?" Zuko wondered.

"Of course not," Azula snapped.

"Then why did you want to come here tonight?" he pressed with nonchalance. Azula frowned at him and turned her head away, opting to face the street lamps rather than her brother's skepticism.

 _There's still hope for her, Mother. If you_ can _hear us, then please...help her. Sometimes I worry she's more lost than_ I _am..._

 **"And dreaming through the twilight**  
That doth not rise nor set,  
Haply I may remember,  
And haply I may forget."

Jane patted Katara on the back a couple of times in her gruff style of encouragement, and Katara wiped her eyes with her palm. She used her sleeve to clean up her face as she folded up the poem and dropped it onto the coffin. These tears were not entirely for Jet - in her mind, she knew this was true. These tears were for Jet but also for her mother, and for her brother and father. The eerie coincidence dawned on her that anyone with whom her family seemed to get romantically invovled with seemed to pass away quite prematurely.

{Jack "Jet" Chavez}  
{1984 - 2010}  
{May he find his Freedom}

Maybe the Kesuk family was cursed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem was written by Christina Rosetti.


	15. An Angry Girl

  
  
[Smellerbee, the Fighting Irish](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/Smellerbee-the-Fighting-Irish-205839931) by =[Destiny-Smasher](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

\- Saturday, September 25th -

"Nope. Not since Tuesday."

"You've just been...ignoring them?"

"Yep. I told them at the funeral: I'm done."

"Well, er..." Sokka shrugged, passing Jane her a white cup with a simplified dragon printed around its surface. "Good for you, eh?"

"Good for me," Jane dryly agreed, taking a sip of her coffee.

_Ow. Fuck. Almost burned my tongue._

She popped off the lid to her cup and stared at the liquid for a moment, inspecting it. It looked like Sokka had administered enough creamer, at least - nice and light brown.

"So...What happens now?" Sokka wondered.

"Huh?"

"Well, like...I-I thought I heard Katara say at some point that, like...you couldn't just _leave_ the Freedom Fighters..."

"Hmph," Jane snorted, avoiding his curious gaze. "That was back when we had a _leader._ "

"What about that gang that attacked you? Aren't you scared of them?"

"If I have to deal with them I can do it on my own," insisted Jane, gently blowing at her coffee. Store-bought coffee was always too fucking hot. Damn. If she wanted to burn off her tongue she'd lick an electric stove.

"Well, aren't _you_ just the big tough girl?" Sokka teased with a grin, nudging up his mug in a casual toast, leaning back against the wall behind him.

"Damn straight," scoffed Jane, still wary of her coffee's temperature. Sokka slurped a bit at his own. How could he drink his? Was his tongue heat-resistent?

_Am I being a pussy, or something? Wimpy little prep boy here can drink hot coffee and I can't._

"Sooo...What did you want?" Jane wondered, her pale eyes finally glancing up at Sokka. He lifted a brow at her across his travel mug.

"Mm?" he hummed out through his sipping.

"You wanted to...to meet? And have coffee?" Jane mumbled expectantly. "What did...you wanna talk about?"

" _Oh_." Sokka shrugged, setting his mug down. "I dunno. Whatever."

"Whatever?" she repeated with a flat irritation.

"Yea," he replied with nonchalance. "Just wanted to chat, Freckle-Face. Get to know ya."

"A- _huh_." Jane wasn't terribly amused by this. She let Sokka wallow in silence for a minute or two, letting her coffee cool. At last, she asked, "What do you want to _know_?"

"Errr..." Sokka was obviously beginning to notice her grouchy disposition. "I don't-...Ehm. What _should_ I know?"

Jane sighed, rolled her eyes, and drank a small bit of coffee.

_Hmph. Too much sweetener. God damnit._

"You should _know_ that I'm not a very patient person," Jane gruffly explained.

"That's something we share in common," Sokka jumped on the chance. "At least, when it comes to people."

"People are assholes."

Sokka's enthused face cracked a bit, his mind's gears cranking to come up with a segue-way.

"Whh...Y-yea, I mean, they _can_ be, but not _all_ of them."

Jane bobbed her head to the side in a half-shrug and sipped a little more this time.

"Like your sister," Jane conceded quietly, staring off at a random student behind Sokka.

"Right!"

"Katara's pretty cool," admitted Jane meekly, running her finger around the edge of her cup.

"She certainly is," concurred Sokka with a hearty smile.

"Even _if_ she can be a little crazy," Jane muttered. "But _everyone's_ at least a little crazy," she mused with a smirk.

"I know _I_ sure am," Sokka chuckled, slapping his palm on the table.

"Not as crazy as me," Jane concluded with eyelids half open and brows lifted.

"You strike me as more... _angry_ than crazy."

A laugh escaped Jane at this comment.

"Ohhh, I _am_ a pretty fuckin' angry person. But _also_ crazy."

"Why's that?" Sokka wondered as he leaned forward on his elbows, curiosity pulling him.

"I've got my reasons," Jane affirmed coldly before drinking some more of her overly sweet coffee.

"Most people _do_ ," observed Sokka with a solemn shrug.

"Most people don't have _my_ reasons," Jane insisted with a narrow glare.

"Fair enough." Sokka sucked down the last of his drink.

"What should I know about _you_ , Sokka?"

"I like food. A lot."

A thick sarcasm dribbled out through Jane's lips. "You're shitting me."

"I like history. Especially wars. How people have mindlessly murdered each other in the past...But more importantly, the strategies they used to do so."

"That's...probably the manliest thing I've heard about you so far."

"I haven't heard a _single_ womanly thing about _you_ ," Sokka teased. Jane's fist tightened around her cup at his comment.

"Guess you don't know very much about me, then."

" _Well,_ " Sokka tapped his fingertips against his forehead. "Clearly there is much we have yet to learn about each other, Ginger."

_How many nicknames does this guy have for me, anyway?_

"From what Katara's told me about _you_ I'm not really so sure how much I _want_ to learn..."

"She's my _sister -_ come on. She's going to paint me in a bad light. With ugly paint."

"Weren't you just saying how cool she was?"

" _Well yea,_ but I'm more gracious than she is, so of course I'd say that."

" _Fff!_ Yea, _OK_..."

Sokka grinned at her doubt, polishing his fingernails on his button-down shirt.

"I can be _very_ sensitive," Sokka advised. "Like, ehm...-"

Jane stared at him, eyes wide with amusement and expectation.

"I'm sorry about your parents," he tossed sympathy out bluntly. His tone's sharp wit had rapidly dulled. "I know how hard it can be." His wandering gaze quickly leapt back to her slightly flushed face. "An-and I guess we were lucky, in...in a way," he injected. "We still have our dad, at least."

Jane's bowels rotated at the sudden twist in topic. What the hell was up with this guy, suddenly trying to be all sentimental and crap?

"That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Jane recited with a shrug.

"Or it...ya know...makes you angry," Sokka theorized touchily.

"Both," Jane swatted down what she perceived as some kind of offensive against her attitude.

"At least your boyfriend seems pretty mellow."

"Yea," Jane mumbled. "He...he's super chill. Keeps me steady."

"Everyone could use someone to ground them," Sokka acknowledged.

"Heh, especially me."

"I feel like your drill sergeant will probably keep you so grounded your legs will be buried."

"Pah, I'd like to see him try."

"Do you get a lot of crap from them?"

"Huh?"

"From...ya know. From the other guys in training."

"Uh...for what?"

"I've seen you guys jogging around campus. Aren't you the only girl?"

"Yeeeeaa... _So_?"

Sokka shrugged in defense.

"N-nothin', I just...I would figure they might give you a hard time or something."

"I can keep up with them just _fine_."

"I bet," Sokka agreed. "But, I mean...There would be certain things that they'd be able to do easier than you...right?"

Jane glowered at his entirely valid point, utterly infuriated by this truth as Sokka stated the obvious.

"'Cuz they're just _bigger_ than you, is all I'm saying."

"And bigger is better, is that it?"

"N-not at all! I'd just...I just wonder if that becomes an issue."

"I get everything done that I need to," Jane specified. "I don't need anyone's help."

"And...So that's why you needed _Katara's_ help bandaging that head," Sokka observed, nodding up and glancing at the band of white cloth around Jane's head. Katara had been helping replace it with a fresh cloth each day all week, in fact. Her eyes narrowed further and she opted to glare at her coffee as she drank some more. "And you needed that _bandage_ 'cuz that's the same attitude you had the night your friend died."

Jane's jaws were grinding together.

"What's your fuckin' _point?_ " she hissed in a whisper through grit teeth.

Sokka frowned back for the first time in their exchange. His misted blue eyes gazed into the recesses of her olive pools of rage.

_That Jet might still be alive if I hadn't tried saving him on my own. If I had gotten help._

"My point? My point is that if you're going to fit into our group, ' _Smellerbee,'_ your attitude isn't gonna work out."

"Excuse me?"

"No one _cares_ about this 'tough-girl' act. I get that you're not exactly into unicorns and fairies and believe me, I respect that. But this loner thing? I don't like it."

"And why the _hell_ should I care what _you_ think?"

"Because what I think is that I don't want to see my sister get hurt because of the crap _you_ get yourself mixed into."

Their eyes remained locked and intense, like two swords sparking against one another.

"She won't."

"She'd _better_ not."

"Why?" Smellerbee spat irritably. "What the _fuck_ do you think _you're_ gonna do about it? Huh, Abercrombie?"

"If my sister ends up in the hospital...or _dead..._ because of you and your gang, it's gonna be on _your_ hands-"

"They're not _my gang,_ anymore, Sokka. I'm _done._ "

"Then _why_ are you still acting like you have something to prove?"

Another heated moment of silent stares passed before Smellerbee tore her eyes from his, arms shoving themselves across her chest.

"This is who I _am_ , Preppie."

"That's great," Sokka grumbled, cocking his head slightly to the side as he stared at her averting eyes. "As long as you don't get my friends pulled into any shady business. For all I care, you can go on with your nonsense nickname. What the hell does 'Smellerbee' even _mean?_ Go head, keep on acting like you're a thug, pretending that you're a freaking _boy_ , always trying to-"

 _Don't you fucking_ dare.

"-make sure everyone knows how _tough_ you are all the damned time, being _angry_ at the whole freakin' _world_ because-"

"Stop." Smellerbee flashed up her palm at him. "You don't know a fucking _thing_ about me, man. Just...shut the hell up." She gruffly rose to her feet. She glance at him briefly, his gaze still locked onto her. She immediately pulled away and shoved the chair against the table, causing her coffee cup to splash a bit. He could drink the damned sugar water for all she cared.

"What are _you_ trying to prove?" she demanded, ignoring the various coffee-drinkers around them who were uncomfortably staring or fidgeting about.

"That I love my friends, and I don't want to see them get into trouble," Sokka replied with a collected simplicity. "That _you_ rub me the wrong way, and that I don't trust you, Freckle-Face. Not yet."

"I don't _need_ your fucking trust," seethed Smellerbee viciously. "I don't have anything to prove to fuckin' _assholes_ like you."

Having said the few words she needed to say like a blunt club against Sokka's face, Smellerbee stomped out of the coffee shop, brutally shoving the glass double doors out and rushing up the stone steps out into the sunny afternoon. Jane paused a moment to soak in what had just transpired. Her gut had been right: Sokka hadn't just wanted to talk, he'd wanted to try and get inside her head because he had a problem with her.

 _Shit. Katara is_ not _gonna be happy with us..._

* * *

"Jay-mee, _Jay-mee_! Little Cousin _It!_ " jeered the boy with the chunky frame.

"Shut up!" hissed the bully's victim, a lanky child of twelve.

"It! It! It!" was the countering chant.

"I said _shut up!_ " Jamie screeched through the taunting, punching the opposing child in the arm. The chubby boy absorbed the hit with nary a problem, Jamie's puny little fist leaving no sign of impact. The larger, brutish kid fiercely shoved his opposition, knocking them down into the grass beside the flower patch in the back yard. "I hate you, Nils!" Jamie growled, ignoring stinging elbows.

"Everyone hates _you_ , freak!"

"No, they don't!" defied Jamie, slamming a fist into the ground.

"Wanna bet?"

"Leave me alone! Already _told_ you, Nils: my cousins are in the _house_." Jamie was scrambling backward nervously as Nils slowly approached, towering above. Nils was a friend of Jamie's older cousins and lived down the street, but as of late he seemed to have taken pleasure in tormenting the youngest child of the household when he visited.

"But this is so much _fun,_ Jamie," Nils chuckled. "I'm just trying to teach ya how to be tough."

"I can be tough when I wanna..."

"You're too _girly_ to be tough."

"Shut _up!_ Go away!"

Jamie kicked out a slender leg at Nils' fat shin, and he grunted as the sneaker heel rammed into him. Hands pushing through dirt now, Jamie finally flipped over and crawled across the small garden, crushing a couple of flowers in the escape. Nils laughed and stomped right into the thin garden that ran alongside the wooden fence of the backyard. Jamie had inadvertently knocked over a flower where a bee had been harvesting pollen. The bee swerved and landed on Jamie's hand - the child froze and stared at it as it scurried along the pale, freckled wrist. Jamie could clearly see in that moment its chubby, round shape and distinct black and yellow stripes - it was a bumblebee.

"Ya gotta _stand up_ for yerself, stupid."

Nils laughed as he stomped on Jamie's back, eliciting a gasp from his victim as he plastered the redhead's body flat into the ground. This caused the bee to fly from Jamie's hand and spiral through the air in fury. It angrily buzzed and whirred around Nils, causing him to lift his foot off of Jamie in a panic, fumbling backward. He frantically thrashed his hands at the insect, eyes wide and afraid.

"Agh, go away!" he cried, oddly horrified by the pudgy bug. The more he swung his arms, the angrier the bee got, until it finally landed on his arm. It jammed its stinger into Nils' skin and he shrieked, swatting at his tricep only to miss. The bug swerved away and landed on his shin, injecting its stinger at him once again. Another roar of pain, and Jamie realized that the 'bully' problem for today just fixed itself. Jamie forced skinny legs onto skinny feet and scuttled right behind Nils, who was fleeing the garden.

" _It stung me, it stung me,_ " Nils was repeatedly gibbering, limping away to the back deck.

"That's what you get!" Jamie declared in furious retribution, following him closely, savoring the moment.

"I'm _allergic,_ you ass!" the chunky boy snarled. Sure enough, upon observation, it could be seen that the spots where Nils had been stung were swelling and turning bright red. "Why didn't it sting _you?_ "

"'Cuz!" Jamie blurted out immediately. "It...It could smell your _fear._ "

"Bees can do that?" Nils whimpered, clambering up the patio steps.

"Of course!" Jamie went along with this fanciful idea. "It could...it could smell that you were afraid. It could smell the _evil_ coming from you."

It was probably the delusional state of shock and pain that the boy was in, but Nils seemed to buy in to this embellished explanation.

"Friggin'...-" He was gasping out now, his voice wheezing as they entered into the living room through the back door.

"Uncle!" Jamie yelled out irritably into the house.

"What is it?" the mustached man wondered, thumping down the stairs. "What happened?"

"Friggin'...Smelling...bee..." Nils was panting out. "Did I...smell bad...?" Definitely delusional at this point. "Dohn wanna...smell evil..."

" _What?_ " spat out the only adult present, baffled. "What happened, Jamie?"

Jamie's arms were crossed, accented by a frown. "He got stung," Jamie replied with a shrug, hands tucked behind the back and words lathered with innocence.

"By what?" demanded the uncle.

Nils offered the answer in a drawling moan, his eyes squint shut in pain.

"Bai uhh...Ssssmellerbeeee...Ulgh..."

A smirk formed under olive eyes, which glared across patches of freckles at the coughing boy as he sat on the couch, choking on the dish of revenge. For months Nils had been grieving Jamie, but today was the day of his first defeat. That small yellow and black insect, that harbinger of this long-awaited revenge, had a name all its own now: the name assigned to it by Jamie's fallen nemesis.

* * *

Katara sighed and shook her head, tossing her arm out dismissively.

"No, it's...it's all right, Jane. He can...My brother can be a real pain sometimes, I know." She collapsed into their booth at Appa's. "He seems to always think he's right," she muttered. Her expression dulled as she added, "And more often than I'd like? He _is_ right..."

"Well, he sure as hell ain't right about _me_."

"No," Katara vehemently agreed. "He _definitely_ isn't." She paused to contemplate the situation and the cracks in her armor of determination became apparent as she thumped her head into her arms on the table and groaned miserably. "Urgh, why is it one thing after the other?"

"That's life, Babe," Jane apathetically informed her, slapping Katara playfully on the back of her head, stirring her out of her exasperated stupor.

"Maybe...you should _tell_ him. Tell the whole group."

Jane could tell that Katara's suggestion had been carefully considered, simmering around in her mind for time before this conversation, waiting for just the right time to come out.

"N-not sure that's such a great idea," Jane grumbled dubiously, her pale face flashing like a stop light.

"Come on, Jane," Katara pleaded softly, latching her hands onto her arms with a shiver. She grabbed her Aqua hoodie from beside her on the booth's cushion and slipped it on.

"You cold?" Jane inquired, perplexed.

"Little bit," Katara admitted, rubbing at her arms before stuffing her hands in her waist pocket. "Why wouldn't you do it?" Katara continued, not letting the subject go so easily.

"Ach," Jane grunted, rolling her head about indecisively. "I don't _know,_ Kat, it's...-"

"It's very sensitive," Katara knowingly acknowledged. "It's very personal. I _know,_ Jane. But you can't expect people like my brother to know any better if he doesn't know the truth. And-and maybe if you open up to them, they won't feel so intimidated by you."

"They feel intimidated by me?" Jane was both perplexed but pleased with that idea.

"Toph was a little at first, but you two are alike in a lot of ways, so I know she really likes you by now. Sokka is _totally_ intimidated or else he wouldn't have said any of that stuff to you. And Aang and Suki?" Katara shrugged, her expression nervous. "They just don't know what to do with you. You've been very...antisocial. And quiet."

"But...But I'm fucking _trying,_ here," Jane declared defensively, "What more do they-?"

"No, you're _right_ ," Katara quickly eased, palms out. "You are, I know you're trying, Jane. I know it's...not natural for you."

Jane's heartbeat turned irregular and her breathing went sharp for a couple of moments, a swell of emotion seeping out for reasons she didn't comprehend. Just dwelling on this idea was stressful, bringing back pain and confusion and hatred and rage.

"I don't even...What _is_ natural for me, Katara?" Jane demanded in an oddly desperate growl. She smacked herself in the forehead and huffed, fiercely restraining her recently disturbed inner turmoil from escaping the thick shell she bound it within. It felt like a dormant dragon of unspeakable power being awoken and she was being tasked with keeping it at bay in its cave.

"Jane, Hun..." Katara extended a hand across the table, but Jane refused to take it, keeping her arms stiffly straight at her sides. "Whatever you feel is right. That's what's natural for you." She retracted her hand and frowned with regret and sympathy, unsure of what to do to help. "I'm sorry. I'm not meaning to pressure you into it. I think it'd be healthy to do it - to let it out. And I _know_ that they'd be supportive. It'd help them understand why things are so difficult for you, and...and they'd probably be more receptive to you if they felt like you trusted them. Does that...Does that make any sense?"

Jane bobbed her head back and forth with a quick glance, the doubt clouding her eyes receding.

"That's how I feel about it, Jane. And as your friend, I'm letting you know that. _But..._ If you aren't comfortable with it, then you shouldn't do it. I just don't want you to think that this is something you need to _hide_ from them. They want to be your friends, they-"

"Your _brother_ sure as hell doesn't..."

"Ehhh..." Katara scratched her ear, tucking a loose locke of hair behind it. "He _does,_ Jane. He knows there's more to you than meets the eye and he wants to get along with you. I _know_ he does. He wouldn't have been so rash with you if he didn't care."

 _I don't trust you, Freckle-Face. Not yet.  
_ Not _yet,_ he had said. She'd overlooked that specific addition to his phrase in the heat of the moment.

"Sokka's different from me in that way," Katara explained. "We're kind of like opposites. You really have to earn his trust. But once you earn it, he is _always_ going to look out for you." She informed Jane of this with specific deliberation, and Jane couldn't deny the very strong bond between the two siblings just based on the tone of her voice, regardless of all she had witnessed between the two in person.

"Hmph," Jane puffed out, barely affirming Katara's guarantee. "How are you like opposites?" she questioned, confused.

Katara grinned and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"I, um...I trust really easily, but..." She shrugged. "I kind of have a lot of trouble getting over stuff when that trust gets broken. Ya know?"

"Yea," Jane murmured, all too familiar with faith being shattered. She found it somewhat admirable how Katara openly tossed out this flaw of hers. She just threw it out there. Jane recalled when they had been getting to know one another months prior. Katara would let Jane peek into the windows of her life with such ease and honesty. At first Jane had wondered what was true and what wasn't, but everything Katara had told her during that summer seemed true - even the flaws she had admitted to, like the over-worrying and trying to fix everything.

"Anyway, like..." Katara showed her friend a confident and encouraging smile. "I don't want to bother you about it, I'm just asking you to think about it."

"OK." Jane nodded, rubbing her eyebrow with her finger.

_Maybe I should just...get it out of the way, then?_

"Let's, erm...Let's do it, then," she decided weakly. Her words were muddled with uncertainty.

"Wh-? Like...Right now?" Katara was taken aback. "Are you serious?" She was not convinced, keen to Jane's hesitancy. "You _sure_ , Jane?"

"Serious? Yea. Sure? No," admitted the redhead, her face pinkened again, her entire hand of fingertips running over her brow now. "B-but it's not like they're not gonna find out _eventually_..." She sighed and dropped her arm, wedging her hands between her legs as her foot bounced habitually. "I trust you, Kat. If you...If you think this is a good idea, maybe they should know." She let slide a smirk to her blue-eyed friend who reciprocated, and Jane was glad to see it.

_I'm not exactly a Freedom Fighter anymore. Don't really have anywhere else to go, but Katara seems to want me around. And Johnny wants me to stick with these people...I still don't get why he thinks they're so good for me, but..._

"Besides," Jane amended with a chuckle, "This way if anyone says any shit about me I have every right to kick their ass, no questions asked. Right?"

"Baha!" Katara slapped her leg in concurrence. "You sure do."

"Then let's get this over with."

"Shhhhuuure," Katara awkwardly agreed, still thrown off by Jane's eager disposition. She fumbled around and whipped out her cell phone. "I'm, uhh...I'll let them know." She froze, staring at her phone with a blank expression. "Wait, so...Who am I...-?" She glanced up with a raised brow.

"Oh, er..." Jane's eyes darted to the left as she considered her options. "The whole...gang. I guess."

"You sure you're comfortable with that?" Katara double checked.

"Yea," Jane immediately spat. She wasn't entirely comfortable. She was pretty pissed at Sokka and she still knew next to nothing about Suki. But she had faith in Katara's decision. The more Jane seemed to trust in this girl the more Katara seemed to prove how trustworthy she was.

"All right." Katara's face exploded into a grateful and relieved grin and she began to feverishly punch numbers into her phone.

Jane pulled out her own device and sent a message.

[To: Johnny Longshot]  
[hey im thinkin of tellin my new friends bout...THAT. what do you think?]  
[Sent: 3:12pm]

* * *

"Hiya, Sis, what's going...-?" Sokka froze in his tracks when he noticed Jane spread across Katara's bed to his right. The two practically drew swords with their eyes. "Oh, hey, _Smellerbee,_ " Sokka demeaned.

"Hey, _Asswipe,_ " Jane hissed back.

"Did she tell you-?" Sokka immediately began, his concern having crumbled into rage as he jabbed an accusing pointer finger at the aloof girl on the bed.

" _Yes,_ " Katara interjected, sweeping by Sokka and pushing his shoulder to ease him into her desk chair, which was pointed to face her bed. "Now, stop it, you guys. Come on." Her words sparked with disappointment.

"Is this some group therapy session, Katara?" Sokka grumbed, kicking off his loafers and leaning back in the chair. "You the mediator or something?"

"No," Katara groaned, her lids squinting in frustration for a moment. "Just...Quit it. Where's Suki?"

"What do you need her for?"

"But...I thought she was with you when I called."

"Yea, but you said you needed me for something."

Jane popped an aspirin as Katara mumbled a response.

"Oh...I-I guess I just assumed...-"

"She had a thing with some friends this afternoon," clarified Sokka.

Sokka seemed to be in a fairly irate mood - Jane recalled him telling her earlier that day about his lack of patience with people. She knew full well that his state of mind had more to do with herself being present rather than his sister.

"We can still...go ahead, then - don't you think?" Katara turned to Jane, who shrugged, crossing one leg over the other. She was kind of relieved - she barely knew Suki at this point and wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of that girl knowing about this, anyway.

[From: Johnny Longshot]  
[ ;D ]  
[Sent: 3:47pm]

"What are you _talking_ about?" Sokka demanded in a growl, slapping his knees impatiently.

"Jane has something she needs to tell you guys," Katara firmly explained, glaring at her brother with pleading eyes, begging him to calm himself down. Her expression served its purpose well as Sokka's hostile stance faltered.

"Fine," he gave in with a huff. "I don't see why this couldn't have wai-"

"We're heeeeeere~" sang Toph from the hall as they approached. Her voice could be heard singing from the hall: "~Shave and a haircut~" There was a brief pause before Toph thrust herself dramatically in front of the doorway, expression wild as she finished, "~ _Two bits!~_ " flailing her arms out.

"Wha?" Aang blurted from her side as he grabbed her arm to prevent the wobbly girl from toppling over in her crazed drama.

"I could use a haircut..." Sokka muttered to himself thoughtfully, running his fingers through his floppy bangs.

"Oh, hi, Meathead," Toph enthusiastically cried, fumbling into the room and tripping over his loafers. Aang instinctively reached an arm out as if to once again prevent her from hurting herself, but she had gone off on her own at this point. She laughed and shoved the shoes aside with the side of her foot, slipping her sandals off and heading to her bed, only to bump into her desk chair, which had been moved in lieu of Katara's own chair being rearranged. She rebounded from her chair and finally fell into her bed. Her hair had been styled into pigtails, which she quickly undid and united into a ponytail as Aang joined her, shrugging sheepishly to his friends.

"Hey," Sokka greeted at last.

"'Sup, Toph?" Jane made her presence known.

"Heeeyyy, JayBee."

"Hi, Jane!" Aang waved his hand at her with a wide grin. The ginger girl couldn't help but smile back and lift a hand in reply, charmed by his innocent eagerness.

"Thanks for coming, guys," said Katara as she gently closed the door, locking it from the inside. "Sorry I wasn't specific about what was going on - Jane wanted to talk with us about something."

"Is everything OK?" Toph immediately wondered. "Is your head all right?"

Jane smirked, amused by Toph's slightly more-off-kilter-than-usual mood.

"Fine," she replied.

"Didn't seem so fine to me just a little while ago," Sokka grumbled.

Noticing Aang and Toph's expressions rapidly change from relaxed to confused, Katara quickly laid out the situation.

"Sokka and Jane had a bit of a spat today, and it made us realize that there's something Jane wants you guys to know."

Jane sat up as Katara took a seat beside her brother. The frustrated Irish girl took a deep breath. She ran her hand through her dirty hair - she'd been avoiding washing it for fear of worsening her injury, but Katara was helping keep it disinfected with each change of bandages, at least. Every time she'd receive the same scolding for refusing to go to a hospital, but Jane was simply not going to put herself through that process.

"This doesn't leave this room," Jane issued her condition. "Got it?"

"Y-yea, sure," Toph agreed instantly.

"Promise." Aang crossed his finger over his heart.

Jane's glance cast itself to Sokka, who was hunched in his chair, stroking his patch of chin hair contemplatively.

"What about Suki?" he wondered. Jane shook her head with firm resolve.

"I'll tell her myself when I feel like it."

Sokka sighed and shook his head with a shrug, as if he had little choice in this matter.

"All right," he gave in. "Your secret's safe with me."

"OK." Jane folded her legs up in her chair. Her tight black T-shirt had started to ride up from laying on the bed so she tugged it down, taking a moment to appreciate the bumblebee symbol stitched into the left chest. Her throat dried up, a knot bound her guts together, her heartbeat quickened...

She met Katara's gaze and was calmed by the sapphire eyes that radiated confidence and courage, fueling her to be strong, assuring safety. She cleared her throat and wrapped her hands around her waist, olive eyes shedding their rough shell, grit teeth loosening behind frowning lips.

"I told you guys that my parents died when I was little," Jane reviewed. "And that I ended up moving in with relatives...What I _didn't_ tell you is that my parents left all of their savings to me for two reasons." She lifted up her thumb. "One: to pay for my college education." She raised her index finger. "Two: to let me have surgery done when I was old enough to decide what I wanted." Jane at last looked up at the puzzled expressions of the group - Katara's, of course, being the exception. They seemed speechless, unsure of what Jane was getting at.

"I was born an intersexual," Jane announced, knocking her voice down a couple of decibals.

"So you like boys _and_ girls?" Aang whispered, his face beet red at the topic. Toph laughed through her nose and shoved an elbow into his side.

"That's _bi_ sexual, Twinkle-Toes."

"Oh..."

"Like...a hermaphrodite...?" Sokka muttered quietly.

" _Intersexual,_ " Jane specificed irritably, obviously disinterested in the particular word Sokka had used. "When I was born, I...-" She twitched her shoulders. "-...wasn't really a boy _or_ a girl. I was...kind of both."

"Whoa." The word slipped out of Aang's lips, his eyes wide, though Toph's brows were furrowed, her face pensive. A look at Sokka's face revealed that he was likely regretting some of the comments he had made up until that point, avoiding her gaze, fidgeting with discomfort.

"My parents didn't want to make me be one gender or the other, so...they decided they would let me decide on my own when I was old enough."

"Wouldn't...that make things _super_ confusing when you were growing up?" Toph theorized.

"Yea. It would," Jane confirmed. "But I'm glad I was given the choice. Not everyone like me is so lucky - a lot of the time there's health complications, and...Sometimes they just aren't given a choice."

"Soooo, like, how does that work _out,_ then?" Sokka asked, flopping his hands around as he spoke. "I mean, with the kinds of organs, and stuff, how would-?"

"Sokka," Katara snipped, slapping his leg.

"Ow. I'm just _curious!_ "

Jane groaned and rubbed her eyebrows, mentally exhausted as it was.

"Isn't 'Jane' a girl's name?" Sokka followed up.

"They named me 'Jamie'," Jane illuminated. "All you need to know is that it was really awkward growing up, and that when I started going through puberty, I decided I wanted to be a girl. And I had surgery done, and I...became a girl. Changed my name."

"So...everything _works,_ then?" Toph asked, fairly concerned, it seemed.

"I...I _guess._ Far as I can tell," Jane confessed, cheeks shimmering red. "I mean...we're not _really_ sure if I can have kids or not yet." She huffed through her nostrils, considering whether or not this was something she even wanted. "Not that I've _tried_ or anything."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is probably why you keep getting mad at me when I pick on you about...being...not so girly," groped Sokka's words hesitantly.

"Ya think?"

"I do."

Toph, hand on her chin, piped up with the question, "How come you chose to be girl?"

"Yea," Aang concurred. "I mean, ya just...You're...really tough, and...and everything..."

"I was raised by men," Jane flatly informed. "I guess they rubbed off on me..." She sighed as her mind fought to damn up the cavalcade of memories that were piling up in her consciousness. "And I got sick of them. Wanted to be... _not..._ like them." She removed blue specks of blanket lint that had stuck to the bee logo on her shirt.

"Makes enough sense," Toph conceded.

"Not _all_ guys are assholes, though," deduced the redhead, rewarding Aang's polite courtesies with a smile before deliberately sharpshooting Sokka's now guilty slump with her glance.

"Jane hasn't exactly had it easy," Katara concluded to her friends. "She was afraid of telling you this because other people have treated her badly in the past." Jane knew what Katara wanted to add to that: 'People like Jet.'

_Damnit, Katara, I don't need them thinking I'm some fucking wilted flower in need of watering..._

"Bottom line is," Jane announced, "Don't go sayin' shit about me." Olive daggers pierced the pale blue iris pair on Sokka's face.

"O-of course not," Aang assured. "That's... _wow_. Like, I can't even imagine..."

"This doesn't make you think of Jane any differently, right, guys?" Katara threw out.

"No, that just makes me think you're even _more_ bad-ass," Toph complimented with a grin. "That must be tough to deal with. No wonder you're such an awesome chick - you _chose_ to be one."

Sokka clucked his tongue.

"Man, Jane, you made the wrong decision on _that_ one," he advised, waggling his index finger. At first, Jane's instinct was to kick him in the groin, but she quickly realized he was trying to use his humor to lighten the mood between them now that he had new material to work with. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about this. "What were you _thinking?_ You probably regret it by now, doncha?" He winked her way, his index poking in her direction. 'Work with me, here,' was the sentiment his demeanor implied.

"Sometimes," she slyly went along. "About..." She rolled her eyes up in mock contemplation. "A few days every month." A round of chuckles brightened the pity party, much to Jane's relief.


	16. Leaving the Nest

  
  
[SRU Sketch - Toph Beifong](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Sketch-Toph-Beifong-287779245) by =[daughterofthestars](http://daughterofthestars.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

 - Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 -

[Boomerang Blog: Back At Ya!]

[ **More Wheels** ]  
[Posted on September 28th, 1:12am]  
[by **Noble Sir Kesuk Esquire** ]

[So my sister's gang member friend - not the one who died, the one who _didn't_ die - has been kind of worming her way into our group here. The more the merrier, right? Meh. I dunno. Like I said before, I'm not sure I trust her, but my sister sure does. We got to know her better this weekend, so it was good to see that she's not just a complete stone wall, but...even _if_ she's not as bad as all that, she was mixed up with a bad crowd. I've got a bad taste in my mouth about it. I guess I feel kinda bad. Sounds like she's had it rough. But some people just can't be helped some times, ya know? My sister seems to think this girl _can_ be helped, so...whatever. It's not like she's going to listen to me anyway, so I may as well go along with it.]

[Personally, I think my sister is giving in to her habit where she latches onto broken people because she wants to fix them. Ya know? It really could go anywhere: good, bad. Horrendous. My sis says I'm just being pessimisstic. But I think I'm just being a realist. Come on, the girl is from a gang and their leader just got killed.]

[Either way, it's nice to have another realist around, right?]

[End result of all this crap, though, is that our four-wheel car has gotten a lot more wheels. My GF's been hanging out with us a lot, and now this new girl...and sometimes her boyfriend, too. When we're all together it's frankly a little too crowded for me. But I guess it's good because my GF feels more comfortable with more people around, so...can't complain. She's in a good mood, I'm in a good mood.]

[I never thought we'd be rolling with such a large group at the beginning of the schoolyear. Maybe we should start our _own_ gang! Not sure what I'd call it, though...Gimme time. Or leave me some ideas. If you have any. That way I can steal the credit. ;D ]

* * *

"Wow, that's so _gorgeous,_ Mai."

"Heh. Thanks. It's...not _finished_ yet, though."

"Oh...Really? What else are ya gonna do to it?"

"I want to touch up the background a bit, fill it out a bit more."

"Hm..."

"What?"

"Wh-! Er, nothin'."

" _What_ is it?" Mai slyly wondered, keen to her classmate's humble habit of withholding valuable criticism. "Come on. Spit it out, Aang."

Aang's shy face drizzled out relief as he shrugged and lifted a finger to Mai's computer screen.

"Part of why I love it so much is the simplicity. If you load the background up too much it'll detract from her face, and you'll lose that simplicity."

Mai paused a moment to contemplate Aang's advice. He had steered her well in the past, she had to admit. Despite not being in the same year, both students spent a lot of time in the Art Lab, and had grown a casual friendship through their mutual work habits.

"Huh," she mused, finger thoughtfully placed on her lips, analyzing her image. "You might be right..."

"That's just _my_ thinking," he conceded.

Aang plopped himself into his wheeled chair beside Mai and logged into the lab computer.

"So, how was your weekend?" he wondered, hooking up his external hard drive.

"Kind of stressful, actually," Mai admitted with a dull sigh.

"Sorry. How come?"

"My boyfriend was all...super-busy with his campaign, and...-" Mai's black-nailed fingers dug into her forehead in frustration. "-...his sister's just...being a total _bitch_ to us."

"Sounds...like fun...?" Aang attempted to sympathize. "Wait, did you say your boyfriend was busy with a campaign? Like...student government, or something?"

"Yea, he's running for president. Why?"

"Oh. Heh." Aang shrugged. "I think me and my roommate might've met him a little while ago - he was going around the cafeteria asking students questions about, like, campus activities...and stuff."

"Hm. Yea, that was probably him," Mai figured, staring at her screen, still contemplating what to do with the background layers of her Photoshop work. "Zuko, right?"

"Yep, that was him."

"He's been a wreck this past week," Mai lamented.

"Well...That election is coming up real soon, right?"

"In a few days," Mai informed with dread. "He's freaking. Like a chicken with his head cut off. Between that and our schoolwork, I doubt we're going to see much of each other until the weekend."

"That totally stinks."

"Meh. We'll live."

"Hey, you're lucky, though," said Aang with a joking grin. "My girlfriend _never_ gets to see _me._ "

"Wh-...?" Mai paused and shuffled through her memory banks to recollect that Aang's girlfriend was blind and acknowledged his lighthearted humor. "Oh, ha. Yea...I guess _that's_ true..."

"By the way, my project for Monday - could you take a look at it? Tell me what you think?"

"Yea, sure thing, Aang."

* * *

\- June, 2010 -

Sokka stood, poised for battle, broadsword in hand, face to the wind. The paint on his face was dried and cracked, mixed with splashes of blood and sweat. Aang stood beside him, staff in hand, its end planted firmly into the grass at his feet. The two warriors gazed off into the distance...What they were gazing at, Aang had not yet decided, so he had instead been focusing on drawing a dramatic eclipse in the sky on the corner of the page.

"Aang!" called out a relaxed voice from downstairs. "The Universe is ready to grace you with the gift of supper!"

"Just a minute, Lily!" Aang replied back, touching up the shading on the darkness of the eclipse before dropping his drawing pad and pencil onto his bed and vaulting off downstairs. The sparse, simple kitchen was filled with the scent of fried vegetables and rice, and Aang's stomach jumped at the idea of food.

"Buddy Bear!" Lily sweetly sang across the house to the chubby man plucking on a ukelele in the living room. "Dinner is served."

"Be right there, My Flower," his almost squawking voice assured. The string plucking stopped as Aang scooted himself into the wooden, rickety chair at the table. He sniffed in the delightful aroma of the various beans and vegetables wafting from the ceramic bowl in the center of the table.

Lily was a spindly woman with long, flowing black hair that was usually tied together in a slim, dangling braid. She was often adorned with hemp bracelets, seashell necklaces, and a tye-dye headband, as was the case on this evening, all laid over top a plain, dulled yellow dress. She was scooped rice onto plates and then dunking vegetables on top. Aang was grateful that this year he'd been placed in a family that was strictly vegetarian, which made a lot of little things run a lot smoother than in previous foster homes.

"Mmmm- _mm!_ Aw, golly, this just smells delicious, Darling," Chong complimented, rubbing his wide belly with a yawn. He was a plump man, always with grayed scruff on his face and shaggy hair on a receding hairline. He generally wore about the same type of jewelry as his wife, but accented with various Hawaiian shirts. Today's flavor was palm trees against pale orange.

At the age of 18, Aang had broken free from the foster care system, legally old enough to make decisions on his own, and had decided to take a scholarship he'd received from Saint Roku University. The college had even been kind enough to help sort out a place for him to stay in Wayward during holiday breaks, such as the summer time. The year prior had been a bit awkward and difficult with a family who had a very different lifestyle than his own, but Chong and Lily - while strange and a perhaps a bit air-headed for even Aang's preferences - were proving to be a more comfortable environment to relax in when he physically couldn't stay on campus. It also meant he never had to worry about any crazy commutes. He wasn't so sure how much he'd visit them when the new school year began, but he was getting the impression that they might not even notice.

The group bowed their heads in thanksgiving of their meal, and while Lily dedicated the meal to them in her own...colorful way, Aang gave his own peace before they began to eat.

"So, Aang," Chong casually initiated, "How're things with the little lady, eh?"

"Huh?"

"Your girlfriend, Dear," specified Lily.

"Oh. Toph." Aang chewed and swallowed some beans. "She's, uh...W-well, she's been a little fussy lately..." he admitted with a sigh. Their contact had been very frequent since over the past couple of weeks since the summer had begun but Toph had not exactly been in a good mood during much of their brief interactions.

"Awww, now, that's too bad," lamented Chong. "What seems to be the problem?"

"It's her parents," Aang grumbled, scooping some rice with his next bite. "They're...not as nice as you guys are. They won't let her do anything or go anywhere, really."

"Overprotective? My word," Lily sighed with a 'tut-tut' of her tongue. "It sounds like her parents need to learn that children need to be _free_ to grow."

"Birds can't learn to fly if they never leave the nest," Chong advised.

"Yea," Aang conceded, though on the inside he found himself wishing he had possessed some kind of nest of his own before the days of SRU.

* * *

\- Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 -

"You awake, Twinkle-Toes?"

Aang was stirred from his peace by Toph's teasing tone cutting through the breezy afternoon and the gentle bustling of students in the distance.

"I wasn't _asleep._ "

"What were ya doin'?" Toph wondered, sitting down beside him cross-legged, like him, and scooting over so their knees touched. Aang smiled at her question and gazed thoughtfully up to the clouds above.

"I was knocking on the sky, and hearing the sound," he explained as Katara rested in the grass beside Toph.

"What did you hear?" Toph pondered thoughtfully, wriggling her bare toes around.

Aang shrugged by reflex and mumbled, "I dunno, nothing clear." Toph's chubby, slightly calloused hand pressed into his shoulder, finding its way up to his neck.

 _Smitch.  
_ A warm, wet sensation on his ear tingled his senses.

"How 'bout that? _That_ clear?" she teased.

"Crystal," Aang warmly replied, reciprocating the gesture on her cheek.

She grabbed his hand, wedging her fingers inbetween his and dramatically flopped herself against his side. Katara, smiling at their snuggling, waved Aang's way before digging into her bag and pulling out a textbook.

"Long day?" Aang wondered to Toph, nudging his shoulder a bit to shake her head around.

" _Shitty_ day," Toph groaned. "I sucked it up at my guitar lesson," she informed with self-loathing.

"Have you been practicing enough?" Aang checked suspiciously. Toph paused her reply, a bitter frown forming on her face.

"Nnnnooo," she slowly growled with a pout. Aang chuckled and wrapped his arm over her back, scratching the hair at the base of her neck before running his hand down her ponytail.

"Gee, maybe that's the reason, then," he concluded with a patronizing jest.

"You've been playing a lot of piano lately," Katara observed, looking up from her book.

"Yea," grumbled Toph, sitting up straight and leaning back in the grass on her palms. "I guess I need to work more on my guitar..."

"Guess you need to work more on your _face_ ," Aang advised facetiously.

Toph contorted her expression into a wild, monstrous one, hooking her fingers into her lips and stretching her mouth wide open. Aang had to arc his neck over to observe it as she was facing straight ahead.

"Was that better?" she asked as she reverted to normal.

"I guess I like your face the way it was in the first place," Aang expressed with joking regret, pinching her cheek. She batted him away with a sharp elbow jab and grinned with mischief.

"Well, makes no difference to _me_ what my face looks like," she taunted.

"Please don't become disfigured," Aang requested politely. "I've gotten rather used to your face."

"Would you still _love me_ if I was disfigured?" Toph prodded in a melodramatic tone.

"Of course," Aang assured with a laugh, scratching her shoulder affectionately.

"Oh." Toph crossed her arms. "Well, pff. _That's_ no fun."

Aang's closed the case on the matter gleefully. "Then I guess I have nothing to worry about."

"God, can you two go be cute somewhere else?" The dry, raspy sarcasm of Jane glowered over them. She slapped them both on the back with her wrists at once. "You guys cramp my style. It's embarrassing to be around all of your God damned... _cuteness._ "

"H-hey!" Toph protested, suddenly serious. "I'm not too cute. I'm...a total bad-ass _rocker_ chick." Toph scrambled to her feet, spun around to face Jane, and thumbed herself in the chest. " _See?_ "

There was an awkward silence as Jane raised a thick, orange eyebrow and bit her lip, a chuckle urging to escape. Aang leaned back and stared up to see a large, happy-looking penguin sprawled across her breasts, flippers up in the air in celebratory fashion.

"Didn't realize _penguins_ were so hardcore," Jane forced out, barely containing an explosive laugh.

" _What?_ " Toph snipped in an indignant squeak. "It's an AC/DC shirt!" she roared.

"It has a penguin on it," Aang informed slyly, recognizing the shirt. "That's Katara's shirt, Tater-Face."

"Huh?" Toph's arm drooped and she twisted a confused head to her roommate, who was snickering, mouth covered.

"You spilled grape juice on your AC/DC shirt at lunch so I let you borrow one of mine - remember?"

" _Oh._ " Toph's face boiled red as she flopped into the grass again, still facing Jane. "I forgot," she admitted in a grumble, scratching her forehead sheepishly. Aang could detect a hint of frustration in her body language: she was a tad angry about embarrassing herself due to her inability to see. Likely, her blindness had caused the spill in the first place, and consequently caused her to not realize what she was wearing. " _Thought_ my shirt seemed a little loose..." she quietly mused to herself, tugging the shirt tightly against her self.

"It's cool, Toph," Jane eased, kicking Toph's shin lightly with her thick army boot. "I know you're a bonafide badass."

"She's had a bad day," Katara explained with sympathy, tapping her roommate on the shoulder playfully.

" _Shitty_ day," Toph corrected once again.

"Let's have a better evening, then," Aang suggested.

"I thought that's what we were _doing_ ," Toph noted, stretching back and laying down in the grass.

"I'm up for whatever," Jane threw out her interest casually.

"I actually have some work to take care of," Katara explained.

"Sokka's studying for a test tonight," Aang added. "He's stressing out over it."

"Soooo, basically, he's perfectly fine," Sokka's sister noted.

"Pretty much."

"Soooo what are _we_ gonna do, then?" Toph wondered.

Clearly, Suki was out. The group had noticed this habit where Suki only ever seemed interested in spending time with them when Sokka was around. The same could be said of Jane's boyfriend, though he was clearly tied up with his...'group.' Not to mention that the boy never had much to say. As in, he pretty much never spoke.

"Maybe we could play poker, or something?" Jane threw out an idea.

"'Cuz that's _so_ fun for the blind girl," Toph grouched.

Jane lifted a brow and smirked, prodding Toph in the forehead with her knuckles.

"Sorry, there, Cripple," she teased. "It's not like we've never played cards before with you around. What did _you_ have in mind, then?"

"Pff. I dunno," Toph blurted.

"Then how about we go for poker and if you come up with something you want to do, we'll do _that_ afterward."

"Fair enough," Toph agreed coolly, clearly not actually as interested in the 'what' as the 'who.'

"I'll call Lon- er, Johnny, and, uh...Let him know. He loves poker." Jane pulled out her phone and made her call, stepping away for a moment.

"You sure you're OK with that, Toph?" Aang checked. He knew she was, but he felt it'd be best to play the pleasing role in their company. She giggled when she replied and he could tell she knew he was asking out of formality.

"Of course, Twinkle-Toes - why wouldn't I be?"

"Just checking," he replied, scratching her on the arm.

* * *

\- December, 2009 -

"Are you all right?" Aang gasped out, kneeling over and reaching for Toph's fallen form. She had stumbled while going up the stairs and had skinned her elbow on the corner of a step, managing to catch herself before her face had smashed into the stairs. Aang had offered to escort her but she had flatly declined.

"I'm _fine,_ " Toph irritably snapped, pushing her arms out at his groping hands. "God, I can get up on my _own,_ all right?" She pushing herself up to her feet, grasping at the rail with both hands as she regained her footing. Wriggling around her wrist for the cane looped around it, she sucked a sharp breath through her teeth at the pain from her arm and continued up the stairs.

"OK," Aang meekly conceded, confused as to how to proceed. It seemed like the more polite he was the more angry she'd get with him. Quite a queer girl, this Toph was.

"Well?" Toph growled impatiently. "We _going?_ "

"Y-yea!" Aang blurted, shuffling up in front of her and to the dorm room floor. "Wow," he whispered as he entered the hall. "It's...so _quiet_ here," he observed.

" _Well,_ some of us have _studying_ to take care of, Aang," Toph pointed out testily. "Not everyone runs around their dorm like wild animals."

Aang couldn't help but crack a grin at this criticism lodged at his brotherhood. To him, it was more of a compliment.

"That's because not everyone cares about having _fun,_ " Aang defended jovially. Toph smirked at him as they made their way down the dead hallway to Toph's bedroom.

"I thought we were here to _learn,_ " she pondered.

"Is _that_ what they told you?" Aang joked. "What have you learned since you've come here?"

Toph trudged into her room and Aang, against his temptation to help, let her toss herself into her bed.

" _I-_ " she grunted, setting herself in so she was comfortable. "-have learned that sometimes it's better to put things off until later. Heh."

Aang was perplexed as to where to sit, and opted to take the chair by the desk near the closed laptop.

"Haha, it sure is."

The two contemplated what to say next after a moment of silence.

"Sooo...Those other guys are coming, right?"

"Katara and Sokka?"

"Yea. Those guys."

"Yep, they are."

"'Kay." Toph stretched up her toes and slowly leaned forward, touching them with her fingertips.

"So, uhh...You like it here? In Terra?" Aang wondered.

"Meh. It's OK, I guess," Toph mumbled with nonchalance. "I keep to myself, which is pretty easy to do here."

Aang acknowledged that this was likely true. Keeping to one's self was much more difficult in Aero. But to him, that wasn't a bad thing.

"Cool," Aang muttered back. "So you're a Piano Major?"

She chuckled and cocked her head back.

"I'm a Music Performance Double Major. Piano and Guitar."

"Guitar, huh?"

" _Guitar,_ " she repeated devilishly. "Want me to show ya?" she asked, eager to show off.

"Sh-sure, yea," Aang agreed. Toph flipped off of her bed and began to fumble toward the guitar resting on the bed across the room. "Oh, I can-" he got up and went to aid, but she smacked him on the arm - unnecessarily hard, at that - and proceeded to the other bed.

"I can take care of myself, Aang," she insisted, scooting on the mattress. Aang sighed and gazed at the dried up scrape on her elbow as she picked up the guitar. Sure was stubborn, wasn't she?

But that hardened stubbornness she kept showing seemed to peel away with the notes that flowed out from the guitar strings. She sang no words, simply strumming away a sweet, serene tune that Aang has never heard. It the execution wasn't as keen and sharp as her piano work but it had soul, and life, and warmth where the piano she played was cold and precise. Minutes passed by until Sokka and Katara came in on her guitar playing - she was so lost in the music that she didn't notice at first.

"Wow," Sokka interjected, causing her to slip and scratch a note. "You're really good there," he remarked, hands on his hips.

"That was beautiful, Toph," Katara complimented warmly. She meant it, but she was also saying it with some extra sweetness on top.

"Errr, thanks," Toph mumbled awkwardly, gripping her guitar tightly.

"You serenading Aang here?" Sokka teased, shooting Aang an amused glance.

Aang could feel his cheeks warm up at the thought and a brief look at Toph, who was quickly setting her guitar down, revealed some pink coloration below her eyes.

"I was just showing him that I play guitar," she explained dismissively.

"That's so amazing," Katara observed in awe, scratched her head in perplexation. "You're really good."

"Really good for being _blind_?" Toph bitterly amended.

"No," Katara insisted. "You're just good - piano _and_ guitar? What else do you play?"

Toph grinned and wrapped her arms around her neck cockily.

"Buncha stuff. I _dabble_ ," she bragged.

"Well, I brought some cheese and crackers," Sokka informed, slipped his backpack off his shoulders and patting it tenderly. "So I say we dabble in _those_ for a while."

"Sounds like a good id-"  
 **BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**

Aang's comment was cut short by a blaring alarm.

"What the-?" Sokka cried.

 **BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**  
"Fuckin' fire alarm!" Toph yelled through the noise.

Sokka slapped his bag back over his shoulders, Toph eagerly grabbed her guitar, and Aang scooped his art supply sling.

 **BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**  
"Let's go!" Katara advised, waving them out of the room. Toph bumped into Sokka in her pursuit of the group, likely thrown off by all the noise.

"Hey, whoa," Sokka mumbled, grabbing her by the shoulders and catching her from stumbling. "Careful there, Kiddo, we-"

 **BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**  
"Don't touch me!" Toph hissed, pushing herself away from him, hands tightly wrapped around her guitar, and falling backward into Aang with an "Oomff!" Her head pressed into his chest, he couldn't help but find the sweaty scent of her hair oddly alluring, his hands around her ribs. His body tingled and he immediately helped set her back on her feet whilst she growled a "Get off me," with less ferocity than Sokka had received.

**BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**

Katara was already halfway down the hall by now, Sokka close behind, while Toph was forcing her way along, elbows out, cradling her guitar desperately. She banged an elbow into the doorway on her way out with a growl. Now both had matching bruises. Aang had a suspicion that either this was simply a drill or that everything would be fine, and he couldn't help but feel some admiration for how deeply the girl seemed to love her guitar - but she had neglected her walking cane, which he quickly retrieved from the edge of the bed she had originally sat down in.

**BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**

"Hey, Toph!" he called out into the hall. "Here." He jammed her cane against her arm.

"O-oh..." Toph mumbled awkwardly, her brows furrowed in a confused frown.

**BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**

"I'll take that," he offered, tapping his hand against her guitar. Her face flashed with doubt and distrust for a moment.

" _Guys!_ Come on!" Katara shouted from the stairwell's entrance. Obviously, she was a bit more worried about the situation than anyone else - ever the cautious one.

**BRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!**

Without a word, Toph groaned in frustration and stuck her acoustic treasure into the air, and Aang accepted it with care. With cane in hand, Toph's mobility was certainly improved and she was able to keep up well enough with some verbal prodding from Aang, just behind.

_brrrriiiiinnnnggg..._

"Whew!" Sokka breathed out after they pooled into the small lake of students that had congealed in front of Terra.

"Are you OK, Toph?" Katara wondered.

 _brrrriiiiinnnnggg..._  
"Yea," she huffed back as Aang gently nudged her guitar into her hands. "I'm _fine,_ guys. I don't need you fuckin' _babying_ me all the time, all right?"

The group exchanged a triplet of off-put, worrisome expressions.

 _brrrriiiiinnnnggg...  
_ "Sure thing," Sokka murmured with a shrug as Toph nonchalantly plucked some chords out amidst the chattering of impatient students wanting to get back into their home. "Crackers and cheese, anyone?" Sokka offered, eager to shift the tone of the situation.

 _brrrriiiiinnnnggg...  
_ As Sokka pulled out his food packages and passed them to his sister, Aang stole a moment to stare at Toph's icy white eyes, glistening like the freshly plowed snow around them in the moonlight that evening. Why was she such a stubborn beast? What did she have to prove, and to whom?

* * *

\- Tuesday, September 28th, 2010 -

"I'll call..."

"I fold."

" _What?_ Another fold? What the hell's your problem, Twinkle-Toes?"

A whap on the shoulder was immediately reworked by a rough but tender massage as Toph picked on her boyfriend.

"God, even when you play _cards_ you're a wimp," she snickered. Aang probed his finger into her stomach and she retracted her arm with a mischievous "Hee."

"So? What about you, Johnny?" Jane sneakily questioned.

The boy in the black cap glared at her coolly from across his hand of cards. She lifted her brow at him and he lifted one back as he slid some of his poker chips into the pot at the table's center.

"All righty, then!" Jane slyly flipped the final table card over to reveal a Jack of spades while Aang, losing attention of the game, started one of his own - one he and Toph had created months before. It involved them taking turns tickling at each other in brief bursts, seeing which one gave in first and drew attention to themselves. The main rule was that both players had to act perfectly casual. No scrunching up or squirming, as that would show weakness. And, naturally, it had to be quick motions. Aang attacked Toph's knee - one of her inconsistent weaknesses - to no avail. Toph poked at his side, but he was resilient. He worked his hand into her armpit and it clamped shut as she bit her lip. He tugged, but she kept his hand trapped.

"Aang, what are you _doing?_ " Katara snickered as Jane raked in a pile of poker chips with a smug smile.

"Ha, you're on a losing streak today," Toph jeered as Aang un-wedged his hand from her armpit. Even though Toph had moved, Aang was the one who had been spoken to, making him the loser.

"Heh, way to go, Loser," Jane picked, knuckling him gently on the shoulder. "Ya gotta be more aggressive, or ya won't get anywhere."

Aang shrugged, his brain much more concerned with his company than the cards on the table. He was even starting to warm up to Johnny's strangely silent wit.

"And _you,_ " Jane accused, tossing a low-value poker chip into Toph's bosom. Toph twitched in reaction and slid her jaw to the side in amused indignance. "He's _your_ boyfriend, Toph. Geez, man him up a bit."

"I'm trying," laughed Toph, her pudgy fingers groping their way around Aang's shoulder and up to his ear.

"I thought I was already man enough," Aang protested, batting Toph's pinching fingers away.

" _Enough_ ," Toph agreed, slapping him on the back roughly.

"H-hey, ask Sokka, I do _lots_ of manly things..."

"If we're gauging manliness based on my _brother,_ " Katara advised, "then I think things are going to get skewed _horribly_ wrong." Aang smiled weakly as the girls laughed. He glanced at Johnny, who simply shrugged and smirked, arms casually crossed over his lean stomach.

"You answer to _Twinkle-Toes,_ Babe," Toph pointed out flatly. "That's not very manly."

"You just called me ' _Babe_ ,'" Aang gasped out in shock.

"Say what?" Toph quickly murmured, puzzled. "No, I didn't."

"Aang's just comfortable and confident in being...more sensitive than other guys," Katara defended. "Isn't that kind of manly in its own right?"

"In the same way that men wearing _pink_ is macho, I _guess,_ " Jane dubiously agreed, running her knuckles across Aang's scruffy hair fiercely. "Now, we going another round or what? I still have more money to win, here."

"We didn't even bet any real money," Aang reminded her. She glared at him, a smile sliding under freckled cheeks.

"Doesn't make me any less a winner and you any more a _loser,_ " Jane baited, cocking her head daringly to the side. Aang narrowed his eyes, a spirit of challenge burning in his gut.

"We'll see about that," he declared, suddenly interested in 'manning up' in the presence of all these mocking girls.

"That's it! Go get 'em, Twinkle-Toes! Rip 'em to _pieces!_ **Woooo!** "  
 _Bam-bam-bam!_ Toph slammed her palms on the table, chips and cards clattering out of place.

Aang flicked her in the forehead with his middle finger and she stopped, slack-jawed but eyes still wild.

"It's just cards, Toph."

"Today, cards. Tomorrow, the _world!_ "

"How about tomorrow you focus on...your _bedroom_?" Katara advised with a snicker. "You've got some dirty laundry piling up, Hun."

Toph snorted and scratched her nose.

"Tomorrow, my bedroom. The day after that, _the world!_ " She nudged Aang, muttering to him, "I think I've got the laundry part down but I'm gonna need your help with the 'world,' bit, all right?"


	17. Pieces

  
  
[SRU Sketch - Mai x Zuko](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Sketch-Mai-x-Zuko-290732324) by [daughterofthestars](http://daughterofthestars.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

 

[From: Suki Kyoshi]  
[To: Katara Kesuk; Toph Beifong; Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[Sent: October 1st, 3:12pm]  
[Subject: curious..]

[hi, girls! i wanted to ask you something.. festivall is coming up in about a month so auditions will be soon. sokka told me you guys play music. why don't we start a band? think about it. an all girl band.. doesn't that sound like a cool idea? tell me what ya think. ;D]  
[-suki kyoshi-]

[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Suki Kyoshi]  
[Sent: October 1st, 4:09pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[I'm not sure, Suki...I don't really play music. What did Sokka tell you I do? Toph plays a few different things and Jane plays bass, but I don't do anything. =S Sorry...]  
[~ Katara]

[From: Suki Kyoshi]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Sent: October 1st, 4:47pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[oh.. he said you sang.. like, in a choir?]  
[-suki kyoshi-]

[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Suki Kyoshi]  
[Sent: October 1st, 6:08pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[LOL! Yes, I _used_ to sing in a choir. Back in middle school! And I sang at a couple of things in high scool, I guess, but...It's been a long time. I'm not sure. Are the other two interested?]  
[~ Katara]

[From: Toph Beifong]  
[To: Suki Kyoshi]  
[Sent: October 1st, 8:12pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[An all girl band sounds freaky awesome. I am in. Totally. Totally. Totally. But there is one condition which is that I get to pick the first song we play because frankly I know music the best. Ha. Ha. Ha.]  
[ **We all live in a yellow submarine** ]

[From: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[To: Suki Kyoshi]  
[Sent: October 1st, 8:48pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[what did kat and toph say? i'm in if they are.]  
[smellerbee-]

[From: Suki Kyoshi]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Sent: October 1st, 10:12pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[that's fine! it's not like we're trying to be pros here. we'll practice! are you interested though? toph says she is and jane will if you are, too..]  
[-suki kyoshi-]

[From: Suki Kyoshi]  
[To: Toph Beifong]  
[Sent: October 1st, 10:18pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[great! sure, i don't mind.. whatever you think is good. so you want to play guitar, right?]  
[-suki kyoshi-]

[From: Katara Kasuk]  
[To: Suki Kyoshi]  
[Sent: October 1st, 10:20pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[All right. =P I guess I'll give it a try if the other girls want to. ^^' ]  
[~ Katara]

[From: Suki Kyoshi]  
[To: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[Sent: October 1st, 10:22pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[katara and toph are in! please join. bass is super important and i heard you're good..]  
[-suki kyoshi-]

[From: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[To: Suki Kyoshi]  
[Sent: October 1st, 10:56pm]  
[Subject: RE: curious..]

[fine fine ya talked me into it. :P ]  
[smellerbee-]

* * *

\- Saturday, October 2nd, 2010 -

{ **YOU** }  
{ _YOUR FRIENDS_ }  
{TAKE ON CAMPUS!}

{Got what it takes?}  
{Going to show the world what you've got?}  
{Gotta start somewhere, right?}

{ **FestivALL!** }  
{Autumn 2010}

{October **30th** }  
{ **10:00pm** }

{Auditions October **22nd-24th** }

"Errrr...What's it mean? I don't get it."

"That's because it's a poorly constructed advertisement, Pipsqueak."

"It's for a talent show," Jane explained dully, digging at her canine with a toothpick to dislodge a sliver of broccoli from the soup she'd recently eaten. "Anyone on campus can audition: students, staff, whatever..."

"What do people _do?_ " The Duke inquired, perplexed by the concept.

Jane shrugged, somewhat irate by the question.

"I've never gone before, _I_ don't fuckin' know..."

"Juggling maybe?" Pipsqueak pondered, rubbing his chin with his enormous thumb.

" _What?_ " Jane mumbled, confused as to where such a random idea came from.

"Sounds like a bunch of nonsense," The Duke dismissed. Jane was going to maintain her aloof stance on the matter and carefully avoid announcing that she was intending to participate this year. She opted to shrug in reply, flicking her toothpick into the trash can behind their booth.

"Hey, uh...Smellerbee. Where's Longshot?" Pipsqueak asked. "Jimbo said that he was supposed-"

"I don't fuckin' _know,_ Pipsqueak!" snapped Jane, smacking herself in the forehead. Her teeth ground together with irritation as The Duke contributed yet another inquiry.

"But...Isn't he your boyfriend?"

" _Yes!_ " she hissed, arms stretched out. She slammed them down to her sides. "But I don't keep track of all of that Freedom Fighter stuff anymore. I _told_ you guys. I'm done. Don't _ask_ me about that shit from now on."

The two freshmen stared with wide eyes tainted with fear from her outburst.

"Got it?" she demanded, lifting a threatening fist and shaking it at them a couple of time. A few nearby students in Appa's quieted for a moment at her shouting before slowly carrying about their business once again.

"Y-yes, Smellerbee, Ma'am,"  
"Sure, Smellerbee."

Their shocked faces tipped Jane off that she was acting a little too much like the person she was trying to avoid being.

_Calm the fuck down, Jane. You're freakin' out. Chill._

"And another thing," she grumbled. "I'm Jane. OK? Just call me 'Jane.'"

Both boys nodded vigorously. Jane was half-tempted to apologize for her spat but ultimately concluded that it wasn't necessary. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves through the awkward silence. She grabbed her forest green zip-up from the booth she had sat at with them and slipped it on, leaving the zipper undone.

She bid them a gruff, somewhat contrite, "See ya," before taking her leave.

* * *

\- Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 -

A tired "Hmph" slid out from Longshot's nose as they stared at their handiwork: a fresh hole in the ground they had just finished filling. Smellerbee, coated in a thin layer of dirt, tossed her shovel into the trunk of her car with a deep sigh, her hands still trembling. It was dark, cold, and windy that night, and the woods were bitter and ominous. It was almost as if the trees were disgusted to be defiled by what the group had just buried in their forest.

"Can't fuckin' _believe_ you, Jet..."

"Hey, listen, Smellerbee, _he_ attacked _me_ , OK?"

"Maybe if you weren't fucking _stalking_ him, he wouldn't have _done_ that! Ya think?" she attacked, eyes wide and tense.

"He was _connected_ to them," insisted Jet, slightly hysteric. "I _know_ he was!"

"What fucking _proof_ do you have, Jet?"

"The men who came that night had tattoos _just_ like his."

"That doesn't mean he was _involved!_ "

"But it means he _knows_ them."

Smellerbee kicked her tire in frustration with a huff, and Longshot, leaning against the driver side door to her left, set a disapproving glance her way. She frowned at him and immediately looked away, refusing to acknowledge his desire for peace.

"Ya just _couldn't_ let it go, _could_ ya?" Smellerbee growled, fists clenched, grime wedged in her fingernails. "Couldn't let it the _fuck_ go!" she roared at Jet, kicking her tire again.

"Oh, like how _you_ forgot _your_ demons, right?" Jet countered. "Sure let _that_ shit go, didn't ya?"

Smellerbee could feel Longshot's inquisitive presence prying at her with that curious raised brow of his, but she dared not look at him.

"That's...That was _different,_ " Smellerbee hissed, slashing her hand defensively through the air. She marched over to Jet and grabbed his collar, tugging his face within mere inches of hers. She seethed to him in a whisper, "I fucking _told_ you to never bring that shit up. Ever!"

"Get off my back, then, Bee," Jet sniped quietly, shoving her away.

Smellerbee's face was flushed red with anger and pain and regret as memories flashed through her mind while the stress of their current situation wrapped itself around everything. Her eyes welled up with water but she managed to contain her tears.

"Fuckin' _ass_ ," she huffed, stomping back to her car. She begrudgingly nudged Longshot to move aside so she could enter the car, and Longshot rounded the front to slip into the passenger seat. Smellerbee sat sideways, legs bent out the door into the dirt. "Shit's gonna hit the fan, Jet. What are you gonna do?"

Jet strode up to his motorcycle, parked beside the car in the dark clearing.

"Play it by ear," he replied roughly. "Like I always have."

* * *

\- Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 -

Jane's abdomen was grieving her, tightening and contorting in pain. She had taken her medications on schedule, and was certainly not in the mood for the added discomfort on top of her stressful day. An argument with Johnny had already made her Sunday bothersome enough but

She groaned out in irate impatience - somewhat loudly - curled onto her bed, unable to sleep. Her sheet had been cast off as it had been too warm. Her eyes were wet and her pillow had become damp. She'd flipped it over moments before so she had a dry side to rest on but tears didn't seem to stop coming.

_You just couldn't let it go. If only you'd just dropped it._

Her door creaked open and she immediately sat up, wiping her face with a harsh sniff. The silhouette silently approached Jane's bed on the far side of the room.

"You OK?" croaked Toph, her voice like a toad. Clearly she had been sleeping. Toph had a habit of going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so Jane figured her groaning must have drawn some attention while she had been awake. "Janey?"

Jane sighed out a shaky breath, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her wound had healed enough to remove the bandage, at least, but it was still a sensitive spot, so she had to lay on her side.

"Hey," Jane choked out meekly, shocked at her own inability to keep her cool.

"Ohh," Toph cooed out in a chuckle, seemingly amused by Jane's irregularly fragile state but maintaining sympathy. "What's _wrong,_ JayBee?" she asked, sitting herself down beside her red-haired friend. While Jane could tell that Toph cared, she did find it intriguing how differently Toph asked this question than Katara did. Toph asked with more aloof curiosity than specific concern, but Jane had been learning to read through Toph's attitude.

Jane was a rough girl with a rough center, and as someone who knew well to keep her inner thoughts shelled, she had observed that Toph was in fact a rough girl with a _soft_ center. In Toph's presence, Jane's emotions were beginning to leak through her cracks and out from her eyes. She grabbed Toph's hand and squeazed, appreciative of her friend's presence, then let go. She grit her teeth, let a frustrated whimper dribble out of her mouth, and leaned her face into Toph's back.

"Why the hell did he have to be such a fucking _retard?_ " she lamented.

Toph slowly turned, running her hand across Jane's shaggy hair as she wrapped her arms around the lanky wreck of grieving girl. Toph's plump fingers pressed into Jane's back.

"Sorry 'bout that," Toph whispered wistfully, her wits somewhat about her. "You and Jet were pretty good friends, huh?"

"Mm-hm," Jane grunted. She hated admitting it but with Jet gone Jane had to confront the truth: he had been one of the terribly few constants in her life at SRU. He knew more about her than even Johnny did. Granted, she intended to change that fact soon enough, but it _was_ a fact at that moment in time, nonetheless. Without his constant social friction to grind against, without that leader to follow, Jane had felt a bit lost, and even Johnny's assuring presence didn't help. Jet's death was difficult because he had been a trusted friend, but it had also stripped away the leader from her life, forcing her to cope with the fact that she was now withoa cause to fight for, without a direction to head in.

Tears streamed from olive eyes for a few moments as Jane expunged her grief like poison.

"I'm so fucking _lost,_ " she sighed. "Wish I knew what the hell I was doing with my life..."

"Heh. I know what that's like, Janey. That was my freshman year," she recalled drearily. "But then I met the guys. And they helped me figure some crap out. Maybe that'll happen for you too?"

Jane breathed out doubtfully and shrugged.

"Dunno," she mumbled. "We'll see."

Toph kissed Jane on the forehead and patted her shoulders with both hands.

"We sure will," she encouraged. "By the way, you've got a pimply head goin' on right now." She rose from the bed in the dark and seemingly floated to the door in her pajamas and bare feet. "Maybe I can convince Sokka to start calling you 'Pimple-Face.'"

" _Hey,_ " was Jane's deep, guttural protest.

"Hee. OK, OK. I like Freckle-Face, too. Sounds better." Toph opened the door and paused, drumming her fingers along its edge a couple times. "You're stuck with us now, Janey," she informed slyly. "Don't even think about running away." The door closed, leaving Jane to consider the statement. The door cracked open a sliver and Toph whispered threateningly, "We will _find you._ "

The door clicked closed again and Jane took a deep breath, her eyes free of tears, her mind cleared from the internal confrontation. Another brief and personal interaction with her neighbor further bolstered her faith that breaking away from the Freedom Fighters was what was best for her.

* * *

"Ooooh, Mr. Big Man on Campus, Mr. Prez-ee- _dent!_ How's it feel, huh? Huh?"

A drawn out, irritable sigh escape Zuko as he tolerated his acquaintance's teasing.

"It feels fantastic, Ty-Lee," he replied with as dry and barren a tone as he could muster. "Where's Mai?" he pleaded out of exhaustion at the very idea of extended interaction.

"She's in the bathroom, _geez._ "  
 _Rrrrrmmmmm._  
 _"_ Hold your horses, Grumpy-Pants!"

Zuko's phone had started going off while Ty-Lee had been scolding him, so he took it out, raised a finger to Ty-Lee, and took his leave.

"I've got a call, I'll be back in a minute."

Relishing an excuse to leave, he took his call in the lobby of the ACC, which was relatively empty given that it was a Sunday morning.

"Hello?"

["Hello, Nephew,"] drawled out the slow and rickety voice of his elder Uncle Iroh. ["It is quite a beautiful Sunday morning, is it not?"]

"Erm...Y-yea. It, uh...It sure is."

["Please excuse my intrusion, Nephew, but I seem to have lost track of what time we were meeting today to celebrate."]

"Oh. Right. That was, erm...4pm. Wasn't it?"

["Ahhh, yes. That's right. Yes. At my shop, correct?"]

"Yes."

["Good, _good._ So...How are you holding up, Zuko?"]

"Fine. Everything's fine."

["Are you ready to take on the responsibility of President?"]

"Of course. I've been ready since I came here."

["Spoken like a Kurosawa,"] Iroh mused. ["But I'm not sure if that is truly a good thing."]

Zuko sighed, shifting his hand into his pant pocket.

"Probably not," he mumbled in concession. Iroh had gotten it down to a science: knowing when to poke Zuko in the right direction when he was letting the politics sway him around.

["Waha. One step at a time, Nephew. One step at a time. I am certain you will be a great leader."]

"I'd like to think so," Zuko hoped. He turned around to see Mai approaching Ty-Lee. "I actually have to go now, though. But I'll see you this afternoon."

["You shall. Enjoy your morning."]

"Love you, Uncle."

["Love you, too, Zuko."]  
 _Click._

"Who was that?" Mai asked. She inspected his face before quickly answering her own question: "Iroh."

"Yea," Zuko nodded. Mai had gotten extremely good at this game.

"How is he doing, anyway?" wondered Ty-Lee.

"He's fine, I guess," Zuko shrugged.

"His shop seems to be doing well this year," Ty-Lee continued to prattle on. "It's always full of people. They have, like, concerts and stuff there. Oh-oh- _oh,_ like, on Thursdays, they have open night. Mai, maybe you should read your poetry there some time? Huh?"

Mai smirked and cocked up a shoulder.

"Maybe. We'll see."

" **Ohhhhhhh,** ya know, that _reminds me,_ isn't FestivALL coming up soon? It's at the end of the month, right? Yea. Of **course** it is! I was thinking that maybe I'd do an interpretive dance-"

As Ty-Lee rambled on, Zuko offered his girlfriend a dim look of aggravation. Mai smiled and slapped him inconspicuously on the back as they entered the cafeteria for breakfast.

"Oh," Mai muttered, seeming to catch sight of someone familiar. "Hey!" she called out, waving her arm. A slender, small-framed boy sitting at a booth with some friends waved back. "I need to ask him something," Mai explained to Zuko, quickly making her way over. "Aang! Hi." An utterance of 'hi's' was sent back to her by the group. Zuko found it odd that one of the girls didn't even look at them, while another glared at them suspiciously. The smaller boy introduced them.

"Jane, this is Mai - she's one of my classmates in the art department."

A gruff and grouchy-looking girl shaped like a stick nodded her head from the inside corner of the booth.

"'Sup?" The red-head looked unamused and sleep-deprived.

Mai nodded back to her and directed her attention back to Aang.

"Sorry to bother you," she said. "I just wanted to know if it was still OK for me to use your charcoals - I'm thinking of going to studio today to work on something."

"Sure, no problem," replied the boy with short, scruffy hair.

"Thanks, Aang."

"Yup!"

A brief exchange of gestures later and the three were in the serving area. Ty-Lee loaded her tray up with cereal and vegetables while Mai opted for pancakes.

"What are you making with charcoals?" Zuko wondered, sliding some steaming ham onto his plate. "I thought you didn't like drawing..."

"I don't," Mai laughed. "But I'm working on an experimental project so I...am _experimenting._ "

"I...see," Zuko mumbled, curious. He knew Mai wasn't going to tell him the details - she was always coy with her work until it was finished.

"Soooooo, _Mai,_ " Ty-Lee sneakily whispered as they headed out for the tables. "That guy - the one with the blue eyes - do you know if he has a girlfriend?"

"Uhhhhhh-"

"'Cuz he is _sooo_ cute. I think he was checking me out. Do you think he was checking me out? I think he was."

"Sure," Mai agreed with a dismissive shrug.

"I thought you already _had_ a boyfriend," Zuko grumbled as they took their seats a larger table devoid of any other students.

"Pff, over the _summer,_ maybe? That was months ago, ZuZu. We're _history_ , he was _soooo_ -"

"Don't call me _ZuZu_..."

"-so I had to drop him."

_Lucky guy. I'll bet he's grateful at this point._

"Aw, rats, I forgot my drink," Ty-Lee spurted out, dashing back off to the serving area.

Zuko let out a deep groan as if it had been contained an waiting to burst.

"She's not _that_ bad, Zuko..."

"Mai, why must you pick such crazy people for friends?"

"Doesn't that make _you_ crazy?"

"Sure. But I'm not 'Ty-Lee' crazy."

"And you're _definitely_ not 'Azula' crazy."

* * *

"What do ya _mean_ you don't sing?" Sokka cried. "You've sung...all sortsa stuff."

Katara rolled her eyes as she lifted open the car trunk. It was fairly neat and tidy but somewhat packed.

"I haven't sung in a long time, Brother."

"Oh..." He shrugged. "My bad. Are you still gonna give it a try?"

"I will," said Katara, moving boxes around. "You're _sure_ it's in here?" she checked, pausing briefly to glare at him. He flashed up his palms in defense, taking a step back.

" _Yea_!" he insisted. "Last time I saw it was in here when we packed everything before we left for the semester."

"It _better_ be here," Katara threatened, resuming her search.

"What's in this box that you need so bad?" Sokka wondered.

"My necklace," Katara explained.

"Oh..." Sokka's face went dull and solemn. "You, uh...Ya haven't worn that in a while..."

"I know." Katara stopped again, leaning against her palms over the boxes in the trunk. "With...I-I dunno. With Jack's death, it just...It just has me thinking about mom a lot. I want to wear it again."

"Yea," Sokka acknowledged with melancholy. "I understand. You, uh...Need any help there, Sis?"

Katara shook her head, eyes fixated on the different boxes in their trunk. They'd been a bit lazy and had left a few things in the car since their move.

"We really need to clean this all out some time," she grumbled, finally pulling out a small shoebox.

"Guess you're right," Sokka sighed, rubbing some stray specks from his eye.

Katara opened the cardboard to retrieve a small wooden jewelry box, scratched anbd scraped from age and wear. She popped it open to reveal a neckband of thick blue ribbon with a dark, round jewel attached to it. She tenderly picked it up and slipped it around her neck, tightening it so the band fit flush against her skin.

"Looks good as ever," Sokka complimented with a sharp nod and a warm smile.

"Thanks..."

Katara ran her fingertips over the gem, reflecting on all it represented. She suddenly realized that her brother's arm was around her shoulder and she leaned into him, eyes dampening as memories trickled out through her tear ducts.

"It's all right," Sokka assured quietly, thankful no one else was in the parking lot at that time to disturb the moment. His own eyes were getting a bit wet as the grief seeped out from his sister.

["~So what?~I'm still a rock star~I got my rock moves~And I don't-"]

"H-hey, Toph..." Katara mumbled into her phone, brushing away tears as Sokka slapped her on the back. "Sorry for the wait, we'll be right over."

["You'd better! Damnit, I am _sooooo_ hungry."]

"Why don't you have your boyfriend come get you, then?" Katara teased.

[" _Meemee-neenuh-nunuu,_ "] Toph mocked with quick, whiny gibberish. ["Twinkle-Toes is busy working on a project, remember?"]

"I know, I know. But it's not like you can't get there yourself, though, right?" After all, Toph could sometimes get all worked up over being treated like she couldn't take care of herself.

["I'm _already here!_ So are JayBee and John-Boy and even Suki. We're just waiting on _you_ idiots before we go up!"] Katara couldn't tell if her roommate was being a brat or legitimately upset.

"We're right outside, _yeesh_ ," Katara insisted. "We're heading over now," she explained, nodding to her brother, who shut the trunk and followed her.

* * *

\- Wednesday, October 6th, 2010 -

" _Wooooo!_ " Sokka hollered.

Aang clapped his hands together emphatically, while Johnny merely grinned, his head cocked thoughtfully to the side as he laid back on the dingy couch in the corner of the pale white room.

"Stoppit-stoppit-stoppit!" Toph grumbled in a pout, stamping her foot. "That sucked! You shouldn't encourage us until we sound _good._ "

"I...I thought you sounded good," Aang meekly defended.

"We didn't!" Toph disagreed, crossing her arms over her chest as her guitar hung to the side. "We're practicing. That's why you _practice:_ so you can actually start sounding _good_."

"Thought it was decent," Jane tossed in her two scents, plucking a single note on her bass.

"Not bad for a first full run of the song," Suki piped in, trying to lessen Toph's blow to their hard work.

"Hmph."

"Wh...What about me?" Katara squeaked, pink-cheeked. "Did I...Was it OK?"

Toph's face contorted slightly and Aang knew she had not been terribly pleased, though Aang had thought Katara - and the other girls - had done fine.

"Yea, it was good, Katara," he complimented.

"You could use some work," Toph advised, seemingly grateful to step into a segue-way. "But that was OK. I guess."

"Let's try running through it again," Suki decided. "One. Two. One-Two-Three-Four!"

As the music began to blare to cue up the first verse, Sokka leaned over to Aang and said to him quietly, "Man, what's Toph's deal? She's pretty picky about her music or something."

"I think she's taking it a bit too seriously," Aang observed.

"I don't _like_ Toph when she's taking things too seriously."

"I don't think I do, either," Aang chuckled.

"I mean, we have my _sister_ for that, right?" Sokka concluded with a jabbing elbow. He turned around to Johnny and asked, raising his voice, "Yo, Johnny! What say you?"

Johnny shrugged his shoulders, glanced at the red-head on bass and winked at her. Sokka twisted his head to see her wink back with a hint of mischief.

"I figured as much," Sokka sighed. Then he noticed the ravaging precision of the Japanese girl on the drums and his heart quivered at each motion she made. "Guess we're all a little biased here, huh?" he murmured in a delirious delight.


	18. The Fearsome Fivesome

  
  
[The Fearsome Fivesome](http://leafoflov3.deviantart.com/art/The-Fearsome-Fivesome-195869062) by =[leafoflov3](http://leafoflov3.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

\- Friday, October 8th, 2010 -

"My turn?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"But..." Jane was confused. "Wh-...? I don't..."

"Pick a place to _eat,_ Freckle-Face, it's not hard," Sokka chuckled.

"Some place cheap, please!" Aang piped up weakly. Toph knuckled him on the arm.

"Shut up, Twinkle-Toes, I'll cover you."

"No, you don't have to do-"

"I'll _cover you,_ " she insisted. "Not like I can't afford it, Twinkle-Toes."

"What are you in the mood for?" Katara wondered, her head tipped slightly to the side at Jane's crossed arms.

"I-I dunno," Jane grunted, popping up her shoulders. "Pizza...?"

"Pizza Hut?" Katara suggested.

"Shhhuuuure?"

" _Pizza Hut!_ " Sokka defiantly cried, whipping out his phone in dramatic fashion.

"Pizza Hut, _Hoooohh_!" shouted Toph and Aang in unison, raising their fists.

Jane sighed at their random outburst, likely some inside joke she wasn't _inside_ of.

"Whaaaat?" Sokka groaned from the background into his phone. "Crap, I forgot..."

"Let's get in the car, guys," Katara advised, leading them through the parking lot. "Do we need to pick Johnny up?"

"Nah, he's busy," Jane explained. "He's not gonna be able to do anything tonight." She said it with a hint of resentment as she closed the zipper on her camoflauge zip-up jacket. Toph's arm groped around Jane's waist and Aang ruffled his hand through her orange hair, which was squeaky clean for a change.

"We'll have to have enough fun on his behalf," Toph decided, squeezing Jane's bony hip before slapping it and retreating her hand to meet back up with Aang's. Jane finally caught wind of Sokka's conversation as they neared the Kesuk car.

"Allll riiiight," he breathed out gloomily. "See ya tomorrow, then...You, too." He clasped his phone shut and stuffed it in his khaki pocket. "Suki's friends have a game tonight that she said she'd go to, so she's a no-show."

"Well...More pizza for us, right?" Aang twisted the situation into optimism.

* * *

The car ride to Wayward was brief but unsettling for Jane, as the group was in full-on crazy mode with a flurry of their enthusiastic bizarre jokes and references that Jane hadn't quite grasped yet.

Packed in the back seat between Toph and the driver's side door, Jane had planted her head against the cold glass of the door window. A song she had heard before but not committed to memory blared through the car, the lyrics speedy and tricky to follow. WIth the way her friends were stumbling through the words they were near impossible.

"~suMmASumMasUmMaSummA~"  
"~ **flyin' off the back swing!** ~"

Well, they seemed to have remembered the last bit of that torrent of words, at least.

"~Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon, 'cuz that cartoon has got the **BOOM anime babes** ~That make me think the wrong thing~"

As the singing continued, Jane felt Toph's fat little fingers on her knee. Her olive eyes slowly wandered to said limb to confirm that this was the case, and Toph wore a toothy smile while the others sang.

"Pick a color," Toph coyly advised in a whisper that cut through the music to Jane's left ear. Toph drummed her fingers across Jane's open-holed knee on her jeans.

"Errr...Green?" Jane guessed, immediately wandering to the idea that Toph's favorite color was green, despite her lack of comprehension of what colors actually were.

Toph's hand slid a couple of inches up Jane's leg.

"Nope."

Jane blinked at her for a moment, perplexed.

 _What kind of bullshit game are you playing_ this _time, Toph? I'm not in the mood..._

"Brown," Jane grumbled. She lost another couple of inches.

"Come on, Jane," Toph teased with a jokingly seductive tone. Jane could feel her stomach emptying as butterflies made their way in. "Think outside the box."

"Purple?"

The chubby palm slid across Jane's thigh a bit more.

"Paisley?" Jane growled through grit teeth, entirely unamused.

"That's not a _color_ ," Toph giggled through the loud music. "Even _I_ know that..." Toph's hand found its way to Jane's outer groin, and the freckles on Jane's face practically lit up like lights as her face boiled. She was already in a grouchy mood - this strange, needlessly flirtacious behavior was not helping in the slightest. At least the others were too distracted by their goofing around to notice.

Jane paused a moment to consider her options as Toph smirked like a demon. Jane acted swiftly, grabbing Toph's wrist and flicking her arm away. Toph twitched in surprise, clearly startled by the sudden force, and the joking expression she had been showing drizzled away into regret. Neither girl spoke for the rest of the trip, which was, fortunately, only a few minutes.

Jane immediately recognized the street that the Pizza Hut was located on - the place was extremely close to the Treetop pub. She hadn't processed that fact when she had let her friends convince her of a place to eat, but chose to ignore it.

As everyone filed out of the car, Toph let Aang escort her into the restaurant, but Jane noticed the grumpy look in her face that conveyed a desire to apologize for their exchange on the ride over. After they'd settled down inside, Jane made sure to sit beside Toph, across from Katara, at the booth they'd been seated at, while the boys sat against the inside walls. While everyone bickered about what toppings to order, Jane tapped Toph's shoulder. Upon seeing the girl's head perk to the side in attention, Jane mumbled to her.

"It's cool, Toph. Don't worry about it."

"Sorry," Toph sighed out with shrug. A small smile of relief crept onto her face.

"What are you sorry about, now?" Sokka wondered, having overheard her.

"Sorry that I'm gonna have to put up with whatever stupid topping _you_ pick, Meathead."

"What's wrong with _meat_ on _pizza_?"

"Sausage on pizza is disgusting. Sausage is, like...for breakfast."

"Have you never had a _breakfast_ pizza?" Sokka gasped.

" _What?_ What the hell is _that?_ " Toph spat out, baffled.

"Ohhhhhh, man!" Aang cried. "They are _delicious._ We have to get her one."

"They don't make 'em here," Sokka lamented, dumping his chin into his palm, elbow on the table.

"We could always _make_ one," Katara suggested.

"They're good," Jane blurted in her raspy voice, trying to contribute.

"It's settled!" declared Toph, slapping a fist on the table and clattering the napkin-bound silverware. "This weekend, you will all prepare for me this mystical _breakfast pizza_ that you speak of." She folded her arms over her chest and grinned. "So shall it be written. So shall it be done."

"Yes, oh Gracious Lord Toph," Jane mocked, smacking her playfully on the back of the head.

"Ow! Hey, lay off the royal hair," Toph snickered.

"Hello, everyone," greeted their waitress. "Would we like to start off with drinks?"

"Water, please," Aang spat out, raising up his finger.

"Mountain Dew."

"Diet Pepsi, please."

"Wh-? _Diet Pepsi?_ "

"Shut up, Sokka."

After the sibling squabble, the waitress turned to Jane, who took a quick cursory glance at the menu and made an arbitrary choice. "Errr...Sierra Mist?"

"The Good Doctor," announced Toph.

"Pardon?" the waitress mumbled, perplexed by the vague reply.

"Pepper," Toph clarified.

"She means Dr. Pepper," advised Katara with an amused sigh.

"All r _ight,_ " noted their waitress, scribbling on her pad. "And have you decided what you would like to eat tonight?"

"Two large pizzas," Sokka boldly proclaimed. "Sound good to you guys?"

Aang and Katara nodded, while Jane shrugged and Toph conceded a "Sure."

"And what would you like on those?"

"One with half anchovies and sausages," jumped Sokka. Katara and Aang gagged a bit at the idea while Jane contemplaed what such a combination would taste like.

"I'll just have pepperoni on my half," said Katara.

"~Mush _rrrrr_ ooooooms!~" Toph sang out with glee, rolling the 'r' dramatically.

"Green peppers and mushrooms, please," Aang requested.

The waitress tapped her pen against the pad and muttered out their current order.

"Sooo...Half with anchovies and sausages, half with pepperoni, and another with half green peppers and mushrooms, the other half with _just_ mushrooms?"

"Yep," Sokka confirmed.

"Wh-" Katara's eyes snapped to Jane, who had been sitting quietly, taken aback by the quickness of the entire thing. They seemed to have this 'ordering pizza' thing down to a science. "What about Jane? What does _she_ want?"

"Hey, yea," Toph jumped in. "This is _her_ food night, isn't it?"

"Right," Sokka mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. Pale blue eyes passed by olive green in a quick exchange of embarrassment. "Sorry, Jane. We're just used to it being...ya know. Us four, I guess."

"I guessed," Jane dryly recognized.

"So!" Sokka continued, crossing over the negativity. "What do _you_ want, then?"

"I'll get you a whole pizza," Toph offered. "Whatever you want, JayBee."

Jane shrugged and chuckled. She _was_ pretty hungry and wasn't ever one to turn down free food.

"OK. Thanks." Jane smirked at her friend and scratched her head for a moment. "Erm...How about a medium ham and pineapple...?" Jane didn't get to eat special pizza like this every day and the unique combination of meat and sweet was one she had come to enjoy whenever she did.

"Whoa- _ho_ ," Toph bellowed, tapping her knuckles into Jane's arms. "Go a little _crazy_ , why doncha?"

"I've never had pineapples on pizza before," Aang murmured, glancing at Sokka with a thoughtful look. Sokka shrugged dismissively, clearly not in agreement with the flavor.

"All right. I'll be back with your drinks in just a moment." The waitress slipped off to the kitchen, leaving the group to wait for their food. Jane's eyes wandered to Katara, who smiled warmly back. Jane appreciated the sympathy from those sapphire eyes before Katara's brows lowered and she frowned slightly.

"Are you OK?" Katara wondered. Jane blinked sharply, realizing how tired and grouchy she probably appeared.

"Been better," she admitted with a shrug.

"Are you sick?" Aang asked with some concern.

"Kinda," Jane mumbled, not exactly keen on blatantly announcing her menstrual cycle status.

"Some pizza oughtta fix your problems," encouraged Sokka.

"Pizza doesn't solve _everything,_ Sokka," Katara smugly reminded, shoving his shoulder.

"Neither does _chocolate,_ " Sokka countered gleefully, shoving back. They both grinned at each other for a moment before words simultaneously burst from their mouths.

"But it sure does help!"  
"But it sure does help!"

"Soooo...What do we wanna do when we're done eating?" Aang wondered. Everyone shrugged with indifference.

"We could...go for a walk," Sokka suggested. "Maybe swing by the soccer field?"

"For on this day, we shall _walk,_ " Aang declared, raising up his index finger.

"Into Mordor!" Sokka concurred with enthusastic realization.

"One does not simply _walk_ into Mordor," Katara sternly advised in a deep voice.

"There is evil there that _does not sleep_!" Toph warned with a thick, gruff accent.

Suddenly, the group fell quiet and all eyes crept over to Jane - even Toph cocked her head to the side expectently. Jane could feel her face heat up like a boiling tea kettle as their expectation melted into giggles.

"Your line is, 'It is _folley!_ '" Toph whispered.

"Huh?"

"The next line," Toph insisted. "In the scene."

"Wha...?" Jane was utterly confused. "The hell are you guys talking about?"

Jaws dropped across the table.

"You've _never_ seen the Lord of The Rings movies?" Sokka squeaked in shock.

"Geez, Ginger, we've got to educate you," concluded Toph, groping a hand over her hand and ruffling her hair. As Toph's fingers brushed across the wound on the back of Jane's head, she grit her teeh and flinched, squinting an eye in irritation, but said nothing.

"All right-all right-OK!" Sokka rapidly gathered attention, cutting his hand into the air. "Let's start one right now."

"Start what?" Jane mumbled with a startled shrug.

"A humdiddle."

"The _hell?_ "

"A humdiddle!"

"It's what Sokka calls our little...jokes," explained Katara with a roll of the eyes.

"Oh...kay?"

Sokka cleared his throat and pointed at Jane, reached his arm across the table defiantly.

"Freckle-Face, if you're _really_ going to be a part of our group, then you're gonna have to contribute to humdiddles. Ya hear?" His glare broke face and he winked at her before re-establishing the severity of his demand.

"Whatever," Jane sighed, rubbing her forehead in an overwhelmed fashion.

"I've got one," Katara proclaimed, clapping her fingers together with glee. She stared Jane deeply in the eyes, deepened her voice into a gruff, mocking tone, and began.

"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will." She bent up her elbow, hand balled into a determined fist. Her facade dissolved into a warm grin.

"You have my sword!" Aang growled, pounding the table lightly.

"And you have _my_ bow!" Toph cried, slapping a hand on Jane's shoulder.

"And _my_ sarcasm!" Sokka pitched in.

Again, that shared moment of awkward silence where everyone was awaiting whatever stupid mystical line was supposed to come next.

"Then it's _your_ turn _,_ " Toph explained sweetly, "And you say-" Her voice instantly thickened into a raspy Scottish bellow: "-and _my_ axe!"

Jane blinked at Toph's snarling expression while the others nodded vigorously.

"O-OK..."

"We'll practice later and see if you got it," Sokka comforted, easing her off the hook.

The waitress had arrived with their drinks and set them down, and Jane was relieved that mouths stopped flapping for a moment and spewing out crazy random things that didn't make sense and directing expectations at her.

_What is with these guys and all their weird habits? I don't get it. It's like their brains are all wired together or something..._

When her mind wandered back to the table's discussion, Aang was making a proposition to Sokka.

"-should take the girls with us to Aero-Dynamics at the big Homecoming game."

" _Are you serious?_ " Toph squealed, pressing hr palms into her cheeks with excitement. "Really-really?"

"Really-really," said Sokka with smile. "You ladies are gonna come, too, right?"

"Sure!" Katara agreed with a toothy smile. "Don't you think that sounds fun?" she asked Jane.

"Aero-Dynamics?" Jane muttered, digging into the recesses of her brain. "Isn't that where you psycho Aero guys freakin' cross-dress and dance and shout at soccer games?"

" _Aaaaaand_ basketball games," Sokka corrected.

"We did tennis one time, too," Aang added.

Jane considered the idea of dressing up like an insane person and shouting and hollering at a sporting event with this group of people, surrounded by many others. The thought settled well, and she could see why Toph had been so elated.

" _Yesss,_ God, I can't wait," Toph squeaked. Upon reflection, Jane found it ironic and bizarre how girly Toph was getting at the thought of yelling and grunting at shouting about a sport she couldn't even _see_ while surrounded by frat boys.

Suddenly, Jane's bowels churned and she realized her body ws ready for trash disposal.

She slid out of the booth and rose to her feet, assuring the group, "Goin' to the bathroom. Back in a sec."

"'Kay!"  
"OK!"  
"Yep!"  
"Have fun!"

While on the stall, Jane flipped through her phone. No new messages. Wait...

_Rrrrrrmmmmm._

[From: Kat]  
[Are you sure you're OK? What's wrong? You seem in a bad mood.]  
[Sent: 7:47pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Kat]  
[guess i am. pms.]  
[Sent: 7:48pm]

[From: Kat]  
[It's more than that. Are we making you feel uncomfortable?]  
[Sent: 7:48pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Kat]  
[all your inside jokes and shit. i dont get it. outta the loop.]  
[Sent: 7:49pm]

[From: Kat]  
[I'm sorry. =( We're trying to get you in on it, though, OK? Everybody likes you. Even when you're being grouchy. ;P]  
[Sent: 7:49pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Kat]  
[haha ok. i just dont really have any other people to hang out with anymore u know?]  
[Sent: 7:49pm]

[From: Kat]  
[I know. It's OK. You're practically another member of the group now. Come to think of it...]  
[Sent: 7:50pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Kat]  
[i guess i kinda am huh? come to think of it. what?]  
[Sent: 7:50pm]

[From: Kat]  
[ ;D ]  
[Sent: 7:51pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Kat]

[Sent: 7:51pm]

Jane finished up her business and approached the table again, noticing the food wasn't ready yet. She wasn't quite ready to be engulfed in the kinetic energy of the group, so she paused at the table, glancing at Katara while Aang and Sokka debated some...nerd...thing...that didn't make a lick of sense.

"I need to get some air," she let Katara know quietly, her hands in her pockets. Katara nodded with empathy and reached a hand out, squeezing Jane's wrist before letting her slip off out the entrance door.

"What's up with her today?" Toph whispered across the table. "She's being fussy."

"You're one to talk," Katara teased with a chuckle.

"It's that time of the month," Sokka nonchalantly tossed in his two cents before continuing his chat with Aang. "Now I'm tellin' ya, I think they should have him _kill_ Sasuke, 'cuz then that would show how not _everyone_ can be saved...-"

"That's...actually kind of it," Katara meekly conceded to Toph. "She's also feeling kind of...like...-" Katara fumbled her hands through the air if only to coincide with her inner workings. "-...when it's just the five of us, I think we make her feel left out."

"How's that?" Toph mumbled with indignation. "She's like our honorary fifth member."

"I think that since she left the Freedom Fighters she doesn't really have a group she belongs to," Katara lamented.

"She belongs to _us_ , now," chirped in Aang before pouncing back on topic with Sokka. "Why would he end up with _Sakura?_ Hinata confessed her _love_ to him..."

"Twinkle-Toes is right," agreed Toph vehemently.

"I _know!_ Sakura's been chasing after _Sasuke_ this whole time but Hinata has _always-_ "

" _What?_ No-no-no, about _Freckles,_ not...whatever you're talking about."

"Oh..."

"Carry on with your nerdy talk, Babe."

"You called me 'Babe,' Taters."

"No, I didn't. You're hearing things, Twinkles."

"We sure love our nicknames, don't we?" Katara observed, palm on her forehead in embarrassment.

"Speaking of, didn't we have, like, a group name?" Sokka attempted to remember. "Like a gang title?"

"The Fearsome Foursome!" Toph instantly recollected.

"Yea, that was it!"

"Ohhhh, yea," Aang fondly remembered. "When Toph started hanging out with us."

"Why did we drop that?" Sokka demanded. No one had an answer. "Well...We should use it again."

"But that doesn't _work,_ Sokka," Katara picked, flicking him in the forehead.

"Ow. How come?"

" _Jane?_ That makes five."

"The Fearsome _Five_ some!"

Sokka hummed with uncertainty, rubbing his hairy chin.

"The Fearless Five," he amended.

"Fearsome Fivesome," Toph insisted.

"I like it," Katara snickered. "We should keep it in the spirit of the old one."

"But...but it doesn't _sound_ as good. Doesn't roll off the tongue the same. Fearsome _Five_?"

"Fearsome Fivesome," Aang decided.

"Yea," said Toph.

Katara shot her brother a sly nod and an amused raised brow.

" _Fiiiiiinnnnne,_ " Sokka groaned, flopping his face into his arms on the table. "But we need our fifth member first."

Outside the brick wall of the restaurant, Jane stood in the parking lot against the Kesuks' car, staring up at the cloudy evening sky. Her eyes would carefully wander to the entrance of the Treetop Pub around the corner but she'd pull her attention away. Just being near the place made her uneasy. The last time she had set foot in it had been aside Jet the day before he'd died. She refused to enter it now. She was no longer one of them.

 _Why do you keep letting them pull your strings, Johnny? Do you wanna fucking end up like_ he _did?_

She fiddled with the lighter in her zip-up pocket. Fortunately, she didn't have any cigarettes on her, so there was no temptation to give in to. Katara had managed to convince her to kick the habit during the summer and after some whittling down it had stuck - she hadn't smoked a single cigarette since she'd stepped onto campus for the school year. She had held on to Jet's lighter since he had passed away in his memory.

She pulled it out and snapped it a couple of times. The metal object came alive, spouting a small flame that mesmerized Jane for a few moments before she clicked the metal top back on, snuffing it. She admired the soaring eagle emblazoned into the lighter's surface for another moment and reflected on what it stood for: freedom. Jet had always had a thing for eagles and their symbolism.

 _Jet found_ his _freedom. So can I. Can't I? Fucking right, I can._

"Jane?"

"Huh?"

Jane turned around, back to the building, to see Aang waving his arm at her.

"Pizza's done," he informed. "Aren't you gonna come in?"

"Yea." Jane stuffed the lighter back into her pocket and pursued the bony boy. She absorbed an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

"C'mon, cheer up," Aang suggested. Jane gave him a weak, trying smile.

"I'll try."

Delicious waves of warm pizza awaited back at the table, and Toph and Sokka were already halfway through their first pieces.

"Hey," Katara greeted as Jane attacked her ham and pineapple pizza.

"So, Janey Jane," Toph began. "We were talking about you while you were gone."

"Oh?"

"Awful things. _Horrible_ things."

"That so?"

"She had some _very_ naughty things to say about your boyfriend," Sokka jested. Jane whipped her wrist against Toph's head, who let out a devil's snicker.

"Actually," Aang corrected, "we were thinking about asking you if you wanted to join our group."

Jane stopped partway through a bite.

"Rrmm?" She tore off the piece, chewed, and swallowed. "Thought I already _was_ part of your group," she grumbled with a tinge of offense.

"Of course," Katara agreed. "But we mean, like...-" She scratched her head for a moment. "Our _group_ group."

"B-F-F's," Toph said with a grin.

"Like our secret club," Sokka presented the notion.

Jane raised an orange brow.

"Ih-if you _want_ ," Sokka amended.

"We're a pretty tightly knit bunch," Aang proudly informed.

"I can tell," Jane murmured, her eyes wandering to her food.

"But we're willing to let you in," Katara offered. "We all like you."

"Even your brother?" Jane dryly doubted, giving him a dark glance. His face flinched in worry and he shrugged.

"It's nice having another pessimist around," Sokka admitted. "And I like you well enough when you're not crabby."

Jane sighed and slurped some of her soda.

"Ringing endorsement, there, Sokka..."

"Who _else_ is gonna take you in?" Toph picked.

"So now I'm a lost puppy?"

"Jane, you've been spending all of your free time with us lately," Katara logically pointed out. "We want you to keep doing that. We care about you. It's pretty simple."

Jane couldn't deny the warm sensitivity of Katara's smile and the genuineness in her eyes.

"Then let's do it," Jane put the matter to rest. "I'm game."

Sokka pounded the side of his fist into his palm. " _First,_ we need to test you...Aang? Do the honors."

Aang began.  
"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will."

Katara spoke with determination.  
"You have my sword."

Toph was sneaky and sly.  
"And you have _my_ bow!"

Sokka pointed at Jane with a smirk.  
"And _my_ sarcasm!"

_'Kay. Let's just take the leap here. They may be weird, but I guess I kinda am, too._

Jane slammed her palm against the table and roared out with a Scottish accent.  
"And _my axe!_ "

Cheers and hand-clapping exploded across the table, startling some nearby customers across the room. The group had a subdued laugh-fit as they sat, and Jane's freckled face wore a rare, uncontainable smile.

"You are now an official member of our clan," Sokka boldly pronounced.

"Since when did we have a clan?" Toph mumbled.

"You need five people to make a clan," Sokka rapidly spat to dismiss her confusion.

"From this day onward," said Aang, "We shall be known as the Fearsome Fivesome."

"Here, here!" initiated Toph.  
"Here, here."  
"Here, here!"  
"Here?"  
"Here- _here!_ "

_Wow. Guess they're pretty serious about this shit..._

"For your initiation," Toph warned, "you must streak naked across-"

" _No._ "

"Grr."

"I think putting up with us is good enough," Katara laughed.

The group enjoyed the rest of their meal with small talk concerning an annoying professor and an upcoming test and an art project. In the parking lot, before they reached the Kesuks' car, Katara stopped everyone.

"Tonight is a big step for us," she observed in a jovial enthusiasm. "This sort of thing warrants a group hug, don't you think?"

Jane sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, only to be instantly surrounded by bodies from all sides crushing her lovingly. It felt kind of nice, in its own odd way.

 _Ow. Fuck!  
_ Except for whoever had just bumped against the back of her head.

Once they'd broken their hug, Aang pointed off down the street in the direction back to SRU.

"To arms, Comrades!" he decreed as they filed into the car.

" **To arms!** "


	19. A Formal Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SRU incorporates video links when I end up introducing music or occasionally video content to mesh with the story, so you'll start seeing those here.

 

  
  
[SRU - Pour Out](http://soranamae.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Pour-Out-295226306) by *[SoraNamae](http://soranamae.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)

* * *

\- Monday, October 11th, 2010 -

"This _weekend?_ How could I-...? How did I _miss_ that?"

"It's just Homecoming, Kat, it's not like it's-"

" _Exactly!_ It's Homecoming! I need to...I have to get ready for it."

"You're actually _going?_ "

"Wh-? Of _course_ we're going. You're not?"

Jane's eyes wandered to the side and she shrugged with apathy.

"Nah, I've, uhh...never been to somethin' like that..."

"Really?" Katara gasped as she tied her hair into a ponytail. "Are you serious?"

Jane's eyelids lowered as her olive orbs glared.

"Do I seem like the type who'd give a fuck about that kinda thing?" she grumbled.

"Er...N-no, I...I guess not," Katara conceded sheepishly. "But...You should totally come with us. Bring Johnny, we'll all go as a group! I'm sure he can get out of Freedom Fighter...stuff...to go to _Homecoming_ with his lovely girlfriend."

Jane rolled her eyes at her friend's words but a smirk found its way to her face regardless.

"I dunno, Kat. We'll see." Said with a tone that conveyed a hint of desire to give in and go.

"Let me know. I could help you pick out a dress," Katara advised with a wide grin.

"D-dress?" Jane sputtered, suddenly off-put. "Like a _...dress_ dress?"

With a laugh, Katara ruffled Jane's shaggy orange mess of unkempt hair.

" _Yes,_ a dress, JayBee. It's a formal thing - I'll help you look real nice, I promise. You'll knock Johnny's _socks_ off, Hun."

Katara could see Jane's confidence wither idea at her suggestions, but she was determined to play them out - Jane would thank her later.

"Listen, don't worry about it right now," she calmed her redhead friend. "Let me figure out what we're doing first and I'll get back to you tomorrow on that." She patted Jane's slender shoulder with encouragement. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to, but you'll be missing out - it's a lot of fun, and you'll have us with you, you know?"

A brisk nod from Jane concluded the discussion for the time being, and Katara had a good feeling that her friend would eventually come around. They'd been peeling her shell off piece by piece over the past few weeks, and now that she was officially inducted into their 'clan,' she seemed to be progressively more open to doing things outside of her comfort zone.

"Anyway, I have to head off to work now," she explained to Jane as she popped on her shoes.

"Yep."

"I'll see you tonight, all right?"

"Sure thing."

* * *

Sokka sighed as he slipped his phone back into his pant pocket and grabbed his pool cue.

"What's up?" Aang wondered in reference to the text Sokka had just surveyed.

"It's my sister, she's bugging me about Homecoming." He slid the smooth stick between his fingers before popping the white ball forward.

"Yea, that's coming up, like...This weekend?" Aang surmised, watching as Sokka sank a striped ball.

"Sure is. And you _know_ how Katara gets with dances and dinners and crap like that," mumbled Sokka, shaking his head slowly.

"Haha, she can get kinda crazy about them, huh?"

"Not _kinda_." Sokka plopped another stripe into a corner pocket. The gentlemen enjoyed the slow rolling sound of the ball traveling back to the open compartment in front of the pool table.

"So what is she bothering you _about_?" Aang inquired, sensing that Sokka wasn't frustrated merely by the idea of Homecoming.

Having just scored a scratch, Sokka huffed and scooped it out of the tray, handing it to his roommate.

"She's trying to get our help setting her up with a date."

"She is?"

"Sadly, yes.

"Who with?"

"She asked me if Haru has asked anyone out yet."

" _Haru?_ " Aang spat out in shocked amusement. "Ha! Are you kidding?"

"Sadly, _no._ "

"But..." Aang slammed his ball with precision - it richoted off the side and perfectly slid a solid into its place. "He's not her _type._ "

" _I know!"_ Sokka cried out, relieved that someone else shared his opinion. "Neither was _Jet_ ," he snuck in with some dismay.

"Weren't you encouraging her to go out with Haru, like...last month?"

"That was _before_ ," Sokka dismissed.

Aang's face dried up into a solemn frown.

"When she was with Jet," he deduced. "So...What? You don't want her to date _anyone_ now?" he irritably accused.

"N-no, that's not it at all," defended Sokka, flailing his arms. "I'm just...-" He drummed his fingers along the edge of the pool table as he hunched over it, watching Aang fling score another solid. "-...real sick of seeing her get her heart broken again and again. I just _know_ it wouldn't work between her and Haru."

"Maybe...Katara knows that, too?" Aang pondered.

"Huh?"

"Maybe Katara just wants someone to go with - to have some fun."

Sokka stared at Aang with low-set eyebrows, perplexed by such a notion.

"I'm just saying," Aang shrugged, carrying along with their pool game. "You don't want her to feel left out, do you?"

Sokka scratched his hairy chin carefully, acknowledging that of their group, Katara would be the only one without a date.

"Ehhhh," came his gutteral groan of admittence. "No," he whimpered. "I don't want her to feel left out..."

"Exactly." Aang lined up his next shot. "Eight-Ball, corner pocket."

_Pok. Clat! Tak.  
Clackle-kat._

"Heh."

"Why did I let you convince me to play _pool?_ " Sokka growled. "Next time? Chess, Aang. _Chess_. And you are going _down._ "

"I am _totally_ going down," Aang chuckled.

* * *

\- Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 -

"What'll it be today, Toph?"

"Oh, hi, Ginny."

"It's Jin."

" _Right,"_ Toph flinched. "Sorry, I forgot."

"Heh, it's fine. So what can I get you today?"

"Oh, r-right, um..." Toph's mind fumbled around to a drink she knew she preferred at the Jasmine Dragon.

"Did you want me to read off anyth-?"

"No, no, I'll have a Raspberry Truffle Espresso, please."

"What size?"

"Oh, um, Large. Normal. Nothing special."

"That'll be $3.50."

"'Kay." Toph dug her hand into her back pocket, retrieved her trusty card, and stuck her arm out to the girl at the register. She waited for the _shhhnk_ of the card through the scanner, the _whrr-ka-kurrrr_ of her receipt being printed off - a lot of good _that_ was for her - and held her palm out to receive her magical piece of plastic money back. She did not take a moment to reflect on how nice and convenient it was to waltz into shops and buy whatever food or drink she wanted - that would be unbecoming of a Beifong. In fact, Jin pondered this very idea instead, wondering how life would be different with rich parents like Toph had.

"I'll get on that for you, Toph. Thanks."

As Jin shifted to the counter to start preparing Toph's drink, the various sounds of metal, plastic, liquids and machinery filled the air. Toph shifted a few steps to her left and stood idly by the receiving counter to take her order when it was completed.

"So...Jin," she began with a quaint tone outside of her standard pallette of expression. "I, um...I heard you guys do, like...a _thing_ here...Thursday nights?"

"What was that?" Jin requested as she finished Toph's drink. "Here's your drink, by the way." Toph held out her hand to receive the coffee cup. Its warm, dry surface was comforting and energizing at once as she clamped it tightly in her fingers. "Got it?" Jin checked.

"Yup."

"Now, what were you saying?"

"Oh, um, I was just...You guys have a special thing you do here on Thursday nights, I heard."

"Yea, we sure do!"

"What... _is_ that. Exactly?"

"It's sort of an open-mic thing. Readings, music, comedy acts...whatever you want."

"How does it work?"

"Well...We put the sign-up sheet out Monday, and you sign up for a time slot."

"Sooo...If I wanted to sign up for this Thursday...I could just...do that?"

"Of course! You want me to put you in for a time?"

"Yea. Yea, let's do that." Toph lifted the cup to her mouth and pressed her lips around the opening. Too hot. She lightly blew some air through it to cool it off a bit. She heard Jin's footsteps move across the room and return.

"Welllll...We have an opening from 8:15 to 8:30 this Thursday. How about that?"

"Perfect. I'll take it."

"Great!" A pen scratched the surface of a clipboard. "So what are you going to do? Some music, I take it?"

"How _ever_ did you know?" Toph kidded, slipping out her tongue jokingly.

"I look forward to it, Toph. I've got another customer though, soooo...-"

"Catch you later."

"You, too."

Toph carefully tread her walking stick along, located an empty table, and sat herself down for a session of what Sokka had dubbed a "Think N' Drink." She considered her musical exploits. Things had been off to a slow start this year. Having a robust social life was obviously the primary cause, but even so, Toph was sure she could be doing better. Practicing with their still un-named band a few times was frustrating in its own right - not even because of how apparent it was that they were not coordinated as a musical group, but because it made it easier to see her own flaws in her performances. Perhaps the problem was that she needed a reason to practice on her own, alone, playing songs that were _not_ for a lesson or class. The more time Toph spent playing music for others, the less the notes she played exuded her own spirit. Maybe this 'open-mic' business would help out. And the best part? It was on Thursday, when everyone split off to get homework done, so it wasn't like she had anything better to be doing.

Thursday nights would become her musical canvas.

* * *

\- Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 -

"You have no _idea_ how much of an idiot my brother can be..."

"Dude, I have _kind of_ an idea, Kat. We both live in Aero. I've probably seen parts of the guy you never have."

Katara had a sneaking suspicion he was literally referring to body parts, given some of the frat-boy activities Aero Men were known for participating in on occasion, but derailed that train of thought immediately.

"I'm sure you have, Haru," she murmured with embarrassed humor. "Do you know where I could find him tonight? He's not in his room and he's not answering his phone."

"Ah, yea," Haru assured, waving her to follow. "I saw him down in the basement, he was takin' care of laundry."

"Oh my _God_ ," Katara laughed. "Sokka? Doing _laundry?_ "

Haru acknowledged her joke with a chuckle as he proceeded down the stairs.

"Sokka was telling me your little gang is all going to Homecoming together, huh?" Haru observed. Katara felt her stomach lurch nervously. She knew he was about to ask her out. But she hadn't completely decided how she'd react to it.

"Y-yea. We are. One big happy family. Ha."

"Sokka's going with that Japanese girlfriend of his, right?"

"Suki."

"Right. And then... _your_ roommate...is going with _his_ roommate. Yea?"

"Mm-hm."

"What about that one boy I see you hanging out with all the time? Are you, eh...-?" He waggled his finger left and right, and Katara realized what he was implying. But who was he _talking_ about?

"Huh?"

"Ya know, that redhead. You two...-" Haru shrugged meekly, glancing away down the basement hall. "-...seem real close. Like, always holding hands, and-"

"Pfff," Katara spilled out in disbelief. "Redhead? You mean...You must mean _Jane,"_ she giggled in an irregularly giddy manner. " _She_ is our neighbor in Aqua."

Haru's head flicked from side to side in a twitchy double-back as he processed this correction.

" _Dude,_ I...am totally sorry, man, I...-" He shrugged, slowly shaking his head and fiddling his hands around in defense. "The way that girl dresses, and, like, acts...I didn't even think...-"

"It's OK, Haru," Katara chuckled, amused by the whole thing. "Jane kind of asks for it with the way she carries herself - I'm getting her to work on that, heh." Katara smiled peacefully and shrugged as they hit the laundry room - no one in sight, but half of the driers and washers were running idly, creating an oddly soothing racket.

"Soooo, I'm gonna guess the redhead is _not_ your date, then?" Haru joked, sitting atop one of the driers, it's timer marked **[00:03]**.

"Haha, no, she's taking her boyfriend," Katara pleasantly explained.

"Then...what about _you_?"

"I..." Katara tossed her arms out to her sides and chuckled, overcome with a strange sense of confidence and comfort. She let her hands drop to her hips and coyly grinned. "I'd be up for going with you, if that's what you're getting at."

Haru's face heated up and he ran his hand over his slick, greasy hair. A laugh escaped him and he cocked his head to the side with an embarrassed smile.

"Sh...Sure! Yea. Totally!"

"All right, then," Katara brightly concluded. "There's still an empty seat at our table, so just sign up for it and I'll see you there Saturday night. Sound good?"

"Sounds...pretty good to me, Kat." Haru was clearly flabbergasted at her straightforward approach, and Katara was relishing the sense of empowerment as they exchanged heated glances of anticipation. "Er..." Haru tore his eyes away from her and directed them to the drier. **[00:02]** "This was the machine your bro put his clothes in, so...yah." He rapped his knuckle against its metal surface and popped his body off. Katara kept her eyes glued on his shaken and stirred demeanor with some satisfaction.

"Thanks, Haru. I'll see you later," she bid with a sly and syrupy tone.

As the door to the laundry room closed, Katara paced back and forth, her stomach queasy from their encounter.

_God, what's going on with me? He seems like a nice enough guy, but...No, no. This is just a simple date. Nothing more. Yea. I can't let myself fall into that same trap again, but...I can't do what my brother did, either. This is just a single date, and we'll...see how it goes. That's all._

[To: Sokka]  
[Your laundry's done. =P ]  
[Sent: 4:12pm]

[ **Inbox:** **1** ]

[From: Suki]  
[do you guys mind if we start practice an hour early on sunday? could you check w/toph&jane plz?]  
[Sent: 1:38pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Suki]  
[That's OK with me. I'll check with the girls and get back to you. =) ]  
[Sent: 4:13pm]

[From: Sokka]  
[WTF?]  
[Sent: 4:14pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[Get down to the laundry room. Bum.]  
[Sent: 4:14pm]

Katara was relieved that her brother showed up shortly after their phone exchange. Sitting in the laundry room alone got very boring very quickly. Katara watched as her brother dumped clothes from the drier into his basket.

"Whoa, hey, wait," she interjected. "Aren't you going to fold those?"

Sokka sighed and shook his head.

"They're going to be all _wrinkled,_ though..."

" _So?_ " Sokka spat irritably.

_Geez. Someone's in a grouchy mood._

"I could help, Sokka..."

"I don't care, Katara. Not _everyone_ has to be all perfect all the damned time."

She was tempted to spew back a counterpoint, but she wasn't going to let her brother's frumpy words sour her mood.

"OK, fine. Calm down, Bro."

Sokka stuffed his mass of clothing tightly into the basket to prevent it from spilling out.

"Sorry. I'm stressed out."

" _Really?_ You know, I couldn't tell," she noted with sarcasm and a pat on the back, opening the door for him on the way out.

"Thanks," he muttered, hefting the weight of his clothes into the hall.

"What's going on?" Katara wondered, blazing their trail to open every door in their path.

"Had a bad day at work, class sucked, stupid test on Friday. Grah."

"Sorry, Sokka. Anything I can do?"

"Nope," grunted the older sibling as they hit the stairs.

"OK." Katara tapped her finger against her chin thoughtfully as they climbed up to the second floor. "Sooo...I got a date to Homecoming."

"Haru, right?"

"Heh. Yes."

"You sure that's such a good idea?"

"Sokka, _please._ It's just an innocent date. It's not like we're going steady all of a sudden."

"Yea, yea...Just be cool about it."

Katara frowned at his overprotection.

" _Excuse_ me," she grumbled, "but _you_ were the one telling me to give him a chance in the first place."

Sokka sighed out an exhausted, "I know..."

"Good. Then...don't worry about it. I'm not going to be stupid. OK?"

"I _know._ Listen, did you need something?" Sokka groaned as they entered the second floor of Aero. Clearly, he wasn't in much of a mood to talk with his sister today.

"Oh, right. I need my share of the spending money for Homecoming that Dad sent us last week."

"Right," Sokka huffed. "Sure thing, Sis. I'll grab that for ya in a sec..."

* * *

"Who did he _think_ you were going with?"

Katara grinned from cheek to cheek, eyelids narrowed sneakily.

"He thought that I was going with that 'redhead boy' I'm always hanging out with," she teased.

" _Me?_ The fuck?" Jane spat out in humored disbelief. "He thought I was a _boy?_ "

Katara grabbed Jane's hand and squeezed it tight for a second before going back to wading through the rack of dresses.

"Sorry, Jane. But you have to admit...the way you dress and act most of the time, it doesn't exactly help."

Jane shrugged, letting it roll off with a laugh. "Not _my_ fault I'm so hardcore..."

"Come on, though, it's kind of funny, right?" Katara egged, insistent on finding comedy in the matter.

"I guess," Jane sighed, rubbing her eyebrow.

"I mean, he thought _we_ were, like, _into_ each other _,_ or something," Katara slapped her wrist against Jane's arm in humor. "He didn't even know that...-" Katara's joyful prodding gave way to concern and regret. "Are you OK?"

"Huh?"

"You just look...all angry and upset..."

"Oh..." Jane realized suddenly that her face was hot, her arms were crossed, and her lips were puckered out in a finnicky pout. Perhaps this dumb guy's inaccurate assumptions were more irritating than she originally figured they'd be.

"I'm sorry, Jane," Katara murmured solemnly, twirling a fidgety finger through her hair. "I...thought you'd find it kind of funny. I didn't mean to-...Gah," she turned away. "I shouldn't forget how sensitive you are about-"

"Naw, it's cool, Kat. It _is_ kind of funny. I don't really care what people think, and it doesn't bother me if _you_ guys pick on me about it 'cuz...I know you're just kidding."

"O-OK...That's what I _thought_ , but I don't want to make you feel self-conscious or...-"

" _Ha._ Self-conscious? We're trying to pick out a fucking _dress,_ Kat," Jane snickered, scratching her ear. "Pretty sure being self-conscious comes with the territory." She thrust her arms out to the assortment of colorful clothes that washed around them like a sea.

" _Right."_ Katara had become focused on her task, and finally presented Jane with a dark piece of fabric.

"Christ," Jane snickered with a face palm as she inspected its measly form. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Katara iterated, lining the dress, still on its hanger, across Jane's chest to estimate its fit.

"I'm not sure here, Kat," doubted Jane with a sigh.

"Come on, JayBee, it's your size. I even found one in _black_ for you."

"But...But it's so...-" She huffed, sliding her jaw to the side in frustration.

"Revealing?"

" _Yea!_ " Jane blurted wih indignance.

"Ohhhh, it's not _that_ bad! Come on."

"There's like...fuckin' _strings_ holding it up."

"Spaghetti straps, Hun."

"But...My whole...-" She quickly waved her palm over her collarbones. "Half my body will be showing in that thing!"

"Jane, it's not going to kill you to dress like a girl for once."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Jane growled in a pout.

"Don't you want to really make Johnny go crazy?"

Jane's icy olive glare burned into Katara's enthusiasm to no avail, the sapphire optimism winning out in the end.

"Yea...I guess..."

"He'll love this, Hun. I promise."

"My shoulders are going to be showing," Jane whimpered quietly, her eyes nervously shifting around to ensure no one else was nearby in this section of the store. "And my fuckin' twig legs, and-"

"Jane." Katara slowly insisted, grabbing her friend by the shoulders. "It's OK."

"But my legs are _hairy_ ," Jane hissed, running her hand through her hair in frustration. Katara giggled in reply. "It's not funny! I'm not sure I'm cut out to play dress-up and shit, Kat..."

"Jane, I'll help you wax your legs or something, it's-"

"And my shoulders are fuckin' _freckly_ , and my collar bones stick out, and-" Jane's shaky ramble was cut short as Katara slapped her on the arm - it was a gentle slap but with enough force to catch her off guard.

"Careful, JayBee," she teased, jabbing a finger at Jane's nose. "We're trying to girl you up, but we don't want to go back to high-school territory, haha."

Jane's innards gurgled with unease as she realized how bizarre her reaction likely seemed. Rough and tumble GI Jane, having a fit over her looks for a _dance_? What the hell? That was messed up.

"Sorry, Kat, I'm...kinda freaked out here. Not exactly my sorta thing."

"I know it's hard for you, Hun," Katara empathized softly, leading Jane to a changing closet. "But I swear, this will be good for you. I know you have have bad self-esteem about your looks."

"No, I don't," Jane instinctively growled with a grouchy roll of the eyes.

"You were just freaking out over your freckles and your collar bones, Jane. Yes, you do."

"Fine...Maybe..."

Katara nudged her into a changing closet and closed the door behind her.

"Try that on."

"Fuck," Jane huffed through the door.

"What?"

"My boots...You know how _annoying_ these are to take off and put on?"

"Baha...Ohhhh, JayBee."

Jane unlaced her intricate footwear and paused to contemplate how to even get herself into this puny black... _thing_. A mirror glowered over her through the entire process, so she had no choice but to turn away if only to avoid getting overly self-conscious about things. Jane abhored mirrors, a vicious reminder of her body, that thing which she constantly insisted on avoiding thinking about. She coudn't deny Katara's joke: she felt like she had regressed back to high school when she had cared more about looking like a 'girl,' only to ultimately dismiss the effort as futile based on her peers' reactions.

"Why does it matter so much?" she grunted, pulling down her baggy cargo pants.

"Huh?"

"Trying to...to look _girly_ and crap." Off with the shirt.

"Wh-?...You _are_ a girl, Jane. Sometimes it's fun to just...look nice. You know?"

"Don't really care." She squirmed into the black cloth, letting its straps rest on her shoulders. This felt entirely awkward. Bare, cold, breezy...but freeing. She felt unprotected and vulnerable, her bony arms showing, her stick legs - hairy - and freckly shoulders all exposed. Who could find this attractive?

"You done?"

"Yea..."

"Let me see!" Katara cried with excitement. Jane rubbed her tired eyes and opened the door, refusing to exit the changing room. She felt her stomach empty and her face heat up at Katara's elated expression.

"Ohhhh, wow," Katara whispered, wide-eyed. "It's perfect, Jane!"

"R-really...?"

"So _cute._ Black was a great choice. Accents your hair. Do I know how to pick 'em, or what?"

Butterflies filtered through Jane's intestines as Katara inspected the dress with care, placing palms flush againt Jane's bony hips to determine the fit.

"See?" she insisted, twirling Jane to face the mirror. "You look great. Johnny will eat it up."

"'Kay..." Jane sighed shakily, simply relieved that Katara was happy, at least. She couldn't bring herself to survey her own form, instead glancing at her own petrified eyes and bright pink cheeks. Maybe now she could get back into normal clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, she was back in army boots, cargo pants, and a sweatshirt, and Katara had purchased the simple black outfit for her. It hadn't all too expensive, Katara had assured, but Jane still couldn't comprehend spending more than $20 on any piece of clothing, period, so it baffled her that Katara was so eager to contribute finances to the cause.

"Thanks, Kat."

"No problem. We'll tidy your hair up, and wax your legs...You're going to look _amazing._ Johnny won't know what to _do_ with you."

Jane smiled slightly at the idea of her boyfriend being equally fancied up in a tuxedo, unable to take his hands off of her. The idea had its appeal, she could admit.

"Are you finally looking forward to this?" Katara encouraged. "Have I finally cracked that shell of yours?"

"A little," Jane replied with a smirk. "But I'm gonna wear my boots with this dress."

" _Whaaaa?_ " Katara moaned. "But...You're gonna look...-"

"Like myself. Heh."

* * *

\- Thursday, October 14th, 2010 -

"I'm kind of in the middle of something here, Azula. Could this not wait?"

["No, ZuZu, as a matter of fact it _cannot_ wait. Plans must be made tonight because I'm not going to have any time tomorrow."]

"What are you _talking_ about? What plans?"

["I'm _hurt,_ Little Brother."]

"Could you just get to the point?"

["This weekend is _Homecoming,_ Zuko. And I _am_ an alumna of your University. I intend to be _coming 'home'_ tomorrow for the festivities."]

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in dread. He could feel the migraine building already.

"Oh."

["Well, don't sound so _enthused,_ "] came the rapid bitterness. ["I know that seeing your own _flesh and blood_ is so very, very inconvenient."]

"I didn't say th-"

["Spare me your excuses, Dum-Dum. _I_ know when I'm not wanted."]

"So...What? Now you're not coming?"

["Are you joking? Of _course_ I'm coming, I just _told you._ I swear, sometimes you can be such an imbecile..."]

"Then why are you-?"

["I'll meet you at the Avatar at 6pm tomorrow. We can catch up over supper."]

"Ugh...Fine. But I...I have a busy weekend, so don't expect-"

["You're a Kurosawa, Zuko. I _expect_ you to be busy."]

Zuko bit his tongue. It was no use when she was acting this way, he could never get a word in edge-wise.

["Oh, and...Take Mai and Ty-Lee tomorrow, we can have a happy little reunion. Ciao, ZuZu."]

_Click._

"Soooo..." Mai poked her head out from behind her laptop. "Based on the whole...you getting interrupted constantly...That must have been Azula," Mai decided.

"That hard to figure out, was it?"

"Aaaand...She's going to be here for Homecoming, isn't she?"

"Argh..."

"At least it won't be _boring,_ right?"

* * *

The wooden stage was cold to the touch, grimy from the shoes of others before her. She carefully arranged a bar stool borrowed from a table in the shop so that it rested before the microphone. She felt her hands up the metal pole and around the mic. She tapped its bumpy surface and relished the _pumph-pumph_ sound that radiated from the speakers to her sides. She had gotten plenty of practice in the night prior while Katara and Jane had been away doing dress-shopping and was pretty confident she had the song down pat.

"So, umm...-" she murmured into the microphone, unfazed by a crowd whose size she couldn't quite determine. It seemed like a sleepy night at the Jasmine Dragon, so no pressure, right? _Pff._ Like she gave a damn about pressure. She introduced herself with blunt nonchalance. "I'm gonna play a song. And stuff. Hope ya like."

_Well. Here we are, Toph. Play your Emo-Pants heart out. For the sake of love, and shit._

She plucked at her acoustic guitar strings and played out a melancholy prelude. A song that Aang had introduced her to during their summer, separated, which she had been periodically listening to from time to time. He'd sent it to her along with a number of other songs, but this one had been the only she'd bothered to listen to more than once. She didn't know where it had come from - he'd told her it was from a video game, or something? She didn't recall the specifics, she just knew the song had a special place on her iPod and that she liked where her mind went when she listened to it. Even though it spoke of things she could never perceive, she had a hunch it was still entirely appropriate.

[\+ (Dreaming Still by Jillian Aversa) +](http://youtu.be/vpEHRnYI3zE)

**_"~Sometimes I lie awake at night and wait_ ~**   
**_~The shadows changing on the hollow wall~_ **   
**_~And moonlight streaming through my windowpane~_ **   
**_~Leaves me cold, under the shroud of nightfall_ ~"**

Days past, nights gone by - alone.  
A practice room - a fortress.  
A bedroom, quiet and isolated.  
No friends, no fellows, no family.  
Just a lonely, angry girl, a piano, a and a guitar.

**_"~You're there beside me in my deepest dreams_ ~**   
**_~A ghost of all the weight I feel within~_ **   
**_~And floating endlessly, my heart believes~_ **   
**_~That we are one, ready to touch, to begin_ ~"**

"It's ruined! It...It's _destroyed._ "

"I-I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

"It's going to take me _all weekend_ to fix this!"

"I know. _I know_!"

"Urgh, and this is...totally shot. It's going to have to be replaced..."

"I'm sorry, Aang, I...w-wasn't thinking!"

"Ugh. No, you weren't! You always _do this!_ You always think you can take care of everything all by yourself. But you can't!"

**_"~Imagine how your lips would taste on mine~_ **   
**_~And how your breath would feel against my eyes~_ **   
**_~My heart is racing for the millionth time~_ **   
**_~Don't let go of this thought, otherwise_ ~"**

His scrubby hair, dry skin, gentle hands.  
The way he used to get all nervous when she'd start kissing his neck.  
How his earlobes felt between her lips.  
His warm breath against her face, deepening when they'd get close.  
Her hand on his chest, his heart pounding, just like hers.  
Neither of them knowing what to do with this all.

 ** _"~There's a...~haze, a...~feeling...~that I get with you_** ~  
 ** _~And~this hand~Won't let go...~_**  
 ** _~Lead me...~Show me...~just how...~love's supposed to feel_ ~**  
 _ **~So that I won't be...~  
~Dreaming...~"**_

A smattering of light applause sealed off the performance, and Toph bobbed her head before removing herself from the stage. She overheard murmurings and whisperings as she left the Jasmine Dragon.

"Wow...Isn't that the blind music major chick?"  
"Yea, isn't she good?"  
"I'm diggin' it."  
"It's like...you can tell she's really feeling the music, ya know?"

While no one had said anything to her directly, a proud smirk found its way to Toph's face while she reflected on their awed words.

_Fuck yea. You still got it, girl._

* * *

\- Friday, October 15th, 2010 -

"Trust me, Aang. That's the stuff you want."

Aang stared at the spray bottle, scratching his head as he followed his roommate through the store.

"Axe?" he muttered aloud the product's name.

"Scientifically proven to make girls go crazy," Sokka informed, inspecting a shelf of flamboyant hats.

"That so?" chuckled Aang dubiously.

" _Science never fails._ " Sokka decreed, glancing at the various accessories. "Flowers? _Ribbons?_ Bleh. No-no-no, what we need is- _ha._ " He triumphently lifted a navy blue fedora up from a low spot on the shelving and showed it to Aang.

"That's, uh...That sure is a fedora," Aang observed.

"Damn _right_ it is!" Sokka cocked it across his head and nodded at the fit. "Aw, man. This is perfect."

"Was that everything we needed?"

"Hat, body spray, snacks, er...Wait, didn't you need a tie?"

"Yea," Aang recalled. "Already got one." He lifted his elbow to draw attention to the black tie draped across it. He clutched the Axe spray in the corresponding hand, while a shopping basket containing small bottles of fabric paint, White Cheddar Cheezits, Twizzlers, and an Origami book was held in his left hand.

"Oh. Well, then. Sweet. Let's be off with us, then!"

On the way back, Aang had to keep Sokka away from the electronics department, reminding him that he didn't have money to buy anything expensive, anyway, and the two managed to check out with nary an issue.

"Why the paint, anyway?" Sokka wondered as they shuffled through the parking lot. "Don't you have paint already?"

"Not fabric paint."

"Why do you need fabric paint?"

"For the tie. Duh."

"Heh. Ya just can never leave well alone, eh?" Sokka patted him on the back. "Do you own any ties that don't look psycho?"

"Have to add my own touch to things, Sokka."

"What about the book?"

"Origami."

"Since when were _you_ into origami?"

"I've tinkered with it here and there...I need to make something for tomorrow."

"For Toph?"

Aang smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe."

"You're such a _sap,_ Aang, haha."

"Hey, Toph can be sappy, too."

" _Pssh._ Like when?"

"She has her moments..."

"Well, as long as you do what I tell you, she's going to be 'having moments' _all over you_ tomorrow, dude."


	20. Push

\- Saturday, October 16th, 2010 -

" _Shit-shit-shit! Agggghhhh, **fuck me!**_ "

"Bahaha!" Toph chortled. "Janey's even _more_ dirty-mouthed today!"

Katara stared at Jane as the angry redhead pounded her fist against the floor.

  
[SRU - Smellerbee's Leg Wax](http://pochimochi.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Smellerbee-s-Leg-Wax-207511831) by ~[PochiMochi](http://pochimochi.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)

"You roll with a _gang_ and get into _knife fights_ and that's no big deal," Katara observed, humored by the situation, "but you get your legs waxed and it's the end of the world."

"Shuddup," Jane growled like a whimpering lion cub while Katara pressed down another piece of cloth against Jane's right thigh.

"Oh," Katara murmured in realization, giving pause. "What about-...?"

"Nah, it's fine, Kat," Jane hurriedly and quietly dismissed Katara's concern, waving her hand to signal her friend to go on. Katara cast a shifty glance to Toph, who was blissfully unaware, resting just outside the bathroom on Katara's bed, kicking her legs out off the side of the mattress. Toph didn't need to know about it. Less she knew, the better.

 _Sssrrritt!  
_ " **Grah!** " Jane thumped her fist against the tile again. "Shhhhiiihh- _tuh!_ "

"Awww, poor Jane-Baby," cooed Toph, eliciting a frown from the girl on the floor. "Want me to play you a song?"

Jane huffed, leaning against the toilet, and shrugged.

"Sure," she admitted defeat.

"Prepare to be _ssssseranaded-ed!_ " roared Toph, clambering off the bed.

A few moments - and another _Sssrrritt! **"Fucking ass!"**_ \- later, lulling piano notes drifted from Toph's keyboard, flowing like wine into Jane's brain as the soothing lyrics poured in.

\+ [('She's Always a Woman' by Billy Joel)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI3MwwWYC3Q) +

_**"~She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes~** _   
_**~She can ruin your faith with her casual lies~** _   
_**~And she only reveals what she wants you to see~** _   
_**~She hides like a child, but she's always a woman to me~"** _

"Hey."

"Hey!" The tan-skinned girl extended her arm with enthusiasm. "I'm Katara."

"Smellerbee."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, and Smellerbee beat into this new girl's face with her dull gaze like a club, wearing her cheerful demeanor thin in an instant.

_Great. A new model in his never-ending line of ditsy whores...Wonder if this one's a fucking time-bomb, too...  
_

"Sorry, Kat," Jet chuckled. "Smellerbee's not great with introductions."

"Th-that's OK, I'm sure we'll find some common ground when we get to know each other."

Smellerbee rolled her eyes at this girl's hope and spit her cigarette butt onto the sidewalk, scraping her boot's toe against it, smearing it into an ashy paste.

"It was...nice to meet you, Smellerbee."

Smellerbee shoved her hands into her pockets and shrugged as the two love-birds walked off, hand-in-hand.

"Whatever."

_**"~She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you~** _   
_**~She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe you~** _   
_**~And she'll take what you give her as long it's free~** _   
_**~Yeah, she steals like a thief, but she's always a woman to me~"** _

"But I _like_ it when you're angry."

"I'm glad my getting pissed off gets _you_ hard, Jet. It's fucking great. Really."

"I can't help it that you're sexy when you're mad."

"I can't help it that you _make_ me mad! Stop spitting me your bullshit, Jet! _Did_ you, or _didn't_ you?"

"I didn't!"

"God...Fuckin' bastard, you're _lying._ "

"What reason would I have to-?"

"I _saw_ the way you and that blond bitch looked at each other last night." She punched him in the shoulder. "The _fuck,_ Jet? I'm not _woman_ enough for you, or some shit'?"

He glared at her, rubbing the spot she'd just nailed with an irritable sigh.

"Ya know? Maybe _not,_ Smellerbee."

" _Well,_ the truth comes out!" she mockingly growled.

"Could it _hurt_ ya to try to act a little more like a damned _girl_ sometimes?"

"Shut the hell up, Jet! You know about-"

"Why did you even _choose_ to be one if you refuse to _act_ like one?"

"I'm _so_ sorry that I'm not a damned cookie-cutter slut!"

_**"~Ohhh...~She takes care of herself~** _   
_**~She can wait if she wants~She's ahead of her time~** _   
_**~Ohhh...~And she never gives out~** _   
_**~And she never gives in~She just changes her mind~"** _

Shards of glass, some stained red, littered the floor, the jarlid at her feet. The delightful, droning hum coming from below filled her with satisfaction. She wiped the blood from her cheek with her sleeve, eyes locked on the discarded jacket at the foot of her bed.

She rustled through her dresser, whipping out a near-empty box of cigarettes from beneath her socks. Her grimey hands, shaking like leaves in the wind, fumbled a cigarette out from the rest. She grasped it tightly in her jittery fingers as she retrieved the lighter from the top of her dresser.

Her trembling thumb desperately flicked at the disposable lighter, again and again, aching for it to ignite. At last, it did, and she quenched her nicotine thirst with a deep inhalation. She puffed out a cloud of smoke and immediately stuffed the small box of cigarettes into her pocket. Restarting the lighter, she smoked for a few moments, eyes mesmerized by the flickering flame in front of her face as she contemplated the situation.

"Fucked with the _wrong_ bitch, Bastard..."

_**"~And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden~** _   
_**~Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding~** _   
_**~But she'll bring out the best and the worst you can be~** _   
_**~Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me~"** _

"Bahahaaa! Ohhhh, Christ. Fuckin' hilarious..." Smellerbee's hands were wrapped around her gut to contain the laughter bursting out. The boy who'd fallen victim to her prank glared at her with eyes like talons, gripping her from her humored stupor. The egg running down his face suddenly didn't matter to Smellerbee for a moment, those piercing eyes cutting through her like a knife through hot butter.

"Smellerbee, what the hell? Why would you _do_ that?"  
"Sorry, Longshot, girl's a crazy bitch..."  
"Damn! The hell's your problem?"

But Smellerbee and Longshot weren't paying anyone any heed, still trying to read each other's fickle glances.

"Whoa, whoa, hey," Jet's voice cut into the commotion. "What's goin' on here?"

"I was...just pullin' a prank on the new guy," Smellerbee quickly explained. Jet frowned at her before glancing at her recent victim with a sigh.

"You all right, Longshot?"

The boy nodded, saying not so much as a word, wiping runny egg from his buzzed hair with paper towels Jet had provided.

"Smellerbee has an odd way of showing affection, huh?" Jet noted with an amused smile. Smellerbee grinned, picking some wax from her outer ear with a shrug.

"You'll get used to it, Bumpkin Boy," she teased, slapping her fist onto his red and black plaid jacket, amused by his tall, wide baseball cap.

_**"~She's frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel~** _   
_**~She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool~** _   
_**~And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree~** _   
_**~And the most she will do is throw shadows at you~** _   
_**~But she's always a woman to me~"** _

"There. All done." Katara's hands ran along Jane's smooth legs and she twitched from the tingling sensation. Quite unnatural. She couldn't decide if she liked her legs hairless or not just yet. "That wasn't _so_ bad, was it?"

"I survived," Jane sighed, scratching her hand through her hair. Katara fluffed out her orange bangs with a snicker.

"Next we need to get you washed up. By the time we're done, you'll be in ship-shape, Jane."

"Ship-shape! Ship-shape!" cried Toph playfully from the bedroom, the sound of her hands clapping rattling the wall.

"Calm down there, _Ponyo_ ," Katara giggled, shaking her head with an entertained breath as she helped Jane to her feet. "I swear, she's such a kid some times..."

"Ohhhh, you love me for it," Toph defended. "Admit it."

"You're next, you know!" Katara warned. "I'm going to have you _both_ looking like proper ladies."

"Don't remind me," huffed Toph.

"Pawn...yoh?" Jane mumbled, hung up on the exchange from a few moments back.

"We'll show you some time, it's _so_ cute," Katara muttered, cleaning up the mess they'd created all over the bathroom floor.

"Oh. _Sooo_ cute," Jane scoffed, dusting herself off and retrieving sweat pants from atop the toilet seat. "Sounds _right_ up my alley..." Slipping into her sweatpants with smooth legs felt like a sliver of heaven in a strange way, though Jane was certainly not going to announce that.

"Speaking of cute," Katara mischievously segued. "We've got to get you cleaned up and work on your hair next..."

"Ohhhhh, goodie-goodie..."

* * *

Another scrap was added to the waste basket beside Aang's desk as he set to work on trying again.

"Uhhh...Havin' some trouble with that origami there, Champ?" Sokka wondered, ironing out his pants on the 'community' ironing board he'd borrowed.

"I'm...gettin' there," Aang replied, lost in focus as he folded with precision and care.

"You sure Toph's even gonna give a damn?"

"Sure she will," Aang shrugged. "I'm making it for her. It'll be something she can actually _feel._ Ya know?"

"Oh, right...Guess so."

"You look like you're almost ready," Aang noticed, somewhat surprised. "It's still like...two hours before we have to go."

" _I_ know," Sokka huffed. "I just love having an excuse to wear a suit. Don't you?"

Aang lifted a brow and considered the idea for a moment.

"Not really..."

"No style, man...No class," Sokka dismissed with a chuckle.

"Well, I was just thinkin' of wearing some shorts, a button-down shirt, maybe-"

" _Whaaaat?"_ Sokka shrieked, turning away from the mirror to glare his roommate down.

"Wh-? Er, Toph said she didn't care what I wore-"

"That doesn't mean you _literally_ shouldn't care what you wear!" growled the boy in the navy-blue tuxedo. " _Geeeezzz..._ "

"I don't really see what the big deal is, neither of us really care about appearances. And shorts are comfy."

"Aang, you _do_ realize Toph is going to dress up all fancy for this, don't you?"

"Why would she do _that?_ She _never_ does that. Don't you remember the Spring Formal?"

"I know on good authority that she's actually going to be _dressing up_ dressing up tonight."

Aang smiled and reflected on how Sokka would know that.

"Becaauuussse...Katara told you she's going to force Toph to dress up," he theorized.

"Uh, _yea?_ If you think we're gonna let you two get away with being lazy-asses for a second dance in a row, you've got another thing comin', Buddy." He actually seemed somewhat ruffled by the matter, Aang observed, watching him fidget around with hos bow-tie. "Toph will _kill_ you if she goes through the trouble of prettying up and you just show up looking like a bum."

"Sokka, I _really_ don't think she-"

" _I_ will kill you!" Sokka growled in exaggeration, shooting Aang the evil eye.

" _You're_ just paranoid because you don't want to be embarrassed in front of Suki," Aang coyly guessed with an amused sigh, going back to his folding.

"A- _pfff!_ " Sokka scoffed, stroking his chin hairs with care. He reached for his comb, grumbled, "That's not it. Why would that even matter?"

"Suki thinks we're all weirdos and you want us to act civilized for a change. Is _that_ it?" Aang wondered with a wide grin.

"That's not true, Suki _loves_ you guys," Sokka muttered, distracted by his chin as he ran his comb across it.

"Loves us enough to hardly have time for us lately," Aang pointed out with as much neutrality as he could, eyes fixated on his project.

"Ya know, Aang? College is a busy place. All right?"

_Man. Sounds like I'm pressing a few buttons, huh? Probably shouldn't get him in a bad mood just before dinner..._

"That's true. OK, well, what _should_ I wear, then?"

"Don't you have dress pants?"

"I've got some khaki pants..."

"Shoes?"

"Guhhhh...My Chucks?"

" _Oy._ And you're not my shoe size, either...That won't do. I'm making you borrow a pair of my shoes."

"But you just said I'm not-"

"I've got some snappy little white things in the closet. Those oughtta do the trick. Be a little _big_ on you, but still..."

"Uh, all right. I've also...got a tie."

"Oh, right. Yea, yea. That'll do, Donkey. That'll do."

Aang took a moment to glance at his recently finish creation: the black tie he'd purchased from the night before, with four colored circles painted vertically down its front to represent the four dorms of SRU.

"You've really got a thing for the campus logo, huh?"

"I do," Aang proudly acknowledged, finishing up his origami work. "I just gravitate toward the whole...'unity' thing. Ya know?"

"Heh. Ya fairy."

"Hey, _you're_ the one who wears perfume and has a fit if his pants don't match his shirt, Sokka."

"The term is _metro,_ thank you very much," he flamboyantly defined. "And it's _cologne,_ Aang."

"Man perfume."

" _You_ answer to Twinkle-Toes. That's not very manly, either, Bro."

"I don't comb my _beard._ Or wax my chest."

"You don't _have_ a beard and don't wax because you don't have _hair!_ "

"Toph doesn't seem to mind."

"I don't even _wanna_ know."

"H-hey!" Aang sputtered, his face brightening. "It's not like _that,_ we haven't done anything...like _that!_ "

"Then how do you _know_ what she does or doesn't mind?"

"' _Cuz!_ It's not like...we haven't done _anything,_ I mean..." He squinted his eyes shut for a split-second as his mind reeled with embarrassment. "This-this isn't the point!"

"Maybe tonight _anything_ will become _something?_ " Sokka teased.

"Wh-what? No! _No!_ Nothing like that's gonna happen!" Aang insisted.

"Not in _this room,_ it ain't!" declared Sokka with a hint of threat. "Seriously."

"Why do you think something like that will happen, anyway? What kinda guy do you think I am, huh?"

" _Ha!_ " Sokka burst out. " _You?_ Psh, Aang, you're like a freakin' cuddly panda-bear. I'm not worried about _you._ "

Aang blinked for a few seconds, his face burning up with uncomfortable realization.

"Dude," Sokka continued, "I'm talking about your girlfriend. From what I can tell - and what my sister tells me - that girl probably screws like a tiger."

Aang's stomach lurched and a knot choked up his throat. Sokka snickered at his inability to comprehend how to reply until, at last, it came.

"Th-there's not gonna be any...any _screwing..._ or...or _tigers..._ Or any...wild...animals. Of any kind. Today."

"Heh. Maybe not for _you,_ " Sokka said with some satisfaction, inspecting his hair. He punctuated his remark with a snarky, " _Twinkle-Toes._ "

"Shut up," Aang pouted. "Wait! What your _sister_ tells you?"

"Yea! Like that night you slept over?"

"That-! We didn't...We didn't _do_ anything bad!"

"I know that!" Sokka assured, amused by his defensive stance on the whole thing. "But the way that girl looks at you someti-...er..." He scratched his cheek for a moment to reorganize his thoughts. "The way Toph _acts_ toward you sometimes, man...That girl's crazy. I'm tellin' ya."

"She _can_ be," Aang nodded, taking a deep breath as he tried to collect himself. "It's one of the things I like about her."

"How's that?"

Aang folded the next step in his paper craft as he explained.

"Toph does whatever she wants. She pushes me to do things I wouldn't normally do, but...usually I end up enjoying it. It's like she pushes me to _do_ more with myself, I guess."

"Live life a little."

"Yea."

"Carpe Diem."

"Exactly."

Aang admired his finished work: a life-size origami orchid. Katara had insisted that everyone pick a flower to wear to Homecoming and that she'd take care of them, but Aang had managed to request that she let him deal with Toph's. He was pretty certain she would have some appreciation for it, since it was at least something she could hold between her fingers.

"Suck the marrow outta life but don't choke on that bone, Bud," came Sokka's seemingly sage advice.

"I will certainly try, heh."

* * *

\- February, 2010 -

"Come on, Aang. Live a little."

"I'm just...agh," he sighed uncomfortably. "This is just...it-it's awkward."

"Why?" Toph wondered in a tone much more gentle than she generally expressed.

"I'm all...I've, eh...Just never done this sorta thing before..."

"Aw," Toph chuckled. "I'll break ya in, Twinkle-Toes."

"That's what I'm _afraid_ of," Aang confessed with humor.

"Don't worry about it, ya Scaredy-Baby. I'm not gonna _kill_ ya."

"I know, I know..."

"Just gonna rough ya up a little. _Hee._ "

"Hey!" Aang snickered, delivering a scolding slap to her back.

"OK, OK...Geez, you sound like you're actually scared I'm gonna _hurt_ ya."

"You're a dangerous one, Toph. A guy's gotta be careful when it comes to you."

"Ain't _that_ the truth?" Toph mused with pride.

"But I'm ready to...w-well, ya know. To try something new."

" _Yea,_ you are, Aang," Toph picked with a laugh. "At least, _part_ of you is, anyway." She sneakily shifted her position in such a way so as to brush against what was at this point already aroused. "It's not like we're doing anything _that_ bad, anyway...Trust me. Going fast gets kind of boring. And besides, I haven't forgotten."

"Take it slow."

"Right, I'm takin' it slow," she insisted.

Aang took a deep, shaky breath. A soft giggle creapt out from Toph's lips before she planted a kiss on his forehead. Laying on her bed in Terra House, the bedroom door locked, Aang was nervous about what would happen next. He'd been very clear with Toph that he had never had a real girlfriend before and that he wasn't ready for anything too crazy yet. Toph had indeed been going at things at his pace, but now she was nudging him to take a step forward. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the feeling of her weight on top of his, her chest pressed onto his own, her coy grin peeking through her dark bangs draped over his face. This was entirely enjoyable in its own right, it was simply...startling. New. Confusing. No clothes were to be removed - that was a rule they had both agreed upon. Aang had somehow thought this rule would make things easy but this theory was proving false. He couldn't decide if this was good or bad just yet.

"Yea. One step at a time."

"Sometimes a little push can be fun, though, right?" Toph teased, her unfocused eyes twinkling playfully.

"Sometimes," Aang acknowledged in a squeak as Toph's nose nuzzled its way under his chin and she kissed him slowly on the neck. It was at that moment that he made up his mind: this was a good thing. His hands resting comfortably across her back, he kissed her on the forehead.

* * *

\- Saturday, October 16th, 2010 -

"How was that?"

"Looks good, guys," Mai replied from behind the camera.

"Sweet," said Sokka, rubbing Suki on the shoulder before they broke apart.

"I'm going to go head up and say hi to the girls," Suki explained. Sokka nodded and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Sounds good, we'll see you up there." He dug into his pocket and pulled out some breath spray. After squirting some of its mist into his mouth, he clapped his hands together and rubbed them expectently. "C'mon, everybody, get in gear," Sokka cried, waving his arm to his friends as they gathered around. "Picture time."

"Just a sec," Katara called back to her brother, escorting Toph with a hooked arm. "Toph, what are you _doing_?"

"Takin' off these fuckin' shoes, what's it _look_ like I'm doing?"

"But...I thought those looked pretty good on you..."

"Bleck. They're really hurting my feet."

"It's all right," Aang assured, "You look gorgeous."

" _Do_ I, now?" Toph teased with a sly grin. "I'm not normally one for looks, so you'd better appreciate this, Twinkle-Toes."

"Kat did most of the work," Jane picked, hands tucked behind her back. "Sokka," she sighed, just now noticing his outfit. "What the _hell_ are you wearing?"

"It's _called_ a feh-dohr- **rah**!" Sokka informed with indignation. "You're wearing freakin' _boots_ for crying out loud! No sense of fashion. I wouldn't expect someone with your unfortunately American sensibilities to understand."

"Sokka," Katara chuckled, "I don't really think people wear fedoras very much back in Canada."

"Yea, Meathead," Toph insulted in jest. "It's kind of an American gangster thing. Something _your_ unfortunately _Canadian_ sensibilities wouldn't understand."

Sokka frowned and jabbed a defensive finger at them, pondering his next words. "When in Rome," he decided simply as they arrived at his side. He cocked his hat over his eye and eased everyone together. Toph tossed her high-heels to the floor and Aang kicked them gently out of their way.

"Wow, Jane, you look... _pretty_ ," Aang complimented, just now noticing the girl in the slender black dress. Jane's already pink face turned red.

"I _know_ , doesn't she?" Katara joined in, clasping the red-head's hand.

"I'll bet you do, JayBee," Toph added with a smirk.

"Th-thanks," Jane mumbled, her head bobbed in embarrassment, arms tucked at her side with balled up fists.

"You look really great, too, Katara," Aang added.

"Geez, Twinkle-Toes, lookit _you!_ " Toph encouraged. "Surrounded by lovely ladies tonight, eh?" She ruffled her fingers through his hair, tugging on his ear. He tickled her armpit in retaliation. "Just remember which one's the loveliest of them all."

"You mean Kat?" Jane joked.

"Huh?" Katara mumbled, confused.

"Let me rephrase that," Toph decided. "Remember which one will kick your ass the hardest."

"Aaaand that's _me,_ " Jane insisted.

"Shit," Toph grumbled. "Damnit, Jane, I'm trying to impose my superiority here and you're just fuckin' it _right_ up, ya know?" They shared a collective chuckle as Aang puckered his lips on Toph's cheek.

"It's all right, Tater-Face, you're my favorite. Is that good enough?"

"I guess that's fine for now."

"All right, all right, quit bickering and line up, people," Sokka commanded, wedging his rose into his teeth as he put his arm on his sister's shoulder. The photographer raised an amused brow at them as they stood, side-by-side.

"You guys finally ready?" she laughed.

"Yea, Mai," Aang declared. "Go ahead."

"Everybody smile."

Katara caught a glance at her brother as he pointed his arm out to the camera with some egotistical and sexual flair.

"Oh, my _God_ ," she giggled to herself in disbelief.

[-Snap!-]

With his casual white button-down shirt and dark green khaki pants, Aang looked a tad out of place amongst his company, but his black, SRU-themed tie and the orange lily pinned to his chest helped 'class him up' a bit, as Sokka had put it. The white dress shoes on his feet were a bit large on him, but Sokka insisted that slightly long shoes were better than intentionally long sneakers for this type of event.

Toph was adorned in a Chinese-style dress of green with a sash around the waist. It hugged her form nicely with a tube-top and a skirt that ended just above her knees. An elegant golden print of flowers was draped across the dress's side. Katara had helped her pick out the dress and had assured her that the tone, shape, and color matched her well. Across her neck rested an heirloom passed from her late grandmother: a necklace composed of sparkling threads of pearl and diamond. Nestled in her hair was a white, origami orchid, which she had previously described as "Freakin' _awesome_ , Twinkle-Toes!" Her hair was wound into two painstakingly tight braids that fell over her collarbones.

In the middle stood Jane, her feet somewhat pigeon-toed from the shock of everything, her tall, black boots and their many tight laces in stark contrast to the dress she was wearing. She gripped Katara and Toph's hands with reservation, clearly uncomfortable in this public setting. Her expression was dire and flushed with embarrassment. A black dahlia was tied to her left arm above the elbow, but her arms and shoulders were otherwise bare, their pale skin and freckled shoulders out in the open for all to see.

Katara was adorned in a slim blue dress of satin that trailed all the way down to her ankles, her feet slipped into dark blue high heels. Her mother's choker necklace was affectionately worn with a pair of white princess gloves. A white rose was tied around her left wrist, while her right hand was clenching Jane's left. Her hair was tidied up with a pair of braids that ran from her bangs across the sides of her head, while she had perked up a small, vertical bun of hair at the peak, letting the rest fall over her shoulders.

Sokka, a rose popping out from between his teeth, wore a sly grin with his fedora propped over his head. His navy-blue tuxedo with white undershirt and black tie were quite sharp, while his black loafers melded into the ensemble without difficulty. He had one leg crossed and pointed on its toes to accentuate the 'gangster' vibe he seemed to be aiming for.

  
[SRU - Homecoming](http://destiny-smasher.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Homecoming-194087916) by =[Hoodsun](http://hoodsun.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)

Their moment in time captured in pixels on Mai's camera, they were dismissed.

"'Kay. Done. Next!"

As Mai called the next group of students to take their photos, the Fearsome Fivesome proceeded to the cafeteria steps. A large Homecoming banner was draped over its entrance, with multicolored balloons in bunches of four tied to various portions of the rails.

" **WOOOO**!" Toph roared, thrusting up her arms. " _HOMECOMING_ , here we... _come_! All right, Twinkle-Toes, piggyback time!"

"Whaaa?" Aang gasped out as Toph pounded herself into his back, latching her arms across his chest. Aang managed to catch her legs as she kicked them up around his waist, his face flushed.

"Yip-Yip!" Toph commanded, flicking her palm against his pectoral.

"Hi-Ho!" Sokka decreed, pumping his fist, following the piggybacking couple up the steps to the cafeteria.

"Toph!" Katara shouted. "Don't ruin your dress! Argh, you forgot your shoes!" But they were already gone. "Sorry," Katara sighed to Mai, who replied with an amused, "It's OK." Katara bent down, carefully balanced on her own heels, to pick up the ones Toph had left behind before she rushed out of the way of the new batch of students dressed in their finest.

"Why do I get the feeling I am _not_ going to forget Homecoming this year?" Jane mused, scratching her head in bewilderment.

"Because you're with _us_ ," Katara cheerfully concluded, patting her friend on the shoulder.

"Where did everyone else go?" Jane grumbled, entirely flustered. "Your date? _My_ date?"

"Haru and Johnny headed up after we got our pictures with them," Katara explained.

"Oh, _God,_ fuckin' pictures," Jane winced, rubbing her forehead, worried a headache was going to crawl along. "I probably look retarded."

"It's fine, Hun, haha. Calm down. You look great."

Jane crossed her arms over her chest in a nearly protective manner, trying to keep her guts from squirming and her face from boiling.

"Thanks, I guess..."

"Come on, Jane, the way Johnny was eying you? He was _floored!_ "

"Ya think?" Jane's lips curled up into a slight smile. She had _thought_ as much but Katara seemed to know more about these things, so her confirmation was assuring.

"Totally! I think even Aang and Sokka were checking you out a little."

" _Now_ you're just jerkin' my chain, Kat."

"Seriously! No, I'm _telling_ you. I think you caught 'em by surprise. You look _really_ different than usual today. It works."

Jane hadn't noticed either of the guys 'checking her out,' but then again, she fancied herself blissfully unaware of observing this kind of thing. The odd butterflies in her stomach that were forming as a result of this entire "dressing up" fiasco were frightening and awkward. She simply couldn't decide if she was _happy_ to be looked at more as a girl than usual or if it was discouraging in its objectification - like she could only be considered a 'girl' if she dressed like one.

"So I should start wearing fuckin' skirts and tube tops now," Jane bitterly concluded as they trekked up the stairs.

"Oh. N-no, Jane. No, no. That's not...-" Katara shook her head, rubbing her hand across Jane's shoulders - which inherently reminded her of how many freckles were showing on them. "You look perfect no matter what you wear, I'm just saying that when it comes to something...you know, super _formal_ like...like _this..._ that I think it's great for you to dress up. Doesn't it feel kind of nice?"

Jane rolled her eyes and shrugged Katara's hand off of her.

"I don't know, Kat...This feels fuckin' _weird._ "

"You don't...-" Katara sighed, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "You're not enjoying yourself?"

Jane groaned in spite of herself and rubbed at her orange eyebrow.

"N-no, I'm having fun and crap, it's...just weird. Listen," she grumbled, "Don't worry about it, 'kay? It's my own problem. I'll get over it."

"Hey," Katara gently insisted. "Jane, you're beautiful just the way you are. I just...wanted to help you bring that out tonight. Make everyone _else_ see it."

Jane avoided Katara's hopeful sapphire eyes, wrestling with her own uncomfortable thoughts as her face began to brighten again.

"Yea, Kat. I get it. Thanks." She was jolted by a gloved hand nudging at her shoulder.

"Just go with the flow, JayBee. Let's have some fun tonight. Stop worrying about your looks - no one _else_ is..."

Jane cracked a smile and shrugged with a "'Kay."

* * *


	21. Amazing

  
  
[toph_3](http://knknknk.deviantart.com/art/toph-3-194838888) by *[knknknk](http://knknknk.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  
(the artists didn't make this clear, but this is actually an illustration of SRU!Toph, based directly on the 'Homecoming' image featured in the last chapter.)

* * *

 

\- Saturday, October 16th, 2010 -

" _Wow,_ Sokka, you're lookin' pretty snazzy tonight!"

Sokka grinned and straightened his tie with smug pride, bragging with eyes closed.

"Why, thank you, Toph. Ya know, I was gonna go with a bow tie at first but then I-..." His eyes popped open, an index finger already up in the air. He glared at the pale, unfocused pupils of the blind girl across the table who had a smile of devil's teeth to greet his gaze. "God, I hate it when you do that," he grumbled in disgust, his finger drooping as a fit of giggles erupted at his expense.

"It's like...It's funny 'cuz she's blind, right?" Haru observed with a half chuckle, seemingly confused by whether or not it was OK to laugh about such a thing.

"Yes," Katara answered, smiling at his own bafflement.

"She's a real troublemaker," Aang picked, grabbing her by the shoulder and pressing her into his own.

"Nobody forget it!" Toph threatened. "Where's the waiter, anyway? I demand more tea."

"You'll get your tea," Jane insisted. "You spoiled brat," she added facetiously.

"I can't help it that I'm rich and thus inherently better than you," Toph arrogantly joked with a perfectly serious demeanor. Jane nailed her in the arm and Toph nailed her neighbor right back.

"Wow," Suki murmured with a mouth half-full from the other side of the table. "This steak turned out better than I expected..."

"Eh," Sokka shrugged. "It's pretty good, but I've had better."

"Oh, really? Aren't we picky?" said Suki with a bemused glance. "Then I guess you're going to have to show me some time this 'better' steak you've had."

"Sounds like a plan." Sokka nodded, taking a moment to admire Suki's oriental white kimono, her hair tangled into a top knot by two wooden sticks.

The cafeteria was packed with well-groomed students, banners, balloons, and flowers. Some mellow jazz filtered throughout the place, but the space set aside for the dance floor was as of yet still unoccupied, as students were consuming their meals and proper music had not yet started.

"Twinkle-Toes, did you eat my cheesecake?" Toph demanded, tapping her spoon against a crumb-riddled dessert plate irritably.

"N-no, of course not!" Aang defended. "You can have mine if you want, though..."

"Toph!" Katara scolded. " _You_ ate your cheesecake while Aang was getting you food!"

"Ohhhhh, right," Toph acknowledged with a sneaky innocence, hand on her cheek.

"See, Johnny?" Jane pointed out, nudging her partner as he chewed on garlic mashed potatoes. "She's a monster. Right?"

His face puffed out, Johnny nodded quickly as he continued to gnash on his food. Toph, spoon still in hand, found her tea cup on its saucer and rattled its inside.

" _Hey!_ " she bellowed. "Can we get a waiter around here? I could use some more tea."

A portly gentleman with a white beard approached from another table.

"My, we have a lively one at this table, hm?" he noticed with a slow, careful tone.

"I'm sorry, Professor Kurosawa," Katara apologized with a nervous smile. "Our friend can get a little, uh...rambunctious."

"I see!" said the elderly man in the coat-tailed suit with a wink. "It's all right. One of life's blessings is its unpredictability."

Toph lifted her tea cup up in the air with both hands and offered a sugary, pleading expression to nowhere in particular.

"Lemon Balm tea. Pretty please, Sir?"

The Professor, who was standing behind her, chuckled heartily.

He sifted through his dining cart and retrieved the proper type of tea. Aang carefully took Toph's cup from her hand and passed behind him to the man, who proceeded to fill it with hot water and an appropriate tea bag.

"Just a hint of mint," Toph advised, twisting her head around.

"Please," Aang added in her stead.

The drink prepared, Professor Kurosawa handed it to Aang, who gently gave it over to his over-eager girlfriend who was rubbing her palms together.

"Thank you," Aang concluded. The man nodded and surveyed their table.

"How is everyone this evening?" his creaky voice inquired. A flurry of positive comments poured from the group. "And the food?" Another volley of enthusiasm. "Good, _good._ Let me take your empty plates..." The students helped pass along their dirty dishes, which he stacked in the bottom rung of his cart. "Enjoy yourselves," the pudgy man advised with vigor as he rolled his cart away. After stopping by a few more tables, he at last come upon a table near the front of the cafeteria where a familiar set of students sat. The sharp-dressed, neatly combed young man Iroh knew well immediately rose from his seat, his expression bursting with relief, and attacked the professor with a tight hug.

"Good evening, Nephew! You look dashing as always, I see."

"Hi, Uncle. Haha, you're looking handsome, yourself."

"At my age, that takes some work! Ah, hello, ladies!" Iroh waved to the half-empty table of girls "My, my, you are all looking so ravishing tonight." They offered warm smiles and greeted back - save one.

"Hello, _Uncle,_ " Azula growled, her fierce eyes fixated on cutting her steak. Her dark hair was brushed thoroughly, running down her back, not a strand out of place. Her lips were glossy and marked the color of blood, her maroon dress was slender and formal, with nothing extravagant. She was dressed more for business than partying.

Mai, sitting beside the girl, shot a quick dagger glare.

"Azula," she advised with a tone that cut like a rusty knife, "Maybe you should eat your food."

"Why do you say that?" Azula grumbled back as Zuko and Iroh caught up with one another.

"You get pretty pissy when you're hungry," Mai observed, arms casually linked across his stomach as she leaned back in her chair. Azula glanced at her untouched plate and her stomach gurgled, as it had been since they'd sat down with their food.

"Mai's right," Ty-Lee agreed cheerfully, seeming to miss the pointed edge of Mai's remark. "You _can_ be pretty grumpy when you don't eat."

" _Fine_." Azula viciously stabbed her fork into her steak and began to slice a chunk off as Zuko sat back down, receiving a pat on the shoulder from his uncle.

"Is Zuko taking care of himself?" Iroh checked with Mai, clamping his fat hand gently onto her shoulder for a brief moment.

"He's trying," Mai warmly replied. " _You_ know how he is..."

"Is _he_ taking care of _you?_ "

Mai slyly glanced at Zuko and shrugged her head to the side with a smirk.

"He's been doing better than I expected..."

"And what of my niece?" Iroh wondered, glancing at the angry, teeth-grinding girl. She swallowed, her brows furrowed with dissatisfaction.

"This steak is overdone," she huffed, pounding the side of her fist into her sternum.

"Glad to see that you are as well as ever," Iroh coyly noted. "And Ty-Lee?"

"Peachy keen, Mr. Iroh!" the ever-cheerful girl chirped as the man scooped up some dirty dishes.

"Wonderful," he replied. "Does anyone need their coffee refilled?"

After topping everyone's cups off, Iroh noticed Azula's undrinken cup.

"Ah, is the coffee not to your liking, Niece?"

"No. No, it isn't," Azula quipped.

"It's missing your favorite ingredient, isn't it?"

"That's...That doesn't matter," Azula insisted.

Iroh grabbed the jar of honey on his cart and lifted it over Azula's coffee.

"Don't meddle with my coffee, Uncle," Azula pouted - but she didn't rise to stop him as he poured some honey into the cup and stirred it with care.

" _There_ we are." Iroh rubbed Azula's shoulder, disregarding her bad mood. "That should be better."

Azula returned no gratitude but merely sat in her seat with bitter resolve until Iroh bid them farewell. Only after he was out of sight did she pay her coffee any heed.

"What's your problem, Azula?" Zuko demanded, fussing his hands about. "Why did you even _come_ here if you're just going to-...? To act all-...?"

"Like a bitch," Mai finished coldly, staring as Azula finally sipped her coffee.

"Wh-what Mai _means_ ," began Ty-Lee, working to pacify the situation, "is that it's...kind of weird that you wanted to see us when you're...w-well, you...are acting...kind of _mean._ "

"Like a bitch," Azula repeated Mai's comment coolly. "I understand. I suppose you make a good point."

"We...we _do_?" Ty-Lee squeaked awkwardly, baffled.

Azula slurped at her coffee again and continued her reasoning with a patronizing tone that flowed like water.

"Oh, of _course_ , Ty-Lee. I've been acting perfectly ornery this evening. I'm very concerned about the future, you see."

"Oh?" Ty-Lee muttered back, exchanging her nervous glance with an unamused one on Mai.

"While I'm trying to learn how to run a business and clean up the mess our father left us, my _brother_ is insisting on investing his time in petty class politics and textbooks and...and _banquets._ "

"Here it comes," Zuko sighed, shaking his head and starting to eat his garlic string beans.

"Mother is _gone_ and father is...for all intents and purposes, _also_ gone," Azula frigidly informed no one in particular, slicing another piece of steak off. "It stands to reason that one might put their desires on hold to bother concerning themselves with _family_ matters."

"Our father's business is not a _family_ matter to me, Azula," Zuko defied with as calm a voice as he could muster.

"I gathered as much, Brother," spat Azula quickly. "If you insist on partying, and wasting time on mathematics and the arts, and gallavanting about as Class President, _far be it from me,_ your _sister,_ to stop you."

"Far be it," Zuko agreed complacently, continuing to eat his food without incident.

"Incorrigible. You truly are, ZuZu."

"Only for you, Sister."

Azula slammed her fist onto the table, clattering plates and spilling coffee from the edges Mai's nearby cup.

" _Precisely,_ " she hissed, rising to her feet with unexpected grace on her high-heels. "Only for _me._ Fine, then. I'll be outside if any of you decide I'm worth cheering up." As much as one could stomp in heels, Azula marched her way out of the cafeteria, paying no one any heed on her way out.

"You gonna go after her?" Mai dryly inquired.

"Why should I?" he countered irritably, finally letting his frustration ooze out. "I'm not going to let God _Zula_ ruin our Homecoming." Ty-Lee burst into giggles as Zuko finished, "I _knew_ this would happen, by the way. I knew it."

"God _Zula!_ Wooo," Ty-Lee breathed out. "That's a good one, Zuko."

"You were right," groaned Mai. "You were. Guess it's my own fault for putting faith in that crazy girl..."

"Azula's our friend," Ty-Lee proclaimed. "We can't just give up on her because she's having a bad day."

"Ty-Lee," Zuko snapped, "My sister is not having a bad _day,_ she is _always_ like this."

"Yea," Ty-Lee agreed placidly. "That's true..."

Zuko dabbed t his face with his cloth napkin. "I don't even understand why she _came_ if she feels this way."

"Maybe she's feeling lonely," Mai theorized. "She's just too proud to admit it."

"Ohhhh, maybe!"

"Possibly."

"Zuko." Mai wriggled her bony fingers between her boyfriend's and squeezed. "Go talk to your sister."

"Mai," Zuko whined back, "I want to _enjoy_ my Homecoming. Don't you?"

"Just give her one more chance," Mai requested quietly as Ty-Lee scarfed down sweet peas. "For me."

Zuko was rapidly won over by her sly, convining smile and ran his hand across his slicked hair.

"Fine," he gruffly gave in. " _One_ chance." Mai leaned over and kissed him slowly on the cheek, eliciting a bashful smirk - and an "Ahhhwwwww!" from Ty-Lee - before Zuko headed off after his ever-angry sibling.

By the time he got outside, his phone had gone off.

[From: Mai]  
[I know how she can be, Zu. But we're all she has left. We can't give up on her. She's slipping these days.]  
[Sent: 8:34pm]

By the time Zuko had finished reading the message, he had found the dark-haired young woman leaning against a tree between the side of the Avatar and the The Ring. As he approached, he swore he could hear a sniffle and a deep, quivering sigh.

"Azula?"

An immediate cough belted out from his sister's throat.

"What do you want?" she snapped, lips dripping with ferocity.

"Hey, settle down, Azula," grunted Zuko as he leaned against the tree beside her, facing off in a different direction. "I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Mai sent you," Azula rapidly deduced.

"Er, sh-she did, but...I'm here because she's _right_ \- I'm your brother. I'm supposed to...ya know...be...here for you. That sort of thing."

"My, my, how _touching._ "

"You want me to leave? 'Cuz I'll _go._ "

"Oh, stop," Azula grumbled, flicking a dismissive wrist. "You're so touchy, ZuZu."

"Whatever. Azula, hear me out. You came here to have fun. Didn't you?"

Azula's eyes wandered away from his stern stare and she nudged her shoulder up in admittance.

"I suppose..."

"Mai and Ty-Lee are your best friends. You haven't seen them in months. Don't you miss them?"

Azula sighed and rubbed her temples with her thumb and middle finger.

"Don't _you_ miss _Father_?"

"No," Zuko instantly quipped matter-of-factly. "But Mai and Ty-Lee still treat _you_ with respect."

"That's because they know I deserve it," Azula informed with a prissy pride.

"Christ." Zuko smacked his face with his palm.

"I was...I was _joking,_ Brother!"

"It's hard to tell, Azula."

"Do you _honestly_ think I'm that vain?"

"Sometimes. Yea."

"Hmph. Maybe sometimes I _am_."

"Azula, I get it."

"What? _What_ do you get?"

Zuko slapped Azula on the arm, and she flinched in surprise.

"I get that you feel like I'm ignoring you."

Azula snorted through her nostrils.

"It's not _you,_ Sister," Zuko went on. "It's Father. _His_ crimes. _His_ business. I want no part of it."

"Zuko, it's childish to walk away. It's our responsibility."

"No, it's _your_ responsibility because you _took_ it. I didn't. It's not _our_ job to fix Father's mistakes."

Zuko could practically hear Azula's teeth grinding in defiance but no words countered his own, so he continued.

"I'm finishing what I started at this school, just like you did. If you aren't going to support me, then fine. I'm still going to finish it."

"This isn't just about Father, this is about me, too, Zuko. You can't stand me."

Zuko laughed, a bit stronger than he had intended.

"You're not wrong there, Azula."

"You see? We've never gotten along. And Mother thought I was a monster, and-"

"She didn't." Zuko pressed a firm hand onto Azula's arm, easing her to jump off the mental track of self-destruction. To his surprise, she obeyed. "You're crazy, Azula," Zuko acknowledged. "I can't stand you most days. But I try to."

Azula pounded her fist into the tree's bark, shaking Zuko's hand off.

"I try to because you're my _Sister,_ and I love you. And _Iroh_ loves you."

"That smelly old man has _never_ loved me..."

"You know that's not true."

Another slammed fist against the tree.

"It sounds like all his patronizing talk is rubbing off on you, ZuZu. The world was infuriating enough with _one_ lecturing Kurosawa. I don't want to hear another word on the subject right now."

Zuko paused and stared into her blizzarding eyes for a moment in the moonlight with his own embering irises.

"Not another word, then, Sister," he conceded, wrapping his arms around her. She resisted at first but eventually gave in, barely patting him on the back in return.

"Are we children again?" she complained. "Honestly..."

"You done with your temper tantrum now?"

"Hmph."

"All right, then. Let's head back inside."

* * *

"Ohhhhh _**God**_ , soooo good!" Toph squealed, ferociously sniffing at Aang's neck like a dog, grabbing at his shoulders haphazardly.

Aang snickered, tickled by the air being snorted onto his neck, and squirmed to push her off.

"What are you _wearing?_ " Toph demanded, resting her head soundly on his arm after one last, long inhalation.

"Axe," Sokka replied boldly. "My idea. All me."

"It _was_ his idea," Aang chuckled. "Looks like it was a good one, right?"

"Sokka," Toph called. "I approve. From now on, you get to choose his deodorant."

"We'll make a man of him for you yet," Sokka advised to Toph, giving Aang a wink. Toph giggled, nuzzling his shoulder with her cheek, but Aang's mood dipped a bit at their exchange.

"Right," he mumbled quietly. "'Cuz I'm not man enough, apparently..."

" _Hey,_ " Toph quipped gently, slapping Aang on the waist. "I _like_ my little punching bag, ya know," she informed below the conversation occurring across the table.

"Yea, that's just great - I'm like a little lost puppy dog." A fussy cloud of sarcasm hung over him as he glanced off to the dance floor across the way.

"C'mon, Twink-... _Aang_." Toph tugged at his shirt, sitting back up straight, her face pointed in his direction with a raised brow. "You know it's not like that."

Aang slurped some of his vegetable soup, seemingly unsure how to respond as the rest of table exploded into laughter at something Katara had said - likely in spite of her brother.

"You're like...-" Aang sighed, scratching his head. "-...a wild tiger. And I'm a stupid, cuddly panda bear."

"So what?" Toph probed before filling her mouth with a slice of steak. "Mmuffhin wawng wiffat."

"I apparently need my roommate to decide what I'm supposed to _smell_ like to make you happy," pouted Aang, gorging on a piece of cheesecake.

"Nooooo," Toph insisted, furiously scratching Aang's stomach as he savored his dessert. "Stop. You smell great all the time. It's just nice that you tried to smell nicer for me tonight. I mean...shit. Doesn't it mean something that I went through everything to pretty up like this for ya?"

Aang took a moment to admire Toph's braids, the way they trickled over her collarbones, playing lazily on the edges of bosoms accented by her tight dress.

"W-well, _yea,_ of course it does," Aang confessed in a mumble. "You look... _great._ "

"I can't see what _you_ look like but you _smell_ great," Toph snickered. "Stop making a fuss. Only person who's opinion should matter is _mine._ And _I_ say you're golden." She patted him on the knee affectionately as the song being played through the speakers changed.

[\+ ('Just the Way You Are,' by Bruno Mars) +](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqXzzq5gpbM)

["~Oh her eyes, her eyes~Make the stars look like they're not shining~"]

"Oh! Ohhhhh! Come on! Come on! Let's go!" Toph stood eagerly, grasping at Aang's arm and tugging impatiently.

["~Her hair, her hair~Falls perfectly without her trying~"]

Aang's face lit up as the lyrics urged him to stare once again at those braids...

"I said let's _go!_ "

"Wh-what?"

"We gotta dance!"

"Oh. OK! Uh, sure!"

["~She's so beautiful~And I tell her every day~"]

"You _like_ this song, Toph?" Katara muttered, baffled. "Seems kinda...outside of...your taste...zone."

"Whatever," Toph huffed. "I'm allowed an exception for my boyfriend, right?"

"I like being an exception," Aang complied as he rose to his feet and kissed Toph's forehead.

["~Yeah I know, I know~When I compliment her she wont believe me~And its so, its so~Sad to think she don't see what I see~"]

"Your shoes, Toph," Katara advised, extending them out to her friend. "Here."

"Nah," Toph latched her fingers between Aang's. "It's hard enough, I won't be able to do shit with those things on."

Since Katara couldn't express her embarrassed amusement at her barefooted friend to her face, she did so to Aang instead, who shrugged, eyes aglow, and waved her off.

["~But every time she asks me 'Do I look okay?'~I say~"]

"You want to dance?" wondered Haru, extending his hand, drawing her attention from behind.

"Sure," Katara agreed, accepting his offer with her gloved hand. Katara grazed her opposing hand along Jane's shoulder in encouragement before she headed off, following her friends to the dance floor.

["~When I see your face~There's not a thing that I would change~"]

Since Sokka and Suki had already been cutting a rug two songs ago, this left only two people at the table.

"So..." Jane muttered, shrugging her bare shoulders. "Good food, right?"

Johnny nodded vigorously, his plate completely clean.

["~'Cause you're amazing~Just the way you are~"]

"Haven't eaten this nice in a long time," Jane reflected, scratching her arm and letting her hand cling to it afterward. Her arms and shoulders were bare and cold. She could feel her cheeks heating up as Johnny's gandering eyes scanned her uncomfortable face with a subtle pleasure.

["~And when you smile~The whole world stops and stares for awhile~"]

A small, bashful smile involuntarily formed on Jane's face.

"What?" she mumbled, taken aback but amused all the same.

["~'Cause, girl, you're amazing~Just the way you are~"]

Johnny, dressed in his pale, tan, oversized hand-me-down tux, gripped Jane's dotted shoulders and leaned forward to deliver a slow kiss on her lips.

"Beautiful," he said simply, quietly, un-equivocally in regards to the freckled girl.

["~Her nails, her nails~I could kiss them all day if she'd let me~"]

_Smirtch-smitch-smatch-smotch._

"Haha!" Suki managed to push Sokka off, ending his random barrage of kisses on her face.

"I am _not_ letting you kiss me all day," she declared, referencing the background music he was playing off of.

["~Her laugh, her laugh~She hates but I think its so sexy~"]

Katara and Haru, just beside them, were swaying in a tamed, friendly manner, two hands linked, the others on her hip and his shoulder.

"You having a good time, Kat?"

["~She's so beautiful~And I tell her every day~"]

Katara nodded with noble confidence.

"I am, Haru. You?"

"Hey," he shrugged, taking it all in. "Crazy group, good food, I get to dance with a pretty girl...Can't ask for more in an evening, Dude. Am I right?"

["~Oh you know, you know, you know, I'd never ask you to change~"]

Katara grinned and shrugged back.

"I guess not."

["~If perfect's what you're searching for, then just stay the same~"]

"Thanks for asking me to come, Kat."

"Thanks for _coming,_ Haru - and tolerating my insane friends, haha."

["~So don't even bother asking if you look okay~You know I'll say~"]

Toph and Aang rocked to and fro in rhythm with a gentle pace, Toph following Aang's lead, her hands on his shoulders while his hugged her hips. The dance floor was cold underneath her feet, but she didn't care. She sang along with the music, running her hand up Aang's neck, sliding her palm up to his jaw with a tenderness she reserved only for him.

 _"~When I see your face~"  
_ She ran her palm across his entire face, fingers dancing on his forehead.

 _"~There's not a thing that I would change~"_  
She pulled her hand back to his neck and slid it back and forth.

 _"~'Cause you're amazing~"_  
She grinned as she she continued to sing, smacking his shoulder gently, bobbing her head down.

 _"~Just the way you are~"_  
Aang absorbed the image of her lowered face, cheeks pink, long bangs flopping over her milky eyes.

 _"~And when you smile~"_  
Toph pinched Aang's lips, twisting them upwards, causing his reaction to be an amused, self-generated smile. They both giggled.

 _"~The whole world stops and stares for awhile~"  
_ She flicked her hair from her face to beam a wide smile up at Aang, and he rubbed his thumb on her jawline in return.

 _"~'Cause, kid, you're amazing~Just the way you are~"  
_ Standing on her bare tip-toes, Toph stole a kiss between lyrics. Aang pulled her in slightly, but Toph detached the lip-lock just enough to continue singing.

 _"~The way you are~"  
_ As the pair swerved from side to side, Toph prodded Aang's chest with her fingertips to emphasize the words she was singing.

 _"~The way you are_ _~Twink, you're amazing~Just the way you are~"_

Having letting her sing through the chorus, Aang plunged in for another, longer kiss as the tone of the song winded down. _  
_

["~When I see your face~There's not a thing that I would change~"]

Jane and Johnny, still at their seats at the table, broke off a kiss that had lasted much longer than Jane was accustomed to. Rather than separating, they remained with arms locked around each other's backs.

["~Cause you're amazing~Just the way you are~"]

Jane buried her face in the musty tan shoulder of Johnny's suit and took a deep breath, soaking in this moment of security, of feeling wanted and desired as Johnny wouldn't let go.

["~And when you smile~The whole world stops and stares for awhile~"]

"I...J-Johnny..." Jane awkwardly fumbled, fidgeting her chin into a more comfortable position. "Ya know...You know that I...-?"

["~Cause girl you're amazing~"]

"I love you, too, JayBee."

["~Just the way you are~"]

* * *

  
[SRU - Amazing](http://jinjinbun.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Amazing-207676260) by ~[jinjinbun](http://jinjinbun.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)


	22. Dealing

 

 

\- Saturday, October 16th, 2010 -

"Hey, Sokka."

"Yea, Toph?"

"You've, um...Ya got somethin' on your suit."

"Aw, _crap,_ " Sokka grumbled, fussing his hands at his chest. "When I saw that lasagna, ya know I got worried that-..." He paused, noticing no stains on his attire. His eyes narrowed at the waiting grin. "God, I _hate it_ when you _do_ that," he snipped.

"That's the second time tonight, Sokka," Katara picked, ruffling his neatly kept hair affectionately. He grouchily flicked her hand off and scrambled to adjust his hair.

"I wouldn't do it if it wasn't so easy," pointed out Toph, hands on her hips.

"Well, you _know,_ Toph," countered Katara, "You're one to talk. Looks like you got some sauce on your _dress._ "

"I did?" Toph groped at the lower portions of her dress. "Where?"

"Here, Hun, let me get it for you." Katara drifted over to her friend, grabbed a napkin from their table, and rubbed it across Toph's left bosom - where there was no stain. "Oh. Nope, still some there." She scrubbed ferociously, eliciting a yelp from Toph, who stumbled backward, shoulders popped up in reaction.

Rubbing her tenderized boob, face bright red, Toph cocked her jaw to the side, glaring into empty space, while Sokka burst out into a goofy laugh - a recognizable laugh his friends identified as 'Sokka's Stupid Laugh,' which he seemed to utilize for things particularly dumb. A sly look crawled across Katara's face and she lifted her palm up to receive a high-five from her brother.

"Ohhhh, that was _good,_ " Sokka sighed out.

"What was good?" Aang prodded, arriving with a fruit punch in hand.

"Katara just fuckin' _molested_ me," Toph growled in exaggeration.

"Aw," lamented Aang, casually taking a sip from his plastic cup. "I missed it..."

 _"Yeep!_ " squeaked Katara out of nowhere, jerking her pelvis forward as Jane emerged from behind.

"There," the redhead dryly settled the matter. "Toph, You are revenged."

Katara shot Jane a sharp glance of indignation mixed with amusement, her palm on her butt from where she'd been attacked. Haru and Suki, who had been trailing Jane, chuckled at their exchange.

"Seems like karma to me, dude," Haru observed, handing Katara her cup of punch, tickled by how her pink face turned red as she realized he'd witnessed what had just transpired.

"Ha _ha_ ," Toph jovially taunted her roommate, grasping her hand around her chair. "Hey - anybody see where my walking stick went?"

_Ratta-tat-tat._

Toph's head twitched toward Sokka's direction as the fedora-donning young man pounded her cane on the cafeteria floor. He held it straight up before him, resting both hands on it's top and posing with crossed legs.

"Pimp needs a cane," he declared, stretching his arm out to accept Suki under his wing. She shook her head and breathed out a humored sigh.

"Sokka the _pimp,_ huh?" Aang considered. "Somehow I don't think you'd make such a good pimp."

"Oh, and _you'd_ be better?" Sokka countered, cocking hat up with Toph's stick.

"Sure he would," Katara laughed before Aang could respond, grabbing Sokka's hat from his head and shoving it on Aang's head sloppily. Aang, befuddled by the title being thrust upon him, didn't know how to react as Katara wrapped her arm around his shoulder and nodded to Jane.

Jane, realizing what Katara was going for, belted out a " _Ha_ ," and swept Toph across the space between the circle of students, pushing her right into Aang's chest, eliciting her to " _Woo!_ " in surprise, while Jane wound around and slipped her skinny, freckled arm over Aang's opposing shoulder. The young man was flabbergasted and taken aback by having three women - all of whom he fancied to be pretty - latched around him.

"There, Sokka," Katara derailed his self-confidence. "Aang wins."

"But-but-but _I'm_ the ladies' maaaaan," Sokka whimpered, slapping Toph's cane onto the floor in a pout.

"Hey!" Toph hissed. "Don't break my walking stick, Meathead."

Suki swiped the cane from her boyfriend, whipped his shin with it, and passed it to Katara as the girls all detached themselves from the beet-faced Aang.

"You're not allowed to be a pimp," Suki scolded teasingly to Sokka, jabbing his face with her finger. "Only one girl for you."

"Awww..." But Sokka's childish dismay was quickly put to rest as Suki puckered her lips with exaggeration on his cheek.

Receiving her cane from Katara as she and Jane met up with their respective dates, Toph snuck her arm around her boyfriend's waist, patting his hips roughly.

"You _are_ allowed to be a pimp," she decided. "Just so long as _I_ am, too."

"Huh? Wh-?" Aang was lost in this entire conversation. _Thwap_ _._ "Ow..."

"It's gettin' kinda late," Sokka announced firmly, checking his watch before tucking it back under his sleeve. "We're gonna head out. See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, everyone!" Suki cheerfully cried, waving them all farewell before trodding off with Sokka in her kimono.

"W-wait!" Katara yelled out to no avail. "Where...? Why are they leaving so suddenly?" she wondered, a hand on her hip in dissatisfaction. "I left my clothes in the car when I drove the girls down here so I could change afterward..." Katara knew that Sokka would be commandeering their vehicle for the night, and she had a sneaking suspicion she knew what type of activity it would be getting used for. Since she had driven Toph and Jane down - dressed up women shouldn't be expected to walk through the cold, being her reasoning - she had left a change of clothes for after the dance, before everyone had split off for the night. Now she'd have to hoof it back to Aqua in her heels.

"Yea, they seemed _real_ eager to leave," Jane observed, raising her eyebrows up and down to Katara. Toph seemed to catch the same vibe.

"That Sokka," Haru chuckled. "Dude's crazy."

"Sounds like a couple of people must be horny," Toph noted quietly in Aang's ear with nonchalance, picking her pinky into her ear to dislodge some wax. "Sounds like they've got the right idea, if ya ask me." she mumbled, perhaps to herself, as she clenched Aang's hand tightly. "All right, Twinkle-Toes," she declared loudly, "Maybe that's our cue to head off, too."

"Oh, OK," muttered Aang with little choice as the barefooted girl in the green dress tugged on his tie before yanking him by the arm.

"Let's be off with us, then!" she commanded.

"I, er...I guess this means we're going, too," Aang concluded to the rest of the group with a sheepish shrug.

"Sorry, everyone, I get him to myself now," Toph devilishly decried, eliciting a nervous smile from her boyfriend as he shot the others a jokingly pleading expression. "You can have him again tomorrow," she called off from the distance, pushing Aang to keep moving. "But I can't promise he'll still be in one piece!"

"Have _fun,_ you two!" Katara advised to their shrinking forms with a mothering tone. "Make good choices!" As she went to start cleaning up their table a bit, she noticed Toph's heels sitting on her chair - where Katara had placed them earlier. She sighed, staring at them irritably.

"Hey." Jane tapped Katara on the shoulder with her fingertips. "Johnny's gettin' kinda antsy, I think he wants to leave, too," she whispered. "He just won't say it."

Katara cast a glance to Johnny as he shrugged in response to something Haru was saying to him. He _did_ look tired and kind of uneasy. He'd been acting a bit funny all night, now that she'd considered it.

"Johnny doesn't like crowds, does he?" Katara observed.

"Hell no. Neither do _I,_ " Jane pointed out, running her finger across her eyebrow in that methodical, stressful tick that Katara saw manifest itself when Jane was uncomfortable.

"It's OK, Hun. It _is_ getting late. You two go have time alone," she advised with a wink. "That boy isn't used to you getting all fancy so he probably wants to enjoy it while he can, right?"

"Heh," Jane scoffed with agreement and a bashful shrug.

"I'll see you back at the dorm." Katara gently patted her friend's freckled cheek affectionately and grinned at her state of shaky anticipation.

"Kat, thanks for...-" Jane fidgeted her lanky arms around herself, gesturing to her entire body. "-...for _this._ I don't even...The dress, and-and the flower, the hair...the... _ech._ OK, maybe _not_ the waxing, but in general. It...It's kinda nice. For a _little_ while. And the boy over there really seems to like it."

"Hey, you're welcome," was Katara's warming reply.

"See ya, Kat."

"Bye!"

"-'cuz, man, you look like the poker-playin' type, Dude. I'll hit you up next week, you can join us."

Johnny nodded in compliance, finding Haru's proposition agreeable enough.

"You guys scheming behind our backs?" Jane gruffly inquired, slapping Johnny on the back.

"Just doin' our job," Haru played along.

"Well, we're gonna head out, too."

"Sounds good." Haru shook Johnny's hand and extended his arm out to Jane, but the girl simply nodded to him, so he dropped it. "Er, but it was cool to meet you guys."

"Yea," said Jane simply, waving her pointer and middle fingers to them as they slowly stepped away. "Night, guys."

After they has disappeared, Katara, Toph's heels in hand, took a deep breath.

"You roll with a sick crowd, Kat."

" _Tell_ me about it..."

"They always flake out on you like that?"

"What?" Katara stared at him, baffled by his statement. "N-no, that wasn't...They didn't 'flake.' But they're usually not like that. I think everyone's just a little...-" She shrugged, blowing air out through her lips.

 _Everyone's just a little 'wanting to freaking_ make out with each other' _is what it is..._

"Haha, it's all cool, Kat. Take a chill pill," Haru eased.

"Yea," Katara sighed, undoing her small topknot and rustling the displaced hair in line with the rest.

"So, Kat, I...I was wondering if I could walk you back to Aqua."

"Wh-?" Katara's spaced-out stance flicked back to attention and she quickly nodded. "Sure. Thanks..."

After they'd exited the Avatar and were on their way back to Katara's residence, Haru struck up conversation, and Katara felt like she knew what he was going to say, butterflies ramming into the walls of her stomach.

"Kat, I wanted to ask you something..."

"Y-yea?"

"I had a fun time tonight - even though you hang out with a weird crowd."

"I, um...Heh. _Yea,_ I-I sure do!" Katara chuckled, the words popping out louder than she wanted them to.

"So, listen, I, er...I wanted to ask if we could...-"

Katara could feel her face melting from the words she anticipated. She didn't want them to come out, but she couldn't will herself to interrupt.

"-...I dunno, if we could just stay friends, 'cuz I-"

"I'm sorry, Haru, but I don't-...Wait. _What?_ " All of her assumptions shattered, she suddenly felt like an idiot. Maybe even a bit offended in her irrational state of mind.

"You're nice, and don't get me wrong, Kat: you're the prettiest girl I've ever danced with. But I don't think that sorta thing would work out between us."

"I...Wh-? Y-yea, that's...No, that's fine..."

Haru ran his hand over his slicked back hair in relief.

"Sweet. I was kinda worried there..."

Katara glanced across the twilight campus with a slight scowl for a moment.

"Oh, it's fine. I was...I just thought we'd have some fun in a group," she explained, trying to reclaim a position of self-pride. "N-nothing complicated. I'm not really ready for that kind of thing right now, anyway..."

"Yea, you seem totally stressed out over everything," muttered Haru, scratching at his partially formed mustache.

"I do?" Katara mumbled, feeling somehow slighted in all of this.

"Totally. I get it, though - you've got, like, _so much_ junk goin' on. Like how your last boyfriend, like, _died_ and stuff?"

_Ulgh...Not what I needed to be reminded of..._

"I'm sorry 'bout all that, Kat. It's no wonder you seem uptight and tense all the time."

 _Uptight?_ Uptight? _Am I really like that?_

"Oh, right. I-I'm sorry," Katara fumbled around. "Yea, it's...So much _stuff_ going on. No worries, I wasn't...Like, I didn't mean to make you think...-" Her train of thought derailed with a shaky laugh.

"OK, cool. Glad there wasn't anything awkward there."

"Yea, me, too..."

"So, that Johnny kid. He doesn't get out much, does he?"

* * *

\- Sunday, October 17th, 2010 -

"It's his ears. That's Aang's weak spot. His enormous elephant ears. Gets him every time."

"Johnny's is when I rub his back."

"Seriously?"

"Yea, I dunno...Like, if I run my fingers under his shirt, down his back? The boy just melts into a fuckin' puddle."

"Hey, Suki, what about Sokka?" Toph wondered, tweaking the knobs on her guitar and striking some light test strums.

Katara sighed to herself, fidgeting her microphone on its stand as the girls set up, discussing this odd topic - likely spurred by what sorts of activities they had all participated in the night before.

"Sokka? Hm..." Suki tapped her chin with her drum stick. "It's his neck. I kiss his neck and he falls to pieces."

"OK," Katara boldly interrupted. "That's nice. Little sister here. Kinda don't want to hear that stuff, all right?"

" _Wow,_ Kat, what the fuck's got _your_ panties in a bunch all of a sudden?" Smellerbee grumbled, drumming her fingers on her bass.

"Gee, Jane, maybe it's because...-" Katara refused to look at her friends as she rambled, fiddling with a microphone that was already set up properly for the sake of doing something. "-...in case you forgot, I'm still... _dealing_ with...what happened with _my_ last boyfriend, while all of _you_ three are rubbing in my face what a _great time_ you had doing...things...that I don't need to hear about, by the way...with all of _yours..._ "

Jane's bloodshot eyes wandered to her bass, orange brows tucked tight over them, and she said not a word.

"Sorry, Katara," Suki volunteered. "I didn't know, I thought that you and Haru...-"

"That me and Haru _what?_ " Katara snipped, her tone not so explosive so much as stinging.

"Katara, calm the fuck _down,_ " Toph asserted. "God, you've been bitchy all morning. You _sure_ you're up for practicing right this second?" Suki gestured to intervene, but Katara reacted before any peacekeeping could be made.

"Ya know?" Katara huffed out through her nostrils. "No. I'm not. Not like it _matters_ because I can't even freaking _sing_ so it's not like I'm doing you any good, _anyway_ , right?" Her voice cracked at the end, water welling in her eyes.

"This isn't about Haru, is it?" Smellerbee groaned. " _You're_ the one who said it wasn't-"

"No, Jane, this isn't...this isn't fucking about Haru!" Katara hissed, balls clenched. She paused for a moment to contemplate what she had just said. "And I...I just-!" She slapped her hand over her mouth in shock.

"Whoa, way to lay down the F-Bomb, there, Sister," Toph chuckled. "I think...Dude, that might be the first time I've ever heard you-"

"This isn't _funny,_ Toph," Katara growled. "You see? All of _you two_ swearing all of the time is starting to rub off on me...Argh!" She pounded at her forehead as she stormed off out of the sound-proof room, leaving her band-mates confused.

"Ugh, Christ," Smellerbee moaned, shaking her head. "Maybe one of you two should go get her...?"

"Uh, how about _you_ go cheer her up for a change?" Toph snapped. "Just because I'm her roommate doesn't mean I'm the only one who's supposed to clean her up when she's a mess."

"Uh, yea, _Toph?_ " Smellerbee quipped. "Not sure you realize, but I'm not exactly a fuckin' therapist over here."

"I don't care," Toph argued. "Whenever _you're_ upset, Katara is always trying to help _you_ feel better. _Obviously,_ she's having a shitty day, so maybe it'd mean a lot to her if _you_ tried to cheer _her_ up for a change...Huh? How about that?"

Jane was surprised at how unnerving it was to look Toph in the eyes given that they weren't focused on her - they were still pretty intense at that moment.

"Fine, _fine,_ " Jane conceded, slipping her bass strap off of her shoulders. "Not sure what I can do to cure her God damned PMS, but whatever..."

As she marched begrudgingly out the room, Toph called out a "Thanks, Jaybee," to which Jane responded with a toss of the arm and a "Yea, yea..."

"Ohhhhhkay," Suki murmured at last. "Uhhh, so...What's going on with you girls?"

"Meh, it's no big," Toph wrote it off with a few nimble plucks on her electric guitar, savoring the sound as it dripped from the speakers around her. "This is just what happens when you get four girls together in one room to try and get anything done."

"Is Katara OK?"

"Fuck if _I_ know," Toph chuckled, borrowing a line she picked up from Jane. "She's totally loopy today, though, that's for sure. Haven't seen her that pissed in a while...Think she's just stressed out and we were pushing the wrong buttons with the boyfriend talk."

"Right," Suki lamented. "Her ex-boyfriend died in an accident a few weeks ago..."

"Yea."

"Poor thing..."

"Katara's stronger than she seems. She'll be fine. Besides, heh...She's got _me_ to watch her back. Um...figuratively speaking. Fff. So, anyway...You got a band name picked out yet?"

"I've got something," Suki murmured, twirling her drumstick. "I'll run it by you guys today, see what you think."

* * *

"Leave me alone!"

"Whoa, hey, Kat - chill the fu-...uh...Calm down, huh?"

"Ohhh, don't even _bother,_ Jane." Sitting on the floor, propped against the wall beside the door the other girls were still in, Katara had a palm against her forehead, face full to the brim with emotion. "You don't need to take my _oh so sensitive ears_ into account. Not like you bother the _rest_ of the time..."

"I didn't...I didn't know it _bothered_ you, Kat..."

"It usually _doesn't,_ I...I _guess_ ," Katara huffed, her eyes occasionally glancing at the stubborn redhead. "I'm...I don't even know what my _problem_ is right now, I'm just...having a breakdown...or-or something."

"Cheer up, then," said Jane bluntly, sitting herself cross-legged in front of Katara. "You're not acting like yourself."

"I _know,_ " Katara whimpered. "God...I wish I knew what my issue was right now..."

Jane took a moment to contemplate the situation. It seemed awfully familiar. She was certain she had felt this same way herself in recent memory, and recalled what Toph and Katara would do, or what Aang would write her if he caught word she was feeling down.

"Hey, don't sweat it." After a moment's hesitation, Jane reached out and stuck a slightly sweaty, bony hand on Katara's bare knee as the girl wiped her damp hand on her denim miniskirt. "Listen - sorry for what I said, all right?"

Katara sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with her finger some more. Jane went on.

"Guess it's easy to forget how much shit you're dealing with 'cuz you're so good at... _dealing_ with it most of the time..."

"Huh...?"

"Just...I dunno...Like, your mom died, and _Jet_ died, and you've got _me_ to deal with, heh...But it's like...You just...-" Jane shrugged, trying to find the right words. "When shit happens to me, I get fuckin' _pissed,_ but you, Kat? I don't know _how_ the hell you do it, but you just let it roll off ya and ya get up and keep going somehow. Like it's no big deal or something."

Katara's tears had stopped flowing by the time Jane had finished her expression of respect, and she took a deep, calming breath.

"I do?"

"Yea. _Hell_ yea, you do. You're a God damn trooper."

"Thanks..." Katara blinked the water from her eyes and wiped them away with her wrist. "Guess I just needed to get some junk out of my system or something..."

"Sure. You cry, Toph yells and punches things, I yell _louder_ and punch things _harder..._ Ha. We all gotta deal with our issues _somehow._ "

* * *

[ **BiiTTERSWEET** killed **SparkySparkyBOOM-MAN** with a Rocket Launcher.]

" _Argh. Fuck. Shit. Ass!_ "

"Whoa!" Aang calmed, pressing down Sokka's tense shoulder. "You're doin' that thing, Sokka."

"No, I'm good. I'm all good," Sokka assured, flicking away at his controller feverishly. Aang observed his rapidly bounding knee.

"I think you're doin' that thing Katara was warning me about."

"I told you, I'm fine."

"You just said, like, three swears in a row."

[ _"Pshoom!"_ ]  
[ **BiiTTERSWEET** killed **SparkySparkyBOOM-MAN** with a headshot.]

" _Fucking sniper bitch!_ "

"Ohhhhkay," Aang puffed out in despair, slapping Sokka assuringly on the shoulders before he dug around his roommate's desk. He pulled out a Butterfinger candy bar from Sokka's snack stash, unwrapped it, and then waved it in front of Sokka's face.

"Ooooh," Sokka murmured, leaning forward and snapping a bite off.

[ **J_Blaze31** pummeled **SparkySparkyBOOM-MAN**.]

" _Rrrmmm!_ " he growled, his mouth full, stamping his foot. Aang fearfully dropped the Butterfinger, now missing a chunk, into Sokka's lap and retrieved his cell phone for support.

[To: Katara]  
[hey...sokkas doing that thing. w/cursing & yelling and not calming down.]  
[Sent: 4:23pm]

[From: Katara]  
[It's because he's playing a video game, isn't it? =/ ]  
[Sent: 4:24pm]

[To: Katara]  
[yea he is...]  
[Sent: 4:24pm]

[From: Katara]  
[Did you try the Butterfinger trick?]  
[Sent: 4:25pm]

[ **BiiTTERSWEET** killed **SparkySparkyBOOM-MAN** with a headshot.]  
 _"Aaaauughhlllggaaahhh!"  
_ Sokka thrashed around, slapping his controller into his leg as he lifted his Butterfinger with his other hand to chew more off.

[To: Katara]  
[yea...thats not working...]  
[Sent: 4:26pm]

[From: Katara]  
[Is he playing anything with guns? Or fighting?]  
[Sent: 4:26pm]

[To: Katara]  
[yea hes playing halo.]  
[Sent: 4:27pm]

[From: Katara]  
[Oh, geez. Yea, get him to play something...more calming.]  
[Sent: 4:27pm]

" _What the shit, man?_ **Every fucking time!** "

[To: Katara]  
[im freaking out here. never heard him curse so much. :( ]  
[Sent: 4:28pm]

[From: Katara]  
[Sometimes when he plays video games he gets like that. It's nothing to worry about.]  
[Sent: 4:29pm]

[From: Katara]  
[Actually, I'm surprised it took this long for you to witness it. xD ]  
[Sent: 4:29pm]

[Red Team Wins.]

" _Twenty-six Deaths? Are you fucking **kidding me?**_ "

"Hey, er, Sokka?"

"Camping little **rocket-whores**!"

"You wanna play some chess, or-"

"Cheating assholes!" Sokka dropped his controller in front of their TV with a gruff irritation.

"-maybe go down to dinner early?"

Sokka's phone went off, intruding on Aang's suggestions.

["~Domo arigato, Misto Roboto~Domo-"]

"Hey, Suki, what's up?" he greeted with a slightly irritable but otherwise calm tone. "Yea-huh...Yaaa-huh...Yep. 'Kay. See ya then, Love." He slapped his phone shut, placing it on the floor beside his beanbag chair as he switched off his XBox 360 with a sigh. "Girls just finished practicing a little bit ago, they're gonna meet us down at the ACC soon."

"You OK?"

"Aw, I'm fine," Sokka insisted, the red color diminishing from his face.

"'Cuz that was weirdin' me out..."

"Yea, sorry. When I play stuff like that I can go a little crazy, I guess."

"I'll, er...keep that mind from now on. Maybe keep you off the Halo, haha."

Sokka viciously devoured the rest of his candy bar as he tidied up the TV space and checked his phone for text messages.

"Yea, I just needed to let that crap out."

"You've got crap? That needs letting out?"

Sokka shrugged, plopping himself back down into his beanbag on the floor before the TV.

"Bah, I just thought Suki and I would...take another step in our relationship last night."

" _Ohhh._ But you didn't?" Aang checked, believing he understood.

"Not really. No." Sokka was a bit sour over the matter.

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing?"

"How?" Sokka's skepticism demanded.

"Well, like...-" Aang relaxed on the floor beside him. "Maybe when you guys make that step, she wants it to _mean_ something."

"That's the excuse you keep giving Toph, isn't it?"

"Guh," Aang grunted with a twitch, staring at his unamused roommate's glance. "It's...That's not an _excuse,_ Sokka, it's a _reason._ "

"You two still haven't made whoopie yet, then," he observed with a "Tch, tch" and a gentle shake of the head.

"Sokka, _some_ guys aren't in it just to have sex, you know..."

"So you're saying you don't _want_ to have sex with her, then?"

"W-with Toph?"

" _Naw,_ Aang, my freakin' _sister,_ who the hell do you _think_ I'm talking about?"

Aang shrugged his shoulders up in defense as his already nervously pink face flushed another shade brighter.

"I haven't-...Toph and I...We're just not ready for that kind of-"

" _You're_ not ready, you mean."

Aang wiped his sheepish demeanor away and frowned.

"No, Sokka, _I_ am not ready, because I don't think that _we,_ as a _couple,_ are ready."

"And Toph's OK with waiting," Sokka assumed, saying it in a way that conveyed his doubt of the validity of the statement.

"She _says_ she is," Aang clarified. "And I believe her."

"She doesn't strike me as the type who'd be patient like that..."

"Guess that goes to show you don't know her as well as you _think_ you do," Aang retaliated. "She has another side to her, you know."

"Yea, yea...Whatever you say, _Twinkle-Toes._ I suppose I believe you. But I'll bet she still tried to coerce you into it last night."

Aang gave pause, scratching at his ear as he felt Sokka's expectant gaze burning into him.

"OK, OK, _yes,_ she _did_ try," Aang rapidly spat out in concession.

"Right. So obviously she _wants_ to."

"It'll...ya know...We'll get to it when it feels right."

"Pff, for you, that prolly means after you get married."

"W-well...I-I dunno. Maybe..."

"Psh. Yea, good luck with that, Bro." Sokka smacked Aang's back with mock encouragement as he slipped into his black loafers - the shoes he always seemed to be wearing, no matter the occasion.

"Hey, you, too," Aang reciprocated. "Girls can be a handful."

"We'll deal with 'em one way or another."

"I'd like to think they're worth it the effort."

"Heh. Not so sure about _that,_ but it's not like we have a choice."


	23. The Experiment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a sillier chapter for the sake of some fun, I suppose.

\- Friday, October 22nd, 2010 -

["Tell me we're gonna knock 'em out, Twinkle-Toes."]

"You are going to _knock_ 'em out, Tater-Face."

["Bleh. Not with a name like 'Tater-Face' I'm not. We have a band name, remember?"]

"Oh, yea? You guys settled on one?"

["The Kyoshi Warriors. Remember?"]

"Huh. Sounds kind of intimidating."

["Hells yea, it does."]

"Isn't that, like, Suki's last name?"

["Yea. She _did_ start the band...And besides, it makes us sound like ninjas. Or samurais."]

"Aaaand...You want to be like ninja-samurais?"

["Sure. There's a niche out there that should be filled."]

"Musical-Ninja-Samurais."

["Yep."]

"OK, then. Er...Good luck with that, Toph. So you guys will be busy all night?"

["Allll night. We've got our audition tomorrow. Gotta sound sharp."]

"Right."

["So we can cut their _faces off_ with our Awesome."]

"Of course."

["Somethin' wrong, Babe?"]

"Meh..."

["What is it?"]

"Ehhh..."

["Oh, come on. Stop bein' a wimp and tell me."]

"Wait, did you just call me 'Babe' again?"

["You gotta get those elephant ears cleaned. Seriously, what's goin' on?"]

"Nothin'...You girls have been busy all week, is what it is..."

["Awwww...You're missing me, huh, Twinkles?"]

"Yea," Aang bashfully replied, his mood lightened by her stroke of genuine coddling.

["I've been kinda missin' you, too, I guess,"] Toph teased. Aang could hear a chorus in the background.

["We miss him, too!"]  
["Tell that punk I miss his face!"]  
["Hi, Aang!"]

["The girls say 'hey.' By the way."]

"Haha...Yea. Tell them I say 'hey' back."

["Meh, I'll do it later. Anyways, just gotta hold out until tomorrow after our audition and then we can all hang out together."]

"Sounds good."

["I gotta let you go, though. Still got some work to do here."]

"OK. Love you, Toph."

["Love you, too, Aang."]

_Click._

"Wuv-woo-too-Twinkoh-Toez," cooed Sokka with exaggeration from his desk at his computer.

"Go back to your zombies, Sokka," Aang retaliated.

"I think I'm getting Plants-Versus-Zombied _out_ over here," he sighed, continuing to click away at his field of vegetation as it held off a drizzling flood of the undead. "Are they finished practicing yet?"

"Nah," Aang lamented. "They said they're going to be practicing all night and we won't get to see 'em until tomorrow after the audition."

"Blaaaaaaahhhh," was Sokka's guttural, groaning reaction, his cheek skin folding over the palm it was leaning on. "I'm so booooooored."

"Psh, _sorry_ ," Aang mockingly apologized. "I have a project I need to work on, man."

"Yea, yea. Why didn't you do it _last_ night?" Sokka whined. "Isn't that why we don't do anything Thursdays? So we're all free on Friday?"

"This project is taking more time than I thought it would," Aang advised, cuddling into the beanbag chair on the floor, his drawing pad in tow. "Besides, I need to make sure I'm free _tomorrow_ when we see the girls."

" _The Gods of Olympus have abandoned me_ ," uttered Sokka with dull drama and a deep, bellowing rasp in his voice. He was now standing atop his chair, dangling his foot over its edge. " _Now there is_ _no hope._ " He leaned forward, tossing his hands in the air as he continued his one-actor performance in an alternate, solemn voice of narration. " **And Kratos** ** _cast himself_ from the highest mountain in _all of Greece._ After ten years of suffering, ten years of _endless_ nightmares, it would finally come to an end**." He hopped from his chair as he spoke, landed nimbly on his toes, then crumpled himself onto the floor. " ** _Death_ would be his escape from _madness_**..." He lay limp for a few moments as Aang stared at him with wide eyes, pencil in hand.

"Uhhh...You really _are_ bored today, aren't you?"

* * *

"Hm..." Sokka scratched his fuzzy chin thoughtfully, surveying the lineup. "I think this will do..."

"Monkey-feathers," gasped Aang, staring at the array of beverages. "Did you...-?" He pointed vaguely at the collection, baffled. "What, did you buy, like, _everything_ you could from the snack desk?"

"Psh, no," Sokka dismissed. "Every _drink,_ definitely. And some snacks, too. "Wait, what did you say a second a go?"

"Huh?"

"Was it...Did you say 'Monkey feathers?'"

"Y-yea...Why?"

"Is that, like, your little way of saying, like, 'Holy crap!,' or something?"

"Sure," Aang muttered with a shrug. "I say it all the time..."

"No, you don't," Aang's roommate rapidly shot down the notion with a suspicious glare. "Must be all that animal-drawing you're obsessed with. Weirdo." He shook his head, snapping his attention back to the matter at hand. "Anyway, you think I'm missing anything?"

Aang rubbed his hand over his head with doubt and shrugged.

"Uhhh, nope. It looks pretty...uh...substantial to me."

Sokka clapped his hands together and rubbed them fiercely.

"Stand back, my friend," he warned. "This experiment could go fatally wrong, and I'd hate to lose my witness to this glorious scientific event. After all, _someone_ will need to speak with the authorities and tell them the tale..."

"Geez," spat Aang, rolling his eyes. "You have fun with that, Sokka. I'm going to try wrapping this up and going to bed."

* * *

[Twitter account Sokka Kesuk]  
[ **(at)** **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** \- Akiak, Ontario]  
[I'm just a guy with a Boomerang. And a light saber. And an insatiable appetite. And I never shut up. Even on the Internet.]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Experiment 626 aka "Energy X" now begins...]  
[22 Oct 9:42pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[I'll be starting with lighter things first and working my way up. First: sodas. :) ]  
[22 Oct 9:43pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[The IBC was fantastic as always but this generic orange soda is gross. :( ]  
[22 Oct 9:52pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Mountain Dew. Delightful as usual. Self-brewed coffee was exquisite. Feeling the caffeine starting to flow.]  
[22 Oct 10:23pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Doritos, Fritos, Pringles. All helping settle the stomach.]  
[22 Oct 10:34pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[All right. Time to break out the big boys. #GOGOGO]  
[22 Oct 10:52pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Time to let this MONSTER outta the cage!]  
[22 Oct 10:55pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Time to go FULL THROTTLE! #YEA #WOO]  
[22 Oct 11:04pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Turn on the NOS!]  
[22 Oct 11:08pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[AMP it up to 11 bitchezzzz!]  
[22 Oct 11:12pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Livin like a ROCKSTAR!]  
[22 Oct 11:19pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[RED BULL GIVES ME WINGZZZ!]  
[22 Oct 11:25pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[S IS MORE EPIC WHEN ITZ A Z!]  
[22 Oct 11:26pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[I AM SUPERMAN!]  
[22 Oct 11:34pm]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[Acceleration +250% Speed +120% Power +67% Sex +12% Manly +174% Equations +23% Science +777%]  
[23 Oct 12:13am]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[The molecular compounds spin and spin in my brain like crazy genius spinny things.]  
[23 Oct 12:19am]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[MOLECULEZZZ!]  
[23 Oct 12:20am]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[MAD GENIUS! MENERGY! I AM TOO ENERGETIC FOR NORMAL SPORTS!]  
[23 Oct 12:21am]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[When God gives you lemons you FIND A NEW GOD!]  
[23 Oct 12:22am]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[I can feel the preposterone RAGING THROUGH MY BOWELS LIKE AN ANGRY ANTLION!]  
[23 Oct 12:25am]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[I AM GOING TO WIN AT SCIENCE!]  
[23 Oct 12:26am]

[ **MeatAndSarcasmGuy** ]  
[quyrehjcmnayrvf yurweqius 12462378 asgftweh]  
[23 Oct 1:14am]

* * *

\- Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 -

"...What?" Katara groaned, rubbing her eyes and scratching her hand through her sweaty mess of hair. There was some kind of ruckus going on that she couldn't make out, but could tell it was her brother.

["He's like, running around and yelling and just... _Whoa! Hey!_ Don't break that!..."] Aang sighed. ["He's freaking crazy, Katara. What do you do when he gets like this?"]

The rambling in the background suddenly became clear for a few moments. He spoke at a mile a minute, he words sliding out with precision but running together, thoughts tightly compacted together.

[" **Molecules-molecules-molecules. Running - through blood. Like super soldier army ants times ten. Times ten! Experiment - success! Success! Must submit findings-...** "]

["Ya see? What the heck do I _do_?"]

Katara dropped her hand from her head, sitting in her bed, and dragged her feet from under her cozy sheets and onto the cold, rough carpet below.

"Urgh, I don't...-" Katara huffed, her half-awake mind still warping around whatever her brother had just been trying to say. "What happened?"

["Sokka took a whole bunch of energy drinks. In a row. He said it was an experiment."]

"Dear God," whimpered Katara, not in the mood for this brand of shenanigans. "I _dunno_ , Aang," she said irritably. "Have him...go run around outside or something. Let him tucker himself out...?"

["Hm...Yea, maybe that's a good idea,"] Aang groaned, his exhaustion equally as apparent as Katara's. ["Hey, Sokka, you wanna maybe go for a jog? Clear your head?"]

[" **FOR SCIENCE!** "]

["Wait...Whoa, hey. Sokka? Why...? Why are you taking your _pants off_?"]

[" **Naked truth - must reveal it!** "]

["Uhh..."]

Katara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache forming. Spending all evening around blaring speakers and instruments for another night was taking its toll. Katara was jolted by the device in her hand vibrating against her ear. She retracted her phone to observe it.

[Calling...]  
[ **Jane** ]

"All right, well..." She sighed out, putting the phone back to her ear. "Jane's calling, so, uhh...I'd better go...Have fun with that, Aang."

["B-but what if he hurts himself? Or-Wait, Sokka, wh-where are you going?"]

[" **Jogging - per your suggestion. Helpful assistant!** "]

"Mmkay," Katara huffed. "Sorry, Aang. Good luck with that. I gotta go."

["Y-yea, OK! Sokka, wait-!"]  
[ _Click_.]

[ _Beep._ ]

"Jane? You found your phone, huh? I _told_ you that it must've been-"  
[" **Phone - procured for...SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES.** "]

" _Sokka?_ "

[" **Doctor - PhD. They call me...Doc-Sokk at the office.** "]

"What the-? How...? _Why_ do you have Jane's phone? Where did you find it?"

[" **Phone - as indicated - procured for research. Found in practice room. Obtainment - approximately forty-seven minutes ago.** "]

"OK, OK, OK." Katara was flapping her wrist if only to slow her own mind down from his rattling. "Sokka, that's not _yours._ You need to give that back. All right?"

"Shuddafuck _ubb_..." growled Toph from under her blanket across the room.

["Sokka!"] Aang's exaspeatd voice cried from somewhere in the distance. ["Get back here! You're not wearing any clothes!"]

[" **Clothes - needless frivolity. Intrude the senses.** "]

"Sokka, could you just... _stop_ for a minute, and go inside? Just listen to Aang-"

[" **Numbers - contacts. Ohhh, Jet - deceased. Calling number might establish connection with spirit. Alternate plane of existence. Must investigate.** "]  
[ _Click._ ]

"Urgh..."

Katara pounded her fist into her bed. Days like this made her feel like the older sibling.

["~I'll be there for you~"]  
[ _Click._ ]

"Aang? What is going _on?_ Where is he _going?_ "

"How _yoooo_ doin'?" Toph deviously murmured, rolling over in her bed, referencing the show the ringtone was borrowed from.

["I don't-...He's heading for the ACC, but I have no idea why."]

"Is he _seriously_ naked?" Katara winced, pushing disheveled hair strands behind her hairs.

["He seriously is."]

Katara sighed and shook her head. She could make out Sokka jabbering away.

[" **-understood. Please put me through...Correct...Of course. That is the purpose."** ]

"Who is he talking to?" Katara wondered.

["Dunno. He's on the phone."]

_Crap, he probably tried calling Jet's number._

[" **Not a joke. Serious matter...Redundant - all bees can smell...Certainly. Attenae - detect pheremones.** "]

"Aang, you need to get him off that phone. I don't think will appreciate him causing trouble with the Freedom Fighters."

["Sokka? Sok-...hey. Sokka. Gimme the ph-...C'mon. Gimme the phone!"]

[" **Very well. Message - will be passed on. Spirit of deceased - you're certain I cannot contact?** "]

[" _Sokka!_ "]

[" **Understood. Very well.** "]

["Sokka, where are you _going?"_ ]

[" **Phone - must return to owner!** "] Sokka's voice had gotten more distant.

["Errr..."]

Aang and Katara breathed into their phones for a moment, both stupefied.

"Wait, does that man he's trying to give it back to Jane?"

["I guess? I mean...He _is_ heading toward Aqua..."]

"But...But isn't he _naked_ still?"

["Uhhhh, yup."] Aang's breath was heavy, no-doubt due to him giving chase during the conversation. ["I'm following him but I think he's gonna get there...phew...really soon."]

"Ugh...OK, OK. I'll just come meet you guys at the side entrance. Please, just...keep him out until I get there. OK?"

["I'll...I can...try..."] Shuffling sounds indicated Aang was now hot in pursuit of 'Doc-Sok.'  
[ _Click_.]

Katara glanced at her alarm clock: [ **3:46 am** ]

"Grrraahh..." Katara slapped herself in the face in anguish.

"Aaauuuggghhh," groaned Toph, thrashing grouchily in her bed. "Stobbit...Shuddup."

"Hun, calm down. Go back to sleep."

"Can't nooowww...toofugginwake."

"OK, wh-whatever. Fine. _Sorry,_ not like it was my choice."

"Deryagoh...Bidgey, _bidgey_..."

"Toph, go back to sleep," Katara snapped in a hiss, her interrupted sleep cycle producing heightened aggression as she slipped her blue penguin slippers on. Garbed in matching pajamas, she slunk out of the room and slipped silently down the stairwell and to the indicated side door. What she encountered waiting outside frightened her a bit.

There stood her older brother, butt naked, furiously clutching her neighbor's phone flush against his bare, waxed chest. His eyes were bloodshot with dark rings hung underneath and his hair was ruffled in every direction. With fingers trembling, he tightened his grip on the phone at the sight of her and took a step back, bumping into Aang. Katara cautiously avoided letting her eyes drop below his chest - it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. A decade or more ago. She had no interest in seeing it again. Ever.

"Sokka? Here, I can take Jane's phone back to her, and then you can go back to-"

" **No.** "

"What?" Katara dropped her extended arm and huffed.

"He won't let anyone have it but Jane," Aang explained irritably.

" **Device - highly confidential. Not safe. Must deliver myself.** "

"Nnnnoooo," Katara insisted. "I _don't_ think that's such a good id- _Ooof!_ " Her naked brother knocked the wind out of her with her elbow as he forced his way around her and into the door behind her.

"You OK?" Aang cried, rushing to her side as she gasped in recovery, grabbing her abdomen in pain.

"He's...freakin' _crazy_ ," Katara grumbled, nodding to Aang in thanks as she stood upright.

"He's probably heading toward Jane's room right now."

"Shoot," Katara sighed, storming in and making her way upstairs with Aang close behind.

In the quiet of the night, Sokka's wrist knocking against Jane's door - as well as his voice - reverberated down the hallway one way, and filtered down into the stairwell in the other.

" **Bee - Jane. Orange-head. Smelly. Must receive device.** "

"Sokka," Katara seethed in a whisper as they reached the second floor. "Stop it!"

"Meathead?" Toph was drearily leaning against the doorway, rubbing her eyes. Katara found the situation somewhat amusing - she had no idea that the boy in front of her was without clothing. "You doin' all right?" she wondered, raising concern through her foggy mind.

Before Katara could do anything, Jane's door swung open, revealing an extremely displeased girl with olive eyes that burned like embers. She was dressed in a yellow and black striped set of pajamas, something that Katara always picked on her about but encouraged all the same.

"What the _fuck_ do yo _oooooooo_ kay." Jane's ferocious tone rapidly reverted to discomfort as soon as she had glanced across Sokka's bare form.

The crazed young man thrust his arms out, cradling the cell phone with care.

" **Research - complete. Device - you may have.** "

Jane, her face now covered by a palm, cheeks bright red from the awkward situation, let out a shaky sigh and blindly held out her arm.

"What's he yammerin' on 'bout?" wondered Toph with a yawn, scratching her bottom through her sweatpants.

Sokka gently placed the phone in Jane's hands and blinked furiously, his head twitching a few times as he stepped back.

"Uhhh, yea. Thanks, Sokka," Jane mumbled, clamping her hand over the phone and stuffing it into her pajam pocket. "Now piss off. And put some fuckin' _clothes_ on, creeper."

"Whuh...-?" Toph moaned, wiping grains from her eyes.

"Oh, hey, Jane," Aang greeted, leaning around Katara to peek into Jane's room. "Nice PJ's," he picked. "Real cute."

Jane's eyes flashed wide with embarrassment at his comment and she retreated back a step into her room.

"Thanks..." she grumbled with some resistance. She turned her attention back to Sokka as the boy continued to stand before her, scratching his scruff of chin hair, lost in thought.

"Yaaaaaay, Twinkles..." Blissfully unaware of the situation, Toph stretched out her arms sleepily toward Aang and the boy embraced her.

"Get the feeling Sokka's lost his damned mind," Jane observed, flustered by his bare presence as she stared intently at Katara, if only to ignore Sokka's delirium.

"He...is looped up on energy drinks and caffeine and sugar and... _God_ knows what else," Katara hastily explained. "At least we've got your phone back, right? Now-" She firmly grabbed Sokka by the shoulders, wincing all the while, and pushed him down the hall. "-you boys should get outta here, and _we_ need to go back to sleep."

" **True self - the world must _see it!_** "

"I think _enough_ of the world has seen your true self for one day, Brother..."

"Whyzee all psycho?" mumbled an inquisitive but drowsy Toph as Katara escorted her brother toward the stairwell. "Whyzee gotta leave so soon?"

"Sokka's not wearing any _clothes,_ Toph," Aang explained. "He's drugged on energy drinks and he's delusional."

"Awww..." Toph pouted, sticking out her lips. " _Janey Jane_ got to see..."

" _What?_ " Jane squeaked, unsure as to why this was something to be envious of.

"Wish _I_ coulda seen," Toph devilishly confessed - Aang playfully slapped her on the back of the head.

"Wish I could _unsee_!" Jane defied.

"Just be happy you only had to deal with it for one evening," Aang pointed out, kissing Toph on the head. "I've gotta walk the crazy person home now. Sorry, guys. Have a good night."

"Yea," Jane acknowledged with a nod. "You, too."

"Nooooo," huffed Toph childishly, pulling on Aang's arms as he detached. "Stay."

"Tater-Face, you need to sleep. OK? Go back to bed. Love you."

"Love you, too," grumbled Toph in defeat, crossing her arms over her chest and stomping stubbornly back into the room. Aang disappeared down the hall. After he was gone, Jane creeped across to Toph's room and sat herself onto Katara's bed, flipping through her phone to assess any damage.

"Maybe you should get _Aang_ souped up on energy drinks some time, huh?" she teased.

"Rrmmglughmmmph." Toph was shuffling herself into bed.

Katara re-entered, her breath heavy.

"God, my brother is such an idiot sometimes...Oh. Hey, Jane."

"Hey. Oh, sorry." Jane hopped up from the bed, fiddling with her phone.

"What did he do?" Katara wondered.

"A call to you, a call to...to Jet..." Jane sighed. "Nothing else, though. Thank God."

"Who would have Jet's phone?"

"I dunno. Whoever took his place, probably. Probably just took his number - it'd be easier to do that than to have _everyone_ in the group go through the trouble of getting the new number, ya know?"

"Ah. Whoever took his place?"

"I dunno," Jane huffed, stuffing the phone in her bumblebee-striped pants. "I've been ignoring all that bullshit."

"Yea," Katara acknowledged. "So...They're just gonna leave you alone now?"

"They damn well _better_ ," grunted Jane. "Anyways...We've got some people to impress tomorrow, right?"

"We do," Katara yawned, flopping herself into bed.

"See ya in the morning." Jane slowly closed the door behind her, plunging the room into darkness.

"Yup..."

* * *

"And...-" Sokka's fingers dug into the skin on his forehead as he gulped down a pair of ibuprofen. "...And _why_ did I do all of this?" he moaned in anguish and confusion.

"You said you were doing it for science," a highly amused Aang explained, slurping on his soupy cup of ramen.

"For...Like...To what end?"

"Pff. I dunno. Just for science, I guess."

Sokka slid his finger along his trackpad, reviewing his Twitter account.

"I don't even remember any of this...What the hell was I _thinking_?"

"You were _really_ bored."

"Did I do anything embarrassing last night?" Sokka whimpered with fear, burying his face in his arms. Aang burst out into a laugh.

"Ohhhh, yea."

"Craaaaap...What did I _do_?" he groaned, wanting to get it over with.

"I think I'll...just let you find out," Aang picked as he lifted another forkful of wet noodles to his mouth.

"You're horrible."

"Just repaying the favor, Roommate."

"I hate you."

"Maybe you'll think twice from now on about science experiments."

* * *

The final, slow chord rang out through the nearly empty auditorium, and the girls all took a sigh of relief, their work complete. A smattering of applause was their reward for their efforts. From the looks on the faces of their critics, the girls had likely landed a spot in the show. There was but only one person in the small audience that didn't look supportive: an elderly, bald man with a noticeable mole on the side of his head. As the clapping died down, the man glared at their group with stern, narrow eyes, hands folded in his lap. He slowly raised his left hand and offered a thumbs-up, his expression unwavering.

"We'll contact you on Monday to let you know if you made the cut," advised the student who had been overseeing the audition from the side of the stage. "Again," she announced, "that was The Kyoshi Warriors. Let's take five while they clear out."

"That's our cue," Jane grunted, hoisting her bass around her back as she helped disconnect cords.

The staff and faculty filtered out of the auditorium, save for that strange, elderly man, who flipped open his smart phone and began typing into it.

"What's up with the creeper?" Jane grumbled to Katara under her breath, nodding her head to the gentleman.

"Creeper?" Katara whispered back, confused. She took a quick glance while she wound up the microphone cable. "Oh. That's...Jane, how do you not know who that _is_?" she demanded incredulously.

"Pff, how the fuck should I know _him_?" retorted Jane with a raised brow.

"Jane - that's _President Bumi_. The President of the college?"

 _Clack.  
_ The sound of the man closing his phone cut into their conversation as he rose from his seat, stuffing it into a chest pocket on his gray suit.

"You're in, Ladies," he proclaimed loudly from his seat in the third row in. His voice was raspy and oddly wild given his formal appearance.

"E-excuse me?" Suki called back, snapping tight the buckle on her snare drum case.

"I just sent the word in," Bumi declared, jamming his wrinkled, mole-ridden hands into his pockets. "You're a lock-in for the show next week. Don't let me down."

The girls stood, flabbergasted, unsure of how to reply.

"No need to thank me," President Bumi insisted with a chuckle, tossing his arm up as he exited the row. "You girls have _spunk._ This show could use more of that."

"Whoa," Katara murmured in awe as the man went through a pair of double doors. "That...Did that just happen?"

"At least _someone's_ got some taste around here!" Toph cawed, pleased with herself.

"Great job, everybody!" Suki encouraged, carefully putting another drum in its case. "We really nailed it! We should celebrate."

"Let's round the boys up and go out for dinner," Katara suggested.

"Sounds good to _me!_ " Toph agreed, rubbing her stomach eagerly, her slung guitar held in the other arm.

"Dinner _always_ sounds good to you," Jane mocked, shaking her head. As she waited for Suki to finish prepping her drums, she pulled out her phone to check her messages. Her stomach tightened at what she found.

[From: Jet]  
[wtf batshit crazy crowd u rollin with now smellerbee? get ur ass to treetop 2morrow nite]  
[Sent: 4:12pm]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In his tweets at the end, Sokka starts quoting lines from the infamous Powerthirst ads. Look it up on YouTube, if you dare. His theatrics are from the opening scene of God of War. His bizarre method of speaking while 'on top' of the influence was largely inspired by Mordin from Mass Effect 2. Katara's ringtone for Aang is the theme song of the TV show Friends (which is why Toph quotes one of the shows famous lines).


	24. With a Little Help

\- Sunday, October 24th, 2010 -

" _Fuck_ ," grunted Jane, hands dug deep in her wide cargo pants pockets. "Johnny, I don't wanna _do_ this..." She shot a glare at her boyfriend that blended a plead with irritation, and he frowned back at her. "What?" she snapped, shrugging her shoulder. "That's your _name_."

Longshot huffed through his nose, arms folded across his chest.

"Fine," Jane sighed. "Longshot. Whatever. I don't wanna go _in there_ ," she insisted, thrusting her arm, out to the building they were standing beside on the corner of the street. "How many fuckin' times have I told you? I'm _done_ with that bullshit."

Longshot shook his head disapprovingly at her.

"Gimme a _break_ here, Longshot..." Jane closed the gap between them and squirmed her lanky arms around his waist, tugging him toward her. He resisted but not so much as to break the embrace. "I wish you'd just quit this crap," she mumbled, her chin on his shoulder.

"I don't run away from my responsibilities," Longshot darkly explained. His words punctured like a needle through Jane's mind with their implications. Jane wanted to punch something in that moment, but contained the rage. She bottled this feeling with the rest like them into the jar known as 'Smellerbee.'

"Yea," she grunted, releasing him from her grip.

_What's my damned problem, thinking a fuckin' hug is gonna solve anything?_

"Well..." She kicked a pebble down the sidewalk. "This shit ain't _my_ responsibility anymore." Her eyes cautiously lifted to Longshot's, and she read it in his expression: it wasn't her responsibility because she'd abandoned it. "Whatever, let's get this over with..."

Longshot grabbed her shoulder as if try to stop her, but she brushed his hand off, blowing past him and storming into the sparsely populated bar - a thick clump of familiar faces were joined at the usual spot in the back corner of the Treetop Pub at the large, round table.

"The fuck's the problem here, Ladies?" Smellerbee growled, tossing her arms out in indignation at the group of young men, a couple of familiar females included.

"Hello to _you, too,_ " snapped a blond, pigtailed girl.

"Piss off, Cherry," Smellerbee huffed, not even glancing her way. "Why did you guys call me here? Whaddya want?"

Sneers, the bartender, was suddenly behind the bitter redhead, along with Longshot. She turned around to face them, intimidated by her boyfriend seeming to be on their side.

"Actually, _yoos_ called _us,_ Smelly," Sneers snipped. "Whudda hell nutjobs yoos runnin' wit' deze days?"

Jane's olive eyes rolled and she cocked her head back.

"Oh, my _God,_ " she dismissed incredulously. "My friend was bein' an asswipe and took my phone and made a prank call, all right? Big fuckin' deal."

"Yoos got da noive to ignore da Fighters, and ya go screwin' 'round wit whackjobs whats mockin' us?" He prodded her in the shoulder with a meaty finger, glowering down on her.

"So _what_ if he's a whackjob?" she hissed in retaliation, poking back, her bony finger having a much slighter impact. "Who I roll with is _my_ business, all right? Leave 'em outta this."

"Jet's _dead,_ Smelly," Sneers seethed, pushing her back by the arms. "We had a chain o' command 'round here an' yoos blew it off."

"Makes no God damn difference to me what the hell you people do," decried Smellerbee. Her dreary, smoldering eyes drifted to Longshot. "I don't get what the issue is here!" Longshot's dim expression remained unchanged: disappointed.

"You _know_ things, Smellerbee," quipped a cigar-smoking afro-adorned kid from the table. "If you ain't with us, you _against_ us. Liability, n' all dat."

"Yojimbo, I ain't gonna screw anyone over," Smellerbee defended. "Why the _fuck_ would I do that? I'd be getting _myself_ into more trouble than most of you guys."

"Why _would_ yoos do that?" Sneers retorted. "Why would yoos not tell us 'bout Jet's soicumstances? Why would yoos ditch da Fighters?"

"You haven't exactly been acting _yourself_ , lately," Cherry pointed out, chewing on her tobacco as she often did. "We can't trust your judgment. You've cracked."

"I've-...?" Smellerbee glared at the blond with exasperation. "I've _cracked?_ I decided to make my own fuckin' _life,_ Cherry! Why do you people need _me_ so damned much?"

"You were second in command," Yojimbo pointed out. "You know a lotta shit we don't, Bee. And our leader needs you, man."

"Wh-?" Smellerbee glared at Sneers and shrugged in frustration. "Why can't you handle things? You've been around longer than I have."

"Uhh, I ain't da leader, Smelly," Sneers muttered, pointing to his side. "Longshot is now."

Smellerbee's jaw dropped as she swung her head to face her lover, aghast that he had taken the position.

" _Johnny?_ " she exploded, trying to claw away at his icy resolve with her words. "I told you not to _take_ the job! What the _hell,_ Johnny?"

Longshot's eyes, firm and cold, dropped down from Smellerbee's rage as he closed his eyelids in contemplation.

"I _don't_ run away from my _responsibilities_ ," Longshot repeated his line from earlier, as much a statement to Smellerbee as to the group he now commanded.

Jane was flabbergasted. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard him speak aloud in public. He would talk with her, and her alone. Her stomach twisted with confusion, warped by the idea that she had been betrayed somehow. Smellerbee went to approach him, but Sneers clenched her shoulder and held her back, her eyes still glued to Longshot's dire face.

"How is this _your_ fucking responsibility _?_ " Jane demanded. Her voice had squeaked ever-so-slightly, and her dampened eyes steamed. Her hurt and confusion leaked through the fresh cracks of her 'Smellerbee' jar. Jane wanted to shed a tear, to break down and profess her desperation, her befuddled feeling of being deceived, but Smellerbee wouldn't allow Jane to do that here.

"Don't ya get it, ya retard?" Yojimbo lashed out, slamming the table. "You were Jet's right-hand. With him gone, someone had to take his place. Dat was supposed to be you. With _you_ gone, someone had to take _your_ place."

"So...Wh-..." Jane popped her shoulders up in disbelief, shaking her head. "I knew you were still working with these guys, Johnny, but...How could you not tell me this?"

"Stop da PMS train at da station, Smelly," Sneers objected. "Da decision was made yestaday while yoos was pissin' 'round witcha make-pretend band." In its own way, this lessened the blow a bit - Jane hadn't seen or talked with Johnny since Friday, and this was Sunday evening. She hadn't exactly allowed him the opportunity to explain this to her when she'd arrived at the pub, either, opting to blast right into things.

_He didn't mean to do this behind my back. No. No-no. He's...just doing what's expected of him, and...I-I just gotta talk him out of it later. Yea._

"Fine," Smellerbee dropped the matter, viciously tearing herself from Sneers' grip, eyes planted on Longshot's solemn face, his eyes still closed. She bluffed to escape the situation. " _Longshot_ can do whatever he wants." She stomped straight toward the pub's exit, shouting back at them as she went. "When _Johnny_ wants to talk with his fucking _girlfriend,_ **Jane Fitzpatrick,** she'll be waiting for him..."

By the time she had rushed outside, Jane's eyes were melting in anger, boiling water building within their wells. She whirled around the corner and pounded her fist into the brick side of the building, scraping her knuckles. She shook her wrist irritably, marching through the small pub's parking lot out back. She shoved herself into her car and slammed the door. Taking a deep breath in the driver's seat, she could feel herself overcome with dread and anger, but she suppressed it.

_Not gonna fuckin' cry over this. Not worth it._

* * *

\- Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 -

"Pick up the _pace,_ Fitzpatrick..."

Jane's expression was unwavering in the face of her commanding officer. She felt too dead to even bother mustering a frown. She simply pushed her slender arms to work harder. ROTC training was often therapeutic to wake up to for her, waking her body up and expending any ill-will she may have carried over from teh day prior.

"That's more like it," her mentor confirmed dryly at her increase in speed.

Jane finished her push-ups behind the rest of team and scrambled to attention as quickly as she could, forcing her aching arm to salute.

"At ease," commanded the brusque man, his arms folded behind his back, chest puffed out - as usual. "That'll be all for today. You are dismissed." He spoke with a voice like cracked leather, his eyes determined and unwavering.

As everyone went to file out, Jane was discouraged when he called her name.  
"Fitzpatrick."

She gave pause, squinting her eyes and wrinkling her nose, back to him. She was really not in the mood to even be there that morning, much less be ostracized for her lack of performance as of late. She begrudgingly about-faced and saluted as he approached.

"Sergeant Zhao," she acknowledged.

"That was even more pathetic than yesterday," Zhao observed, circling her like a vulture. "I don't know what the issue is, Fitz, but you'd better fix it. Your performance this semester has been...something to be desired," he sighed. "Absenteeism, tardiness, falling behind..." He continued to circle her statued form. "You've been a sore sight to see given how well you did last year."

Jane swallowed her pride and refrained from spouting out the numerous excuses on the tip of her tongue.

"If you're going to make it here, I expect to see a drastic improvement, and soon."

"Yes, Sir."

"Don't let me down, Fitz."

* * *

"You, uh...You OK, Jane?"

"Wha-?" Jane's attention broke free from her phone. She'd been scavenging through her new messages, desperate for anything from Johnny, but her search bore no desired fruits. "What'd ya say, Aang?"

"I asked if you were all right," Aang repeated, his tone empathetically amused.

"Oh. Pff. Yea, yea."

"The fact that you're smiling that wide is a tell-tale sign you're _lying,_ you know."

Jane's plastic smile evaporated as she rubbed her tired eyes.

"Yea..."

"What's up?" Aang wondered with concern as they traveled across campus, heading up to Aero.

"It's...Johnny."

"Did you guys not work things out yet?"

"I don't...-" Jane shrugged in frustration, rolling her eyes. "No," she spat. "We didn't. Haven't heard from him since Sunday night. Haven't seen him, either."

"Maybe he feels guilty?"

"Maybe..." Jane rubbed her eyebrow indecisively. "Just wish he'd fuckin' _talk_ to me..."

"Yea," Aang lamented, offering a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I think you're making the right decision, Jane. You're better than those guys. You don't need them. Johnny probably just needs some time to think things through."

"You'd better be right, Aang," grumbled Jane, rolling her head around in contemplation. "Or I'm going to need to go and kick his skinny bumpkin ass."

Aang observed the numbness in Jane's expression and dug into his bag as they walked, flipping through his sketchbook.

"Here," he presented, handing it to her. "I wanted to show you this."

Jane cocked her head at the illustration and Aang delighted at a shimmer of gratitude that sparked out.

"Hey," Jane muttered in recognition, "Wasn't this that picture you said you drew the first day of the semester?"

"Sure is," Aang replied. "Like the addition?"

Jane marveled at the image of herself - grouchy-faced and all, sitting at the end of a table in Appa's alongside the other four. Originally, she had not been present in the drawing, given that it had been initially sketched before she had hung out with him. Despite her downer attitude, Aang could tell he'd scraped the bottom of her emotional barrel and dredged up some relief.

"Yea, it's cool," Jane replied, handing the notebook back to him. "Thanks..."

"Things'll work out," Aang assured, slapping her gently on her back.

"Meh." The word slipped out rather pathetically.

"They _will,_ " Aang insisted, shoving her on the shoulder. She punched him back. "What's with you women and the _hitting_?" he joked, rubbing the point of impact. "So violent..."

"Violent is as violent does."

"What?"

Jane burst out a laugh. "I dunno."

* * *

\- Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 -

"Wow..." Sokka surveyed the blade in amazement, stroking its side with his finger. "This is... _so_ bad-ass."

"I know," Jane casually acknowledged, leaning against the boys' dresser.

Sokka thumbed the pewter lioness head that formed the knife's hilt.

"You ever use it?" Sokka suddenly questioned with excited eyes. "Like...ya know..." He shrugged, leaning in, and whispered, "In your _gang?_ "

Jane's eyes dulled for a moment as her mind reeled to the night Jet died.

"Y-yea," she sputtered. "Sure."

"You ever _kill_ anybody with it?" Sokka questioned with suspicion, glaring at her with a dark humor.

"N-No," Jane protested, her face flashing red at the accusation. "Just 'cuz I was in a gang doesn't make me a fuckin' murderer, Sokka," she defended, arms crossed, tone sharp as the blade in Sokka's hand.

"Whoa, hey," Sokka eased, dropping his act. "I'm just _playin_ '. Sorry."

"I'll kill _you_ with that knife if you don't stop bein' an ass," Jane joked back with embellished bitterness - her way of trying to accept his apology.

"I'd better watch out, then," Sokka chuckled, continuing to admire the handiwork of the knife's sculpting.

"Right, 'cuz I'm such a threat to your safe little bubble here, right?" Jane theorized with a tint of disdain, her mood swinging back to doubt.

"Nah, you're all right, Freckle-Face."

"Yea, because everyone _else_ gets along with me." Now she was just being negative because she felt like it.

Sokka rose from his seat at his desk and slipped Jane's knife back into its metal sheathe, savoring the sound as he set it on his bed.

"What's goin' on with you lately, Ginger?" he wondered with some concern, dropping any hint of comedy.

"Ya wanna know?" Jane growled back, wide eyed. "My ROTC Sergeant is givin' me shit, I'm fallin' behind in my classes, my fucking boyfriend won't _talk_ to me, I-"  
"But he _never_ talks-"

" _Shut up_ , Sokka," Jane groaned, rolling her eyes. "Fuckin' interrupting me..."

"OK, OK," Sokka rapidly receded his interjection, palms up. "I'm sorry." His pale blue eyes pleaded with olive eyes like coal. "Continue." Jane gave pause for a moment, as if waiting to ensure Sokka had nothing else left, before going on.

"I'm trying to stay sharp for the girls in the band and it's stressing me out...And I'm fuckin' PMS-ing on top of it. Happy? Asshole?"

"Ooookay," Sokka admitted defeat. "That...sounds like a lot all at once. Maybe you should calm d-"

"And ya know what? I'm sick of trying to impress you all the damned time, too."

"Huh?"

"Over-protective _prick._ "

"What are you _talking_ about?"

Jane mashed her boot heel into the bottom drawer of the dresser she was leaning against.

"Ever since I started hanging out with you guys it's always felt like you've got your fuckin' eye on me, like I'm gonna do something horrible at any second."

"Hey, Freckle-Face. Listen." Sokka approached her, his arms now also crossed to match hers. "You and me? We're good now. I get where you're comin' from, and I get that you want a clean slate with us. You got it. You get an attitude like this, though, and it's gonna rub me the wrong way, and you're gonna get it right back." Jane listened, refusing to look him in the eyes as he spoke, for she knew he was right and she was just spazzing. She tapped her finger habitually on her arm. There was silence for a moment. Unnerved, she allowed herself to glance his way. He was standing right before her, arms out stretched.

"Keh- _mon._ " He twitched his fingers, motioning her to hug. "Let's bring it in."

Jane glanced at his calm expression and raised a brow as an image from the weekend prior crossed her mind. "You gonna keep your clothes on this time?" she managed, barely containing a laugh.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Not sure I'm comfortable with physical contact with you, Sokka," she facetiously explained. "I mean, the way you were throwing yourself at me - I don't want to complicate things with you and Suki." By now a grin was across her face.

" _Huh?_ " Sokka's arms sagged, his demeanor's sympathy giving way to disgruntled confusion.

"Ya know, for a guy who brags so much about what you've got going on?" Jane covered her face and snickered. "You don't got a lot goin' on..."

"Hey, I am slightly above average, _thank you_ ," Sokka protested. "Like _you_ would know!"

"Oh, _I_ know," Jane teased, shaking her head in disgust. "You paid me a visit Friday night while conducting an 'experiment.'" She used air quotes. "Apparently clothes weren't part of the _equation_ you were running."

Sokka's eyes bulged wide and his jaw popped open, arms still sadly limp.

"Did I...-?" He pointed to himself in shock. "When I was juiced up...-?"

"You visited me to deliver my phone. That I'd left in the practice room we were using. You used it to try to call Jet and contact his spirit. Then you brought it to me. Learned more about you than I thought I _ever_ would. More than I ever _wanted_." Jane's hands had crawled down to her stomach, suppressing her laughter.

Sokka slapped his hands against his cheeks in horror.

"You've seen my _parts_?" he squeaked in despair.

"I'm just happy to not have gone blind," Jane insisted, rolling her eyes.

"That's...Don't act like you weren't impressed!" Sokka whined, slamming a finger into her collarbone. Jane slapped it away.

"Get over yourself," Jane picked, entertained.

" _That's_ what Aang's been holding over my head all week," Sokka realized, snapping his finger. "You guys are jerks."

"We're not psychotic streakers, though," came a dry-cut retort.

"I was...in a bad place that day," Sokka fumbled around for an excuse.

"What was the problem that was so bad you had to resort to intoxication by Red Bull?"

"I was _...bored_!" Sokka dramatically declared, flailing his arm around.

" _Wow._ You're like a child."

"I am most definitely a _man_ , and you have seen the evidence!"

Rolling her eyes and taking a deep, calming breath, Jane opened up her arms, cocking her head to the side.

"C'mon, ya fuckin' _baby_. Hug it out."

Sokka reluctantly let her encircle him with her skinny arms, pouting all the while as he hugged her back.

"Don't get on my bad side or I'll upload the photos to Facebook," Jane threatened.

" _What?_ "

"Joking! God, you're so _easy,_ no wonder Toph messes with you so much."

"We're bonding!" Sokka triumphantly cried with realization, crushing the redhead tight for a moment - she choked from the pressure, eventually worming her way out of his grip. "We shall prevail," he boldly announced, pumping his fist. "With _my_ sarcasm!"

Jane followed suit, dusting her shoulders off. "And _my_ axe."

* * *

Cutting into her dreary Calculus homework, Jane's cell rang out, playing the James Bond theme song. Before Toph, from her spot across the table, could utter a complete sentence, Jane desperately slammed her book shut and answered.

"Hey, isn't that J-"  
"Johnny?" Jane popped up from the cushioned bench at Appa's and paced off from the moderately crowded restaurant, seeking a quiet spot in a stairwell as she spoke. "What's going on? What took you so long? Why haven't you been answering my calls?"

Toph sighed, groping for curly fries and sliding them into her mouth as Jane's words faded into the distance. By the time her friend had returned, she found her supply of food to be unfortunately lacking. Jane took her seat quietly, and Toph had difficulty getting a read on her through the silence.

"Sooo...How'd it go?"

"He...He said we're OK," Jane meekly grumbled with a sigh of relief. "He's been busy and...needed to think about things."

"Think about _you,_ Janey?"

"Yea, yea. I kinda snapped on him, and...he needed some space." Jane cracked open her book and dropped the pencil that had been wedged between its pages onto her open notebook. "I was a bitch about it, so...maybe I deserved it..."

"Heh. Sometimes being a bitch backfires," noted Toph with some satisfaction, brushing hair from out of her eyelashes as she carefully grabbed her drink. "But that's good, right? You've been on edge lately. Like...more than _usual_."

"Yea..." Jane's finger ran across her greasy brow. "We're gonna meet up later, and...catch up and crap."

"And hardcore make out," Toph clarified.

"Pssh, _yes,_ " Jane agreed with some excitement.

"Fuck, _I_ need to hardcore make out with _my_ boyfriend some time..." Toph lamented, puckering out her lips with a huff. "All this _schoolwork_ and practice has put a damper on our sex life."

"Heh."

"What's so funny?"

"Aang just doesn't strike me as the type to _have_ a sex life."

"Oh, did I say sex? I meant dry humping." She said it with a smidgen of aggravation.

"Too much info, Taters."

"Aang's all...insecure and junk. Needs to take it slow."

"Yea...I know," Jane mumbled, punching numbers into her graphing calculator. "Some people are like that. Give him time. He's worth it, right?"

"Totally," Toph insisted, realizing her inconsiderate remarks - Jane seemed to be taking them personally. "Th-there's nothin' wrong with takin' it easy, Janey Jane."

"Just don't rush him," Jane advised in an odd moment of solemnity - the kind that came from personal experience.

"I know!" Toph defended, picking wax from her ear. "I'm not."

"Uh-huh." Toph's critic seemed unconvinced as she scribbled math results onto her notebook page.

"I'm _not._ "

"OK. You'd better."

Toph found the napkin container at the edge of the table and ripped one out, jamming her dislodged earwax into it.

"Let's make a plan," Toph decided.

"What's that?"

Toph slapped her palm onto the table enthusiastically.

"Let's both promise each other we'll make out with our men before Saturday."

"Uhhh..."

"'Cuz-'Cuz, like, then we'll get all the tension out before the show. You've been kinda stinkin' it up this week at practice and we need to be _sharp_ out there. Bumi's countin' on us. Gotta be sharp enough to cut their faces with our _awesome._ "

"Why do you keep _saying...-_?" Jane dropped the question at Toph's excited hopping in her seat. "Nevermind. But I _still_ don't get what the big deal is..."

"He's the _President_ of the school! And he specifically got us into the show! That's...it's fuckin' _awesome_. The man obviously knows his stuff."

"Right..."

"Promise."

"I can't promise that my _boyfriend_ is gonna-"

" **Promise.** " Toph extended her arm, palm facing up.

"OK, OK!" Jane took it and shook Toph's hand tightly. "Promise."

The girls, their discussion complete, went back to their comfortable state of cohabitation at the same table they always sat at in Appa's, while fellow students buzzed around, the aromas of burgers and pizza filling the air. A football game was playing on a TV in the corner of the restaurant, and occasionally the group watching it would burst into jubilation or degradation. Jane relished this gentle hum of activity as she worked on her homework, while Toph injected her iPod into her ears and peacefully appreciated her music. She was growing to find Appa's to be a comforting place, even more so than the Treetop Pub. Strangely, the ownership she had once experienced at the Treetop was proving to pale in comparison to the sense of wonder that came with being in a more public location - one never knew who would stop by and say 'hello.' On this particular day, no one really did...When Jane paused to consider that notion, she realized that this was because she and Toph shared something in common: they didn't really _have_ many friends - if any - outside of their core group. Jane was having a hard time believing that _any_ of the Freedom Fighters were her friends. They had never been friends with Jane, really - they'd been friends with Smellerbee. That left Jane with Johnny - or Longshot, whichever was the case - and...well, The Fearsome Fivesome. Insofar as she knew, Toph was essentially in the same boat.

But no matter what happened, she wanted to believe they'd always have each other's backs.

* * *

\- Thursday, October 28th, 2010 -

"It was crap. Crap. Awful. Bleh. _Aulgh._ "

"C'mon, Kat, calm the hell down. We sounded just fine."

Jane had to walk faster than she preferred to keep up with Katara's brisk pace - her friend had this habit of wandering around in circles while lost in thought, which, when actually traveling from one place to another, converted into an increase in speed of steps and speaking.

"You heard what Toph said: like a dead cat's nails against a chalkboard of ignorance."

"Uhhh..." Jane glowered against Katara's self-loathing. "Didja just _hear_ the words that came outta your mouth? I'm _pretty_ sure she was exaggerating."

"Yea...Yea, yea. OK." Katara nodded hurriedly, shuffling her SRU-labeled messenger bag around her shoulder for comfort.

"God, why are you gettin' so worked up, anyway?" Jane wondered, off-put by her friend's spike in nervousness. It was making _her_ nervous, making her wonder if Katara knew something she didn't, as was sometimes the case when Katara got this way.

"I'm just worried I'm gonna let you all _down,_ " Katara sighed. "I'm the least experienced, but I'm the one who has to be singing, so if I mess up, it'll make the rest of you sound bad..."

"Yo, Kat." Jane punched her tenderly on the arm and she reacted by smiling bashfully. "That's part of being in a _band,_ smart one. If _any_ of us mess up it'll make the rest look bad. We succeed _and_ fail as a team." She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just like a gang," she pointed out, citing her experience with this type of situation.

"Right, just replace guns and knives with...with guitar picks and microphones," Katara humored the idea with a sheepish shrug.

"This whole...'getting all nervous' thing? It's gettin' old, Kat," Jane scolded. "You're stronger that this. Stop bein' a fuckin' pussy and just get shit done, huh? You'll be fine this weekend. We _all_ will be." She pressed her knuckles into Katara's shoulder in what could be approximated to a punch.

"Oh, are _you_ gonna start punching people you like, too?" Katara observed with an intrigued expression. "That _would_ be the one thing you pick up from Toph, wouldn't it?"

"Heh, being allowed to punch people and get away with it? Why _not_? Girl's a genius for coming up with the idea." The two of them snickered at the idea before Katara took a deep breath and exhaled in a quick puff. "And ya know, Kat," Jane continued, "Toph's not the only one I've been pickin' stuff up from." She ruffled her bony hand through Katara's let-down hair, causing Katara to shrink a bit and smile.

"I _know_ ," Katara spoke with an embellished tone. "It's like you're learning how to be a _nice person,_ or something..."

"Fff, I know, _God_. Sooooo annoying, who wants to be _nice_ to their friends and shit?"

"So much _work_."

"Yea. For...foh shizzle."

Katara nearly choked on a laugh and Jane grinned at her success in cheering up her confidante.

"OK, Jane?" Katara shook her head. " _Don't_ pick things up from Sokka anymore, OK? It's unbecoming of you."

"True _dat_ ," she declared with more intent this time, happy to receive a smack on the head from Katara.

"All right, Hun, so what have you learned from _Aang,_ then, huh?"

Jane rolled her head around, cracking her neck, then rubbed her chin between her index and thumb as she contemplated.

"Guess I've learned that violence isn't the answer to everything," she carefully noted with an overly solemn tone. She nailed Katara in the hip with a sideswipe. "But sometimes, I still think it's the most _fun_ answer."


	25. Appearances

\- Saturday, October 30th, 2010 - FestivALL

"It's just pre-show _jitters!_ Calm the fuck _down_ , everyone!"

"Toph's right, we just need to keep it together here, girls," Katara advised in a rush, flapping her wrists in a panic as she attempted to convince herself to practice what she preached.

"We're on in five! _Less_ than five!" Suki snapped, straightening the tie Jane had opted to wear around her neck overtop her black skull-printed shirt - extra tomboy points for the tie, she'd decided, and Aang had volunteered his painted tie from Homecoming for the cause.

"Does my hair look all right?" Katara fretted aloud.

"Hell if _I_ know," Toph grunted, looping her electric guitar over her shoulder. She rubbed her thumb over its surface against a worn sticker of The Beatles logo. Even if _she_ couldn't see it, she wanted others to.

"Looks fine, Kat," Jane assured impatiently, nodding some semblance of gratitude to Suki when her tie was back in order.

"You look great, stop worrying," insisted Suki. "Let's knock 'em dead, ladies."

* * *

" **My cabbages! _Again! Arrrgghhhh!_** "

The audience exploded into laughter as the comedy skit closed and the lights dimmed, the student who had shouted collapsed across the floor amidst the recently formed mess on the stage. Curtains swept across the set as the elderly hosts of the show, dressed in nice suits, shambled across the stage.

"That act made me hungry," announced the plump Professor Kurosawa, patting his stomach.

"Hungry for _music_?" wondered President Bumi with dramatic flair.

"Uhhhmm...That doesn't quite make sense, my friend," Iroh noted with a gentle shrug.

"In the show business-" Bumi proclaimed, waving an index finger, "-you've gotta find segueways where they don't exist."

"I think you are just getting lazy," Iroh observed, scratching his white beard.

"Speaking of lazy, what are all of _you_ people doing?" Bumi demanded with a devious grin, spreading his arms out to the crowd. "We need to get you off your feet. Time to _rock on!_ "

Iroh began easing his partner off the stage as the curtains pulled back.

"You are just embarrassing yourself," he chuckled, begging the question as to whether the in-betweeners were pre-canned or impromptu. Most of the student body could easily seeing it be the latter if Bumi was managing the show - as he was, this year.

The stage now was host to the girl band that had been formed weeks prior for this event.

The boys sitting in the front and center, a few rows from the edge of the stage, could barely contain their excitement - even Johnny's face looked near bursting with anticipation.

"They're finally gonna do it," Sokka squealed in a whisper, bouncing in his seat, biting his bottom lip with exuberance.

The drum set's snare had a gold headdress printed on it - what looked like some type of Japanese artifact. She wore a forest-green shirt that had a wide-cut collar, revealing her shoulders while still covering her arms. Her hair tied into a topknot, Suki twirled her drumsticks in her hand and spoke into the mic before her.

"We are the Kyoshi Warriors." It sounded more like a sly threat than anything else.

Toph, dressed in tight, bleached jeans and a plain black T-shirt, spoke next, guitar clutched confidently in her hands.

"We are Musical-Samurai-Ninja-Girls, and we're here to **cut your faces off with our _AWESOME!_** "

And with that, Toph slammed her hands across her guitar, playing the opening riffs. As she alone played her notes, Katara prepared to start singing, holding her microphone to her face and exerting effort to remember to not keep it too close. She had opted to let her bushy hair hang down for this performance - Suki had advised that it would look best. She wore her mother's choker necklace with pride, adorned in her red t-shirt with the happy penguin and a flowing blue skirt that fell past her knees. Toph didn't approve of this design choice when she'd heard about it, but Katara had advised that Toph wasn't one to make fasion decisions by default, to which Toph had shrugged and uttered "Meh."

In the moments leading up to the song's first verse, Katara found herself cracking a grin as some hoops and hollers came out from those silly boys she adored in the seats in front of her.

_"~What would you think if I sang out of tune?~Would you stand up and walk out on me?~"_

There were a handful of off-hand cheers from different parts of the audience as they recognized the song and seemed delighted to hear it represented. Katara went on, feeling a bit more confident with the reaction - her singing wasn't superb by any means, but it was still pleasant to the ear and certainly got the job done.

 _"~Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song~And I'll try not to sing out of key~"  
_ She wore a brief look of embarrassment - because she genuinely was trying to not sing out of key - that Aang noticed and grinned. He knew how stressed this whole gig had been making her, so he was glad to see her taking chances and going outside of her comfort zone.

Suki joined in on drums and Jane initiated the bass. As she leaned over her bass, containing any enthusiasm she had to maintain a dull appearance, she tossed her head, cocking thick bangs to the side. She had painted a pair of red stripes on each cheek and appreciated the synergy of Aang's tie against the stylized skull on her shirt.

_"~Oh I get by with a little help from my friends~I get high with a little help from my friends~I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends~"_

The energy in the auditorium rose as they finished the first verse, a number of young males expressing calls of infatuation, and Toph, snarky smile and all, sang with Katara.

**"~Do you need anybody?~"**   
_"~I need somebody to love~"_

_"You're nice, and don't get me wrong, Kat: you're the prettiest girl I've ever danced with. But I don't think that sorta thing would work out between us."  
_   
**"~Could it be anybody?~"**   
_"~I want somebody to love~"_

_"If you need to hide behind...behind secrets, and lies, and-and constantly be trying to make yourself look good, then...I can't be with you."_

_"~What do I do when my love is away?~"  
_ **"~Does it worry you to be alone?~"**

_Why did you have to leave me all alone, Grandma? You were the only person I had left on my side..._

_"~How do I feel by the end of the day?~"  
_ **"~Are you sad because you're on your own?~"**

_"World's probably different now, huh, Cousin It? Little more lonely?"_

_"~No, I get by with a little help from my friends~"_

"That's my girlfriend!"  
 ** _  
"~Get high with a little help from my friends~"_**

"And your sister! And _my_ girlfriend!"

The two girls in question were singing the chorus in unison, Toph harmonizing.  
 _ **"~Gonna to try with a little help from my friends~"**_

"Don't get too excited, there, John-Boy!" Sokka slapped his wide-eyed but silent neighbor on the back.

"..."

**"~Do you need anybody?~"**   
_"~I need somebody to love~"_

_"It's just hard getting over someone like that, Suki..."_

_"I know, Sokka. I'm not asking you to get over it - I'm asking you to give me a chance."  
_   
**"~Could it be anybody?~"**   
_"~I want somebody to love~"_

_"NOM-NOM-NOM."_

_"Haha! Why are you 'nom-ing' on me?"_

_"'Cuz I'm feeling hopelessly romantic today, Twinkles. Shut up and let me NOM you."_

**"~Would you believe in a love at first sight?~"**   
_"~Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time~"_

Aang intently stared at the mysterious girl with the eyes like snow in her black dress as her fingers glided across the piano keys like a figure skater across an ice rink.

**"~What do you see when you turn out the light?~"**   
_"~I can't tell you, but I know it's mine~"_

Jane's shoulders tingled from his cold hands touching her bare, freckled arms. Pressed over top Johnny's body, she gave him a timid smile between thick locks of orange, satisfied with the security his strong silence offered.

**_"~I get by with a little help from my friends~"_ **

_"For on this day, we shall **walk into Mordor.**_ "

**_"~I get high with a little help from my friends~"_ **

_"And_ my _axe!"_

**_"~I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends~"_ **

_"For a Fearsome Fivesome, I'm not sure group hugs are very...fearsome."_

_"C'mon, Jane," Katara insisted. "Being part of the group means being part of group hugs..."_

_**"~Do you need anybody?~"** _

All music stopped, and Jane, wiping orange bangs from her eyes, groaned into the microphone with a loud, dramatic flair. __ **  
**  
"~ I neEeEed someone to loOoOove~"

Jane's face turned bright red while she sang as some hollers and a couple of cat calls rang out - specifically, from Johnny, but she noiced there were others.

 _ **"~Could it be anybody?~"**_  
The girls ramped up the key in a long series of winding "ohs" to build up to the finale, many of the members of the crowd joining in or cheering.  
"~ _Ohhhhh **Ohhhhh Ohhhh**_~"

Suki slammed with passion against the drums, Jane bobbed along as she ravaged her bass strings, Toph swayed to and fro with her guitar, and Katara bounced along as she shouted in song.

_**~By with a little help from my friends~** _

_"Wow, Sokka. You guys seem like you're becoming a pretty tightly knit little group, huh?"_

_**~By with a little help from my friends~** _

_"What can I say, Suki? I'm just so amazing that people flock to me."_

_**~By with a little help from my friends~** _

_"~I get by with a little help from my friends, with a little help from my-"_  
The last word of the song was slow, spiraling down the built-up energy into a mellow conclusion as Jane and Toph combined with Katara to create the ending chords.  
 _ **"~ Frieeeeends~"**_

Before the last note and its accompanying instrumental accents were finished, the crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause, leaving the girls relieved and proud of their accomplishment.

* * *

\- Sunday, October 31st, 2010 - Halloween

"Y-yea, you guys...It was _great._ Especially you."

"Oh, ha..." Katara felt her face burn and she shrugged, fidgeting her fingers behind her back nervously. "Thanks. Yea. We, uh...We tried. Lotta practice."

The student fan nodded emphatically, wondering, "So are you guys gonna keep doing more performances?"

"We, uh... _Yea,_ " Katara threw the idea out there, earnestly unsure. "I-I guess we probably will at some point."

"Oh, that is _so. Cool._ 'Cuz you rocked."

"Heh..." Katara's eyes wandered away as her brother approached, hobbling around on Toph's walking stick like a cane to support his leg.

"Like, _really_ rocked."

_Mmmkay. This guy's making me a little uneasy. Brother bail-out to the rescue!_

"Thanks, I'm glad you liked it," she expressed with a nod and a wave. "That's my brother," she thumbed over to his direction, "so I've gotta go."

"OK! Catch you later!"

"Yep!" Katara scooted over to the limping young man through the busy crowd of students. She immediately noticed that he had makeup on his face that portrayed wrinkles and facial scruff where neither was actually present, and his hair was disheveled - which was rather unnatural for him. He wore a T-shirt that read, {It's not Lupus!}

"Hey, Bro," she cheerfully greeted, slapping him on the shoulder. He grumpily tossed her off and stared at her wth narrowed eyes.

"What do _you_ want?" he demanded with a deep, nasally tone.

"Uhh..." Katara let her arm drop and raised a brow at him.

"Stop standing around and make yourself useful. Go get Wilson for me."

" _What_?" Katara spat out, growing quickly irritable.

"Man owes me a coffee..." Sokka groaned to himself in rumination before cocking a brow at his sister, eyeing her up and down. "And what are _you_ supposed to be, anyway?" he grumbled in disgust.

Katara surveyed her own outfit - a tuxedo-printed T-shirt, black slacks, and yellow slippers shaped like webbed feet. She straightened the cap on her head - it was shaped like a penguin's head, with the brim being the bill.

"I'm a _penguin._ And just because you're dressed like House doesn't mean you have to ac-"

"Cameron," Sokka intruded, lifting a palm. "This is all _terribly_ fascinating, but..." He tapped the stick against the floor of the cafeteria. "I have business to attend to. When those results come in from the girl with the brain trauma, leave them on my desk. And tell Wilson I'm looking for him. Lazy bastard."

The age-old eyeroll in spite of her older brother's shenanigans emerged as Katara watched him shamble away, off to the refreshment table.

"Christ, what a psycho," came the familiar tone of Jane - she was clearly trying to come across as her usual, unamused self, but Katara could tell it was a facade.

"That's my brother for ya," Katara acknowledged, folding her hands over her chest as she turned to meet her friend.

"See ya finally shook off that bogey," Jane muttered, scratching her head and fiddling with the band in her hair. Two antennae - accented by poofy yellow balls - emerged from her hair. She was dressed in her bumblebee pajamas and bee-shaped slippers, complete with a pair of wings Katara had borrowed from an old fairy costume when she was younger.

"Yea - I'm not used to..getting all this kind of attention," Katara sighed with a timid smirk, conveying that she didn't seem to mind getting a bit of romantic attention from potential bachelors. "The rest of you can all say you're taken, and that's that."

"Heh. Doesn't stop _some_ guys..." Jane flashed a toothy grin with a twinkle in her eye as she munched on a handful of candy corn. "Soak in the love, Kat. You're too much of a wuss to actually go anywhere with any of those guys, anyway."

"Wh-what?" Katara squeaked in indignation. "I could-...If I _wanted_ to, I could _totally_ go out with a guy."

"Geez, _geez,_ simmer down, Sugar-Queen," Jane patronized, shaking her head at her friend. Katara's facetious scowl grew.

"Stealing nicknames, are we, _Freckle-Face?_ " she teased back.

"Take 'em where I can get 'em. What can I say? Toph and Sokka are the best at it. Anyways, I'm just joshin' ya, Kat. Take it as a sign that people liked us, huh?"

"I just...I don't get it. I didn't sing all that great. Makes me feel like it's just my looks they care about."

" _Pff._ No shit? Ya _don't_ say..." Jane casually stuffed a mini KitKat bar into her mouth.

"It makes me feel like the only reason any guy is gonna care about me-" Katara flung her arms out. "-is because they think I'm pretty - and that's _it._ " She swung them up in aggrevation before letting them drop to her hips.

"Then you need to act like there's more to you than a pretty face," Jane theorized with a gruff shrug, unwrapping another KitKat bar from her pocket.

"I thought I _did_ that already," grumbled Katara, staring at Jane's antennae. One was a bit lopsided.

"You lack self-esteem, Katara. People find you more attractive when you're confident in yourself and all that bullshit. The only people who like fakers are...-" Jane shook her head, huffing through her nose as Jet's face attacked her mind. "-...are fakers themselves. Ya know?"

"Mm," Katara hummed thoughtfully, eyes fixated on Jane's head piece as she chowed down on the chocolate wafer she'd just opened. Katara reached out two careful hands and delicately adjusted Jane's wirey accessory. She paused her movement, staring at her friend with an irked but entertained glare.

"Might help if you weren't trying to fix everything all the damn time," the red-head observed, finishing their snack. "Puts people on edge."

"Sorry," sighed Katara, cocking her head to the side compliantly, a slight frown of embarrassment working its way across her face.

"You're acting all tense, Kat. What's the-?"

" ** _SNEAK ATTACK!_** " shrieked Toph, flailing her arms around as she dashed from behind. The butter knives in her hands clattered against Katara and Jane's backs harmlessly, and she tripped over their ankles - the two girls managed to catch her fall, each one grabbing an arm. She laughed maniacally as she was set back on her feet while Aang casually strolled up to them, hand in one pocket while another held a half-eaten caramel apple.

"Taters sure knows how to party, doesn't she?" he chuckled. He was wearing jeans borrowed from Sokka - so they were a bit baggy on him - with white sweatbands on his wrists and a pale yellow shirt that read {Plumtree}.

"Sweetie," Katara condescended with humor, brushing Toph's shoulder off. "Sneak attacks don't work when you _announce_ them."

Jane jabbed Toph in the side and she flinched in response, swatting her butter knife around. Toph wore a thin, striped scarf of black and white that was wrapped around her neck and dangled behind her. She wore a tight black shirt with exposed shoulders and black sweatpants to match. Her bangs were stiffened to the side, a large streak of dark red dyed into their strands.

"What's with the kitchen utensils?" Jane mumbled. "I thought you're supposed to be a ninja."

"I'm Knives Chau, remember?" Toph growled, stamping her foot. " _Kniiiiives._ " She waved her harmless weapons above her head, her brows lifted high to express a blunt ' _duuuuuhh._ '

"I have no idea who the fuck that is," Jane sighed, scratching her ear. "Whatevs."

"It's a comic book character," Katara explained, running her hand through Toph's thick ponytail to ensure it was still neatly brushed, as she'd left it. Toph had a bad habit of dirtying her hair up at a rapid rate, after all. "Looks like _your_ outfit was simple enough," she noted, giving Aang a nod. Aang returned the gesture with a nonchalant smile.

"Scott Pilgrim versus the Halloween Party."

"Kniiiiiiiivesssss," hissed Toph, her demeanor peppered with undirected threat, scraping her butter knives together. "I'm Chinese. Watch the fuck out! I'm-a _keeeel yoouuuu._ "

"I'm glad you're _not_ my fake-high-school-girlfriend," Aang laughed at her idiocy.

"Pardon me," chimed an embellished British accent, cutting into their pointless conversation. The group turned to see a young man in a wheel chair. He was wearing a rubber costume piece over his head to make him appear bald, a pair of blatantly circular glasses over his cheerful eyes. "Have any of you seen Doctor House?"

"Teo, do you _always_ dress up as Professor Xevior?" Aang dubiously wondered. "This is the second year in a row, man..."

"Please, please, call me Chahrles," Teo replied, lifting his his palm as he channeled Patrick Stewart. "Have you seen the Doctor?"

"If you're talking about my brother," Katara guessed with a roll of the eyes, "Yes. He headed off down there," she pointed her finger off to the refreshment stand. "I think you guys are taking your costumes a little too seriously."

"I assure you, Ma'am," Teo replied, "this is a matter dire importance. Vengeance must be exerted. The X-Men must be assembled, and with great haste. Farewell, Children of the Atom." And with that, Teo spun his chair round and nimbly rolled away.

"What's that crazy idiot yammerin' about?" Toph asked, relieving an itch on her butt with one of her metal utensils.

"Some rivalry thing," Aang replied. "Ignis House pulled some prank on our dorm this morning. Aero's plotting their revenge."

"What did they _do_?" Jane probed.

"Something to do with a microwave and a horrible smell," Aang wrote the matter off. "Didn't look into it 'cuz it's the last thing I wanna be involved in."

"I hear _that_ ," Jane grumbled. "Frat bullshit."

"Some guys take it really serious," groaned Aang with a lamentable huff, tearing a chunk off of his caramel apple.

"Yea, I remember last year wh _eeeerrrp!_ " Jane squelched, her sentence cut short as her neck was tugged by the arm of a man in sunglasses and a tuxedo. He held her hostage, pressing a neon blue watergun to her temple through her thick hair. He held the position for barely a second before letting her go and noogying her head. She snickered at first, but suddenly winced and jerked herself away. " _Fuck,_ Johnny," she snapped, clutching her head. "Careful with the head, Ass. Still tender there..." Her injury from the month prior had not completely healed, and having the skin rubbed by a knuckle had not been pleasant. "Fucked up the wings, too, dude..." Jane squirmed and fussed with the wings attached to her back, and Johnny helped straighten them in a rush.

Jane noticed Johnny's apologetic expression as he backed off, and her irritation melted away.

"Shit, man..." She grumbled with a sly smirk. "If that's your idea of bein' a bodyguard, James Bond, you've got a _lot_ of work to do..."

Johnny straightened his neck tie and kissed the girl on her freckled cheek.

  
+([Halloween at SRU ](http://pochimochi.deviantart.com/art/Halloween-at-SRU-206027181)by ~[PochiMochi](http://pochimochi.deviantart.com/))+

"I hear _kissing_ ," Toph lathered her jealousy into the air. "Where's my _Scott_?"

"That would be you, Aang," Katara coyly reminded, easing Toph to where he stood, still munching on his snack.

"Mmmph," Aang acknowledged. He puckered his lips and accepted a kiss from his girlfriend, his cheek puffed full of apple.

"Mmm, caramel," Toph giggled after their embrace. "Bleh." She smacked her lips and wiped her face with her sleeve. "You're a horrible, lazy boyfriend Scott."

"Just playing the part," teased Aang after he swallowed.

"Play it any louder, Chase, and you might as well be dressed up like Crocodile Dundee and raving about enjoying some _Bahh-bee_."

"Hi, Sokka," Katara sighed as Sokka approached with his intentional limp, Suki at his side. She was dressed up like a ninja, face mask and all.

"What the fuck is he-?"

"He's just being him, Jane. I've learned to not question it."

"Hmph." Sokka cocked a brow at Katara. "Looks like the patient is doing _just fine,_ I see. No need to thank me."

"I thought Katara was Cameron?" Suki muttered.

"I know it can be terribly difficult, Cuddy, but c'mon. Keep up with the conversation. Also. How much longer 'til we get to start making out?"

Suki slapped him on the back of the head.

"Taking your costume a little too seriously," Jane observed, shaking her head. She exchanged jovial glares with Sokka.

"Thirteen," he quipped, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on this one?" He jabbed his makeshift cane at Katara before taking out an orange medicine bottle and popping a pill into his mouth like it was candy.

"Is that supposed to be Vicodin?" Suki groaned. "Wait...Sokka, what _is_ that?"

"My _happy_ pills. Seriously, Cuddy, we're romantically _involved,_ you already know these things..."

"Dear, you're getting your seasons mixed up," Suki politely informed her boyfriend, patting him on the head like a child. "Maybe you should just...

"Sokka, where did you get that bottle from?" Katara wondered, swiftly swiping it from his hands. She surveyed it and nodded, biting her lip in irritation. "Did I give you permission to use this?" She glared at her brother, who shrugged.

"I wasn't aware that you, too, shared the addiction...Aren't they magically delicious? Mm. Vicodin."

Fuming, Katara opened the container and dropped a couple of pills into her hand.

"These are Tic-Tacs," she sighed. "Sokka, what did you do with what was in this before?"

Her brother, stubborn as she would expect, didn't break his acting but bobbed his head around complacently.

"They _might_ have found their way into a Ziploc bag under your pillow. The Pill Fairy will stop by tonight and leave you some quarters."

"Why would you put-?" Katara, her teeth clenched, stopped, fingers gripping the bottle tightly. She handed it back to him and twitched her head away. "Nevermind. Just...put everything back when you're done."

"Is Vicodin like a candy?" Toph wondered.

"It's a medicine," Katara explained, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Not candy."

"Hmph. I'm in the mood for candy insanity. We should go trick-or-treating," Toph threw the idea out, spreading her arms wide and nearly whacking Aang in the face - he bent back in shock at her sudden movement.

"I-I don't think that's such a good idea..." Katara spat out, rubbing her palms together methodically.

"Yea, Toph, that shit's for babies," Jane grunted, arms crossed.

"Thirteen's right," Sokka mused, rubbing his chin. "It'll only make the condition worse. Her blood cells will swell like balloons."

"Yea," Aang agreed, bypassing Sokka's out-of-place banter. "I'm not really up for that myself." He exchanged a concerned glance with Katara, the two communicating a personal understanding with their eyes alone. "Sorry, Toph..."

"Ohhhh, come _awwwwn,_ " Toph insisted, prodding Aang in the stomach with her 'weapon.' "Don't be such a wimp, guys - let's do something awesome and _crazy._ "

"Toph, I'm just...-" Katara's hands were beginning to tremble and her eyes were narrowing as her tone wavered. "I'm _really_ not in the mood-"

"Wah, wah. Baby. C'mon, it's _Halloween,_ " Toph plowed onward through the conversation. "All Hallow's Eve. Gotta go out and paint the town _red!_ Show everyone your true colors and be craz-"

"Toph," Aang quietly intervened, pressing his hand against her shoulder. By this point, Katara had stormed off, her expression bitter and wounded as she'd whirled around, opting to not confront the matter.

"Wh-...?" Toph sputtered in annoyed confusion, shrugging.

"Kat?" Jane called out. "What's-?" She began to pursue the distraught girl, but Sokka whipped out Toph's walking stick, cutting her off at the pass as she nearly knocked herself in the stomach against it. "The hell?" Jane grunted in offense, glaring at Sokka. She shook her head and directed her words at the blind girl. "Toph, why did you _do_ that?"

"Forget it, Thirteen," Sokka dryly advised. "She's gone. Can't save her that this point. Anyone have the time of death?"

"Do they not _know_ about...-?" Suki began, whispering to Sokka.

"Katara has some trouble with Halloween," Aang explained with a sympathetic sigh.

"Why?" Toph wondered, her anger suddenly dissolving into worry. "Why does it seem like this is some secret I'm not in on?"

"Wait...Toph, you don't _know_?" Jane burst out in shock. "How do you not know?"

* * *

He doubled back a few steps down the hall and perked his ears. He hadn't been hearing things - someone was definitely sobbing nearby. He journeyed down the hall of the auditorium's basement to find the source of the crying. It was coming from the Chapel Room. He gave pause, deciding how to act next. He set down his folders, leaning them up against the wall just outside the chapel door. He'd just concluded a meeting with some members of various student organizations. But he had a moment to spare.

As he peeked his head into the room, he saw the girl crumpled in the center of the aisle - not at the front, but in the middle, between both rows of seats. She was crouched over, head to the floor against her wrists - he couldn't tell what she was wearing, but her feet were...orange.

"M-Ma'am? Are...are you all right?" Zuko asked calmly, remaining in the doorway.

The startled girl jumped, rising to her knees. She whirled her head around, hair strands stuck to her wet face. She was dressed what equated to a rough penguin costume. Zuko recognized her as a member of that group her girlfriend's art buddy was in.

"Y-yea, I'm...I'm fine," the girl stammered, trying to gain her bearings.

"I couldn't...-" Zuko propped a thumb out toward the hall. "We just finished a meeting, couldn't help but notice you. I could hear you down the hall..."

"I'm OK," the girl insisted, nodding hastily and fumbling to stand up on her feet. "Don't-...It-it's no big deal, I'm just...stressed."

Zuko extended his hand and she accepted it, their handshake somewhat loose.

"Kurosawa."

"Zuko. I know," she jumped the gun. "You're the President of the student body. You're Mai's boyfriend."

"Right," Zuko nodded. "Sorry, I...never quite caught your name."

"Katara."

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Katara. I mean... _actually_ meet you."

Katara smirked at his awkwardness and dabbed at her face.

"Uhh...Nice...penguin outfit."

"Th-thanks," Katara whimpered with a embarrassed laugh mixed with remnants of her sobbing, topped off with a sheepish grin.

"You're sure you're all right?" Zuko checked.

"I'm just out of it," Katara sighed, turning back to the giant cross on the wall at the front of the chapel room. She stared at it thoughtfully. "Halloween's always hard for me..."

"Halloween? That's...kind of an odd holiday to get upset over," mumbled Zuko, curious. "Have a bad Trick-or-Treating experience?" he probed in jest.

" _Yes_ , I did," Katara bitterly replied with a tinge of offense. "My mother was killed on Halloween when I was kid..."

" _Oh_ ," Zuko murmured, puzzled but trying to cover it with sympathy and regret. "I'm...sorry, I didn't think...-"

"It's OK. I don't exactly tell people the specifics. I was a kid when it happened and...-" She shrugged, shaking her head. "People can be...a little crazy on Halloween. They _let_ themselves go crazy. I-I don't get it, it...makes me angry to think about. She shouldn't have died the way she did. That...just shouldn't _happen._ So...It makes this holiday a little difficult to deal with."

"I'm not sure I understand what happened, but...I'm sorry to hear about your loss," Zuko offered, keeping his distance and letting her meander to the cross. "For what it's worth...I lost my own mother not too long ago. I know how hard it can be. It can tear a family apart. It can tear a _person_ apart."

Katara nodded in agreement as a shaky sigh slipped out.

"I'm lucky my family is as strong as they are," she commended. "I don't know where I'd be without them."

Zuko smiled, happy to hear that at least she did not share his own fate.

"You'd probably be standing on your own, trying to figure things out by yourself," he guessed.

Katara exchanged glances with him, reading the experience in his eyes.

"Maybe I could stand to do more of that," she pondered aloud with some disdain, brushing her damp hair behind her ears and straightening her penguin cap.

"Well." Zuko smacked his palm against the doorway, his jaw sliding to the side in doubt. "I'll...leave you alone then. Sorry to intrude."

"Not at all," Katara assured, aware of how she was coming across, trying to fix things. "Thanks for checking on me. It was nice of you."

"Just trying to be of service to the student body," Zuko insisted, scooping up his folders. He gave her a nod and headed off. "Have a good night."

"Night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics are from "With a Little Help from My Friends" by The Beatles.


	26. Solid

[late night fight What I Learned at SRU](http://eevee445.deviantart.com/art/late-night-fight-What-I-Learned-at-SRU-279483806) by *[Eevee445](http://eevee445.deviantart.com/)

* * *

\- Friday, November 5th, 2010 -

"I can haz fries?"

"No fries for you."

"I can haz Skittles?"

"I can haz _Dollar_?"

" **KAY-KAY**." A crisp bill already in hand, Toph slapped the single note onto the desk. Aang took the dollar, stuffed it into the safebox, and retrieved a package of candy from the self behind him. The lobby was calm and quiet, while echoes of basketballs rang out from the nearby gym floor.

"There ya go, Miss." Aang barely contained a chuckle as he placed the red bag onto the desk and assumed his position on the stool once again. He admired Toph as she eagerly tore open the bag's corner, dumped a handful of rainbow pieces into her hand, and jammed them into her mouth. She greeted Aang more properly at this point - as proper as one could while chewing and being Toph.

"Sho whuff's sheggin, Tinklsh?"

"Sooooo slooooowww," moaned Aang in desperation, dropping his head into his arms on the desk. "I'm actually doing _homework_ during my shift."

"Poor Twinkle-Toes," Toph cooed. She immediately dropped her sympathy like a stone. "Fff. Working _while_ you're working? Loser."

"What do _you_ think I should be doing?"

"You _could_ be listening to awesome music instead."

"Oh, really?" Aang sarcastically entertained her.

"Look up Pomplamoose. Or-or-" She snapped her fingers. "-or Matt and Kim. Yea, yea. You'd like any of those. They're your style."

"Have I heard them before?" Aang wondered, pulling up his internet browser on his laptop, which proudly displayed a trio of wavy-lined circles - the logo of the House of Aero that he'd painted onto his machine.

"Prolly," Toph muttered. "I bet I've shown you them before."

As a video played of "Mrs. Robinson," arranged digitally with the same voice singing all parts of the harmony, Toph continued to eat her Skittles contently, humming along to the song.

["~And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson~Jesus loves you more than you will know~Whoa, whoa, whoa...~"]

"Huh," Aang blurted in acknowledgment. "This is pretty good. I think I _have_ heard these guys before."

"You think the girl's cute, don't you?" Toph sneakily accused.

["~God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson~Heaven holds a place for those who pray~Hey, hey, hey...~"]

"Wh-what?" Aang mumbled. "Y-yea, she is..."

" _Ha,_ I knew you would..."

["~Hey, hey, hey...~"]

"How...? How would you _know_ that?" Aang doubted, pausing the video.

"Just could tell by her voice. You think she's cute."

Toph dropped the humming and set the half empty candy bag on the counter.

"Now, then. Stop gawking at the singing lady. I can haz kisses?" Toph chirped with a saccharine smile. She puckered her lips out at her boyfriend, leaning over the counter. There was a pause as Aang lowered his eyelid in amused reluctance before Aang conceded to her request and gave her a light peck on the mouth. Before he could pull away, however, she reached out and grabbed the back of his head, pushing his face into hers. She folded her lips around his and slowly closed them, pulling secrets from his throat. He tenderly thumbed her cheek as he withdrew.

"Sorry, Toph," Aang lamented. "I'm at work," he muttered with embarrassment. "I don't want anyone...ya know. Walking in on us... _doing_...stuff..."

Toph huffed, tossing her bangs across her face, and plopped her head reluctantly into her arms on the desk.

"BlaAaAagh," she groaned, face buried in her hands. She lifted her head up and sobbed her story in Aang's direction with pouting gestures. "It's been, like, a week since we've done any dirty, Twinkles. C'mon, toss a dog a bone, here." She caught herself, realizing the implications of what she'd said, and that trademark set of devil's teeth spread across her face. "Get it? 'Cuz, like, I'm the dog, and the _bone_ stands for your pe-"

" _I got it,_ " Aang rapidly spat out with a sheepish laugh. "Maybe I should start calling you _Gutter-Face_ 'cuz you seem to have your mind there more than potatoes lately." Her nose was squished in by his finger as he finished his statement.

"You're such a little Goody-Goody," Toph teased, blowing a short raspberry after she'd brushed his finger away. She reared her head back, untied her ponytail and let her hair hang, and uttered with a British accent - and a spoonful of theatrics: "I'm such a durteh gurl, talk _clean_ to me, you _Saint_!" She thrashed her head around as she spouted gibberish, tossing her hair all around into a black mess across her head.

"Uhhhhh...-?" Aang clearly didn't know what to say to this, but eventually he snickered and as Toph relaxed her pose, she felt his soft hands push strands from her face and reciprocate her more intimate kiss. "You're such a crazy dork," Aang mused. "And I love you. But don't you have a class to go to?"

"Whuzzat?" cried Toph in bewilderment, pulling on her hair and straightening it back into a tail.

"Class? You have a class at 4, don't you?"

"Yeeeaaaa," Toph whimpered, wrapping her tie around her hair. "What time is it...?" she fearfully asked.

"It's three forty-eight."

" _Fuuuuuuck."_

"I know."

"'Kay. I'll see you later tonight for dinner. Call me."

"Yup."

"Also," she rapidly pushed out as she snatched her Skittles bag, "I love you, too, Baaayyy- _Twinkles._ " Having almost let slip another 'Babe' but recovered, she gracefully shoved herself out the door, clacking her walking stick along as she did so, an headed off to her net destination.

* * *

\- Saturday, November 6th, 2010 -

Toph could hear the door slowly creak open as she presumed her roommate entered, but she continued playing her piano without dropping a note. A couple of minutes later, when her song had completed, she could hear the clacking of Katara's keyboard across the room.

"Hey, Toph," Katara greeted, still typing away.

"Hey," grunted Toph with a slight sting. Katara paused, and her chair creaked.

"Hun...What's _wrong_?" Katara asked once again with a bite of irritation. She'd been asking practically every day all week.

" _Nothing,_ God," Toph groaned, crossing her arms. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because you...you keep acting snippy around me. All week, now," Katara sighed with exasperation. "Is...Is this about the band? I told you to talk with Suki about that. Or is this Halloween? I told you that it's _fine,_ I'm over it. I'm not upset with you, Toph, you didn't know."

"Fuckin' peachy, then," Toph mockingly conceded. "The next time something dramatic comes up that you didn't tell me about I can make an ass of myself all _over_ again, right?" She bobbed her head down and heaved out a grouchy huff.

"I'm-...? Wait, _excuse_ me?" Katara snapped. _Fwack._ Her hand smacked the head of her chair. "You're upset with _me_?"

"You fuckin' storm out on me in front of everyone over something I didn't _know_ 'cuz you didn't _tell_ me."

"That-!" Katara sucked in a deep breath. "It's hard for me to deal with that stuff in public, you _know_ that, so-"

"Then why didn't you tell me it happened on _Halloween?_ What the hell, Katara? Kinda important to miss." Toph's scowl had grown and she drummed her fingers on her arm as she spoke. "Anything _else_ I need to know about? Did your fuckin' puppy die on Easter or something? What other secrets do you have I don't know about, huh? You'll go tell _Jane_ but you won't tell your own roomma-"

"You never _asked,_ Toph!" Katara growled, her voice trembling. "You never... _asked me_ about it!" Words would pop out of Katara's mouth after brief pauses, as if she was trying to contain their explosive impact.

Toph's insides churned at the accusation as her memories scanned to think of when she had asked. Of _course_ she had asked. Right?

"Aang, Jane...even _Suki,_ and...and _Jet._ They all asked how it happened. _You_ never did, Toph. I didn't know it was my...my _obligation_ to just... _randomly_ dive into detailed tragedies from my past just so _you_ don't make an ass of yourself."

 _And here I am, again - making an ass out of myself right now. She's right...I never_ did _ask her how it happened, did I?_

"And I'm _sorry_ that watching my mom... _die_ on the pavement - right before my eyes - isn't something I like going out and just... _telling_ people, OK?" She was crying at this point, Toph could hear it, as her breath between words skipped in sniffles. The ferocity in Toph's expression had worn away to reveal the layer of sympathy and regret she'd been hiding behind irritation and jealousy.

_She was there when it happened...No wonder it's harder for her than her brother. I had no idea._

"Oh..." was all she could muster, running her hand through her bangs and brushing them out of her face. "Do you...-? Did you want to talk about it?"

" _Nooo,_ I don't want to _talk_ about it right _now_!" Katara burst out with indignation. "Maybe...later! Or something..."

"OK, OK," Toph sputtered. "Geez, don't...freak out on me..."

" _You're_ the one who was freaking out," huffed Katara.

"All right, OK!" Toph sighed, her palm pressing her forehead. "I'm sorry! There, I said it..." Toph received no response, which she knew was because of the way she had carelessly tossed the words out. "Really," she insisted with more seriousness. She got up out of her foldable chair beside her keyboard and made her way to Katara's desk, bumping her bare foot into a shoe on the way there. With hands extended, she paused when she reached her friend's chair, and while the sniffling had stopped, Katara's breath was still heavy. She wormed her hand from the wooden chair to her friend's back and scratched at it gently.

"It's easy for me to forget how much stuff can get to you, Sugar-Queen," Toph explained solemnly. "I don't know what it's like for all you guys...You, your brother, Aang, Janey...You all, like...lost parents and stuff. I don't...really know what it's like. And none of you are wimps about it, so it's...easy to forget how hard it must be. I guess." Her lips curved into a weak smile as her hand ran down Katara's arm and a slender set of fingers grabbed it. "I really _am_ _sorry_ I was a bitch."

"I'm sorry I went psycho," Katara murmured, steam seeping out of her.

"I'll try to...-" Toph stretched her arm out - it was sore from her guitar playing. "-...not be a douche about stuff like that. But you've gotta _tell_ me about stuff from now on."

"OK. I will." They clenched fingers together in a moment of assurance to one another before letting go. "You just need to _ask_."

"OK. See? _See?_ I _do_ have a heart, Sugar-Queen. I can have touching moments and crap like that."

"Hee. Yes. Yes, you can, Hun. Good job. Way to go."

"Can I get a Gold Star?"

"You can have a hug."

"Mehhhh...OK. That works, too."

* * *

\- Sunday, November 7th, 2010 -

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!"

"Pssh." Sokka chuckled at Toph's expense. "OK, there, _John Locke_."

"Shut up!" Toph whimpered, a laugh escaping through her discouragement. "I've...got this," she grunted, hefting her tray and wobbling forward, inch-by-inch.

"Are ya sure, there, Gimpy?" Sokka teased. "I could get your tray for ya."

"You can't carry my tray," Toph courteously advised. "I can carry it myself."

"No one's allowed to carry your tray but _Twinkoh-Toez,_ eh?"

"Damn straight. I'm a big girl, I can- _eeeeep!_ " Toph squeaked in surprise as she was literally swept off her feet by Sokka's arms. He wedged one hand under her knees and the other supported her back. She gripped her tray with steady hands, fearful to spill her food.

"I can't carry your potatoes for you, Mr. Frodo, but I _can_ carry _you!_ " Sokka boldly cried, heaving his way through the cafeteria and winding around students, his arms straining but maintaining the weight of his friend. Toph giggled the whole way, confused but amused.

At last, Sokka huffed out a breath of relief as he set her down in front of the closest available booth.

"OK!" he panted. "Here's the volcano, then."

"Thanks for the lift, Gamgee," Toph chuckled, setting her tray down on the table and punching the gasping boy in the arm.

"We're gonna need to get those big-ass eagles to pick us up," Sokka advised as he fell into his seat with a _plomph._ "You weigh more than you look, Dead-Eyes."

" _Hey!_ "

"Fatty."

"Scrawny...Pants!" Toph growled, winding back her fist. "Move your stupid Meat-Head forward so I can _tenderize_ it."

"Just sayin'."

"Just _throwing_." Toph picked up a single green bean from her plate and whipped forward. _Thap._

"Blind people shouldn't start food fights, ya know." _Thap._ Her own bean smacked her in the forehead.

"Pussies shouldn't start _any_ fights."

"I didn't start a fight!" came the defense.

"You called a girl _fat_!" came the rebuttal.

"Meh. Good point."

"Ya know, your existence makes me respect your sister a lot."

"Does it, now?"

Toph fed some beans to her mouth bare-handed.

"She has to put up with you as an idiot brother. That demands respect."

"What can I say? I bring out the best in people."

"By acting like an ass."

"Sometimes the Shepperd needs to bark like all hell to get the sheep in their pens."

" _What?_ "

"Doctor Sokktagonapus... **BLARGH!** " _Whump! Clattatat._ He'd slammed his fist on the table and stirred plates and utensils.

"And people say _I'm_ fuckin' crazy," Toph sighed, acting as lady-like as she could as she picked her green beans with her fingers.

"They also say you are handicapped. And disabled. And a _gimp._ "

"You are the _scum_ of the earth. You know that?"

"Thanks," Sokka replied with smug satisfaction.

"If your life had a face, Snoozles, I would _punch it."_

"Not the face," Sokka wailed.

"I would punch it so hard in the balls."

"Guess I'm lucky my life doesn't have a face. _Or_ balls."

 _Thiff-bumph!_ Toph thrust her foot forward, happily ramming her heel into something bony.

"Ow! _Damn_ , woman!"

"Maybe _you_ don't have any balls-"  
"Meh-meh," Sokka taunted back mockingly.  
"-but you _do_ have wussy shins. Queer."

"I have a _girlfriend._ "

"So? Could just be a cover."

"You're not very nice yourself, ya know."

"Heh. I know. My boyfriend's a fuckin' Saint, though. I'm pardoned."

"Ya know, I may not be terribly religious, but I don't think it works li-"

" _Saint."_

"Uhh...Buuuut he-"  
" **Saint.** "

"I _really_ don't th-"  
" _ **Sssssaaaaint.**_ **"**

" _So he is,_ eh?"

"Where do you think he is right _now_ , huh?"

"I dunno, I guess he-"  
" **Wrong.** He's at church. C'mon, you're his _roommate,_ for Chrissake."

"He's at church?"  
" **Wrong again.** Katara took him to the church she goes to downtown. _God,_ you're bad at this."

"Just _keep on_ using those names in vain, Gimpy, I'm sure-"  
" _ **Incorrect**. Sweet Mother Mary and Joseph._ "  
There was a pause.

"Are ya-?"  
" _Great Odin's Raven!_ "  
"Ya d-?"  
" **BLESSED ZOMBIE JESUS.** "  
"OK, ya d-?"  
"I'm done."  
"Ya done?"  
"Done."

"All right, then." _Shhlllrrrpp._ Sokka loudly gulped from his cup. "Jesus wasn't a zombie, by the way."

"Came back from the dead, didn't he?"

"So the story goes. But being a zombie means you were infected by a virus, or brought back by demonic voo-doo magic. The word 'zombie' _came_ from voo-doo...crap...anyway."

"You don't believe in that junk, though, do ya?"

"What? Voo-doo?"

"Naw, the hippie-Jesus shit." Toph was finishing up her beans.

"I dunno. I guess not."

"Your sister does." Toph said it in a way that conveyed her lack of certainty.

"Yea...She does." Sokka, on the other hand, seemed to admire it in a way.

"She's not like those fuckin' crazies who try shoving Bible pages down your damned throat, though."

"Nope. She's _not._ " He seemed proud of this fact. "Wait - OK - _why_ did Aang go to church with Katara?" Sokka was clearly hung up on this.

"Got me."

"Aang doesn't _go_ to church."

"That's what _I_ said."

"Sometimes that boy doesn't make any sense."

"Pff. He's _your_ room-..." Toph froze mid-sentence, her hand groping across her tray. Where was her bowl of potatoes?

"I said I couldn't carry your potatoes for you, Mr. Frodo - but I didn't say I couldn't _eat_ them."

"You bitch."

"Now you regret not just letting me take your tray, don't you?"

"Psh, no."

"Remember how stubborn you used to be?"

"Psh, _yea._ Then I wizened up and realized life is better when I make other people do my dirty work for me."

"Then why can't _I_ do things for you?"

"'Cuz you're a bitch. And you steal my potatoes. That's why."

* * *

\- February, 2010 -

"It's ruined! It...It's _destroyed._ " The devastation in Aang's voice was like a nail puncturing Toph's heart.

"I-I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized. "It was an accident!"

"It's going to take me _all weekend_ to fix this!" He didn't sound pacified in the slightest.

"I know. _I know_!" she whimpered, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Urgh, and this is...totally shot." She could hear him lifting the wet portfolio from the puddle on the table. "It's going to have to be replaced..."

"I'm sorry, Aang, I...w-wasn't thinking!" Desperate times called for desperate measures. She couldn't afford to have Aang angry with her - she was willing to break out the big guns - the guns of humility.

"Ugh. No, you weren't!" He snapped. "You always _do this!_ You always think you can take care of everything all by yourself. But you can't!" His irritation sent a crack through her mind, her stomach empty.

This was the first real friend she had made since leaving home. She couldn't bear the thought of him being upset with her.

_I'm such a fuckin' piece of work. My own damned stubbornness. And now his project's ruined._

"Whoa, hey," came Katara's voice as she approach. "What _happened_?" she wondered with concern.

"Toph ruined my project! And it's due this Monday!"

"Wh-? How did she-...?"

"She was trying to carry her food by herself and tripped on _your_ backpack, which you left outside of the booth, and she spilled her soda all over everything!"

Aang had been working on a project where he captured scenes from Appa's. The way he explained it, he was drawing perspectives of parts of the restaurant that would otherwise seem boring but by approaching it from a different angle he thought he could breath some unique life into it.

"It was an accident!" Toph defended.

"It wouldn't have happened if you'd let me go get your food _for_ you, but you've always gotta try doing things on your own."

"I _can_ do things on my own!" Toph declared, her brows furrowed.

"If you really _could,_ you wouldn't have spilled your soda all over my work!" _Wumple-crump-cripple._ Aang crumpled up the soggy piece of paper he'd been working on and, with an exhausted huff, dumped his destroyed work in a nearby trash can.

"Aang," Katara attempted to calm him, "I know you're really upset about your drawings, but you should calm down..."

"Calm down?" he snipped. Toph sat herself down where he had just been, keeping her back to him to avoid the confrontation in his voice. "Do you know how much time I'd spent on that? How much time I spend on all of my work? None of you guys care."

"Of course we care, Aang," Katara insisted. "I know it means a lot to you."

"Well, Toph sure doesn't - or else she would've been more careful! Like it matters to you, anyway - you can't even _see_ it."

Toph face was boiling with embarrassment and pain. She had never experienced Aang so angry before, and she knew the anger was basically being tossed at her, specifically.

"I'm going for a walk," Aang concluded. "I'll see you guys later." _Ruffmm._ He scooped up his coat and stalked off. Toph couldn't keep back the tiny trickle of water that dripped down her face.

"Aw, Toph, Sweetie..." Katara wiped them away. "He didn't mean it. He's just upset."

"I've never heard him get so... _mad_ before," Toph grumbled, easing Katara's gentle hands away and rubbing her eyes with her wrist. "I feel like an idiot."

"Well...Hun. He's...kind of right. You really to let us help you out more. You keep getting yourself hurt, and now you've hurt Aang."

"I don't... _want_ to hurt anyone." _Especially Aang._ "I just...want to take care of myself. Pull my own weight."

"Sometimes the best way to take care of yourself is to let your friends help you, Toph."

"Mehhhh," Toph moaned, blowing at her bangs. "I'm used to having servants watching over me all the fuckin' time. I'm _done_ with that shit."

" _Toph,_ we're not your _servants,_ we're your friends. We do it because we _want_ to, not because it's our job."

"Yea," sighed Toph, resting her head on her wrist, her elbow propped against the table.

"Anyway, don't get worried about Aang. He really cares about you, he's just, well...He's kind of emotional right now."

"Big baby," Toph mumbled, a smile crawling across her face.

" _You_ were the one crying just now," Katara pointed out slyly.

"And you'd _better_ not tell him I was," threatened Toph, her face heating up.

* * *

\- Monday, November 8th, 2010 -

"Nah, Twinkle-Toes and Meat-Head both have to work the dish room tonight and Katara's doing that 'proof-reading' thing."

"Money makes the world go round, huh?" Jane observed coldly.

"I _guess._ " Toph huffed.

"Well, it's not like that's a problem for _you,_ though, right?" observed Jane from beside Toph. They were both laying together on Toph's bed, listening to an assortment of rock music with nothing much to do until dinner. Toph's head was pressed just under Jane's collarbone comfortably. Toph appreciated the physical proximity from her often gruff friend who generally kept her distance.

"Huh?"

"Money. Your folks are loaded, right?"

"Oh...Yea."

"So you can pretty much buy whatever the hell you want."

"Usually," Toph shrugged, scratching her nose.

"I can't really buy much of anything anymore...I'm not with the Fighters now and...I didn't get any work at the start of the semester. Johnny gets me stuff sometimes, though."

"So do we," Toph pointed out. "Especially Katara."

"Y-yea. Obviously," Jane mumbled. "It's, uhh...I appreciate it."

"No prob, Janey Jane. We'll bring the cash, you bring the _action,_ Freckle-Face."

"Heh."

"So, how are things goin' with John-Boy?"

Jane took a deep breath, and Toph read from the sound some doubt and despair.

"He won't...leave the Freedom Fighters," she muttered in defeat. "I can't fucking get _through_ to him. He's all up on some high horse about how it's his _duty_ and some bullshit, that I'm just running away."

"Hmm..." Toph pondered how to reply, picking a dry booger from the edge of her nose. As she carelessly flicked it off the edge of the bed, she asked, " _Are_ you running away?"

"Huh?"

"Like...OK." Toph cleared her head to convey her point. "Last year, I used to hide away in my practice room, right? I didn't really have any friends. There were...I dunno...a couple people in the music department that seemed to care about me for some stupid reason - I was a _total_ bitch back then - but things-"  
"Heh, _back then?_ "  
"Shut up. But things never...worked out. Ya know? I never took the time to actually get to know any of them, and as soon as there was some kinda problem: bam." She pounded a fist into her palm. "I'd hide away in my dorm room, or my practice room, and I'd play my music. I never actually _talked_ with them about my issues. I just...abandoned them. That's running away, Janey."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm _saying_ that when you've got a fuckin' problem you don't be a pussy and run away from it. You _stand your ground._ You face it head-on. Gotta be solid - like a rock. Or-or like...a _boulder,_ rolling downhill. Nothin's gettin' in your way. You get shit done and you keep rolling along."

"Hmph..."

"Don't like hearing little ol' me tell ya what to do, huh?" Toph coyly observed.

"Ha. Little ol' _you?_ Nah, I just...know you're right. I never _did_ confront the Freedom Fighters about it, I just...stopped seeing them."

"Sounds like that's your problem."

"Yea. Maybe. So this whole 'standing your ground' shit worked for you, huh?"

Toph smiled wide and closed her eyes to relax in the pleasant pool of memories.

"It's how Twinkle-Toes and I ended up together, anyway. And isn't it how you and Katara started out?"

"Huh?"

"Sugar-Queen stood her ground. She didn't leave you, even when you guys had issues."

"Oh. W-well, yea."

"That's 'cuz she really cares about you - and that's the thing. You need something to hold onto that you don't want changed in order to not _be_ changed yourself."

"Solid as a rock."

"Exactly."

"So what's _your_ rock, Janey Jane?"

"I'm...still working that one out, Toph..."

* * *

"We sounded OK, Suki. _OK._ But we could really use some improvement."

"I get it, Toph. I know where you're coming from, and I know you just want to see the band get better."

"Damn right I do. We kinda suck." She pushed dirty hair strands behind her ears before unclipping her white puff-ball earrings and setting them on top of her dresser.

"I...really don't think we _sucked,_ " Suki cautiously disagreed. "Lots of people seemed to like us..."

Toph frowned, heaving air through her nose, her bangs rippling.

"Lots of people - i.e. _boys_ \- seemed to like that we have _boobs._ "

"I don't get what the problem is, Toph," Suki sighed, her irritation swiftly rising. "I even let _you_ pick out the song. And I didn't even think it was a good choice..."

" _What?_ "

"It's just that I wanted us to come across as...ya know...hardcore," Suki defensively explained. "That song was a little too...generic."

"The Beatles are _not_ generic, they're fucking brilliant," grumbled Toph in a hurry before cutting to the chase. "But the point is, we wanted a song that wouldn't alienate our potential audience. Who _hates_ that song, huh?"

"Erm..."

"Do _you?_ "

"N-no, of course not, it's fun, it's-"

"Exactly. It's _fun_. And no one hates it. That gets us popularity points 'cuz we didn't tune anyone out. _Next_ time we play, we play for _us._ " Toph sorted through her drawer and pulled out a comfortable hoodie. She didn't know for certain if it was her Terra hoodie or her Aqua one - but it didn't matter at that moment. She placed it atop the dresser, away from where she'd put the earrings.

"Right. That's exactly what I was thinking," Suki agreed. "Also, I think we should maybe try working on building an image, you know?"

"Beg your pardon?" Toph grunted as she tore off her T-shirt.

"Like...presenting ourselves differently," Suki explained, her tone conveying discomfort from Toph's nonchalant changing. It was night time. Toph felt like changing into sleeping-ish clothes. In her own bedroom. In front of a girl. Suki could deal.

"What do you mean?" Toph's words were thick with pessimistic suspicion as she slipped the hoodie over her head.

"I was thinking it might be kind of cool if we wore, like, samurai stuff, like helmets and-and warrior paint, and-"

"Makeup?"

"Huh?"

"You want us to dress like Japanese whores and wear makeup?" Toph growled, biting her lip. "Geishas, and that nonsense?

"No! No-no-no. Like _warriors_. Like, ninjas, or samurais, or something like that. And warrior paint, not makeup."

"'Cuz we're...supposed to be a Japanese band?"

"Not...necessarily," mumbled Suki. "I'm just throwing out _ideas,_ I just think we should have some kind of...uniform...going on. To make us pop on stage, like a real _group._ "

"Right, so we lose our identities and then we're just a fuckin' pop band clique of wannabes."

"You _know,_ Toph," Suki matter-of-factly jabbed with her words. "The _Beatles_ had a 'look,' too, with their bowl-cuts, and their suits...But I guess you wouldn't _notice_ that, would you?"

_Playin' hardball, huh? Nice throw, Suki...Nice throw._

Toph breathed out a deep, contemplative sigh, closing the door to her dresser.

"Fine. Next practice you can run it by the girls, see what they think. Obviously, _I_ don't give a shit what we look like, so long as we play the _songs_ right."

"All right, then," was Sukui's equally snippy reply.

"Anything else?"

"Erm...Are...Are you doing all right?" Suki lowered her guard for the sake of expressing sentiment. "You seem all...on-edge. Katara told me that you've been a little off lately, and-"

"Katara and I sorted all of that out," Toph coldly advised, her back still turned. "Thanks for the concern, Suki, but I'm good."

"Oh...OK. I'll...see you at practice, then."

"See ya tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A little LOLcats, a little Scott Pilgrim, Lord of the Rings, indie bands on YouTube. Ya know...mixin' it up in this joint.
> 
> The Pomplamoose video: Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=f-4ZwiW1cPs  
> The LoTR scene Sokka is mocking: Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=O_NmCh42hZM  
> Doctor Sokktagonapus is mocking: Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=ZjRjqOL5IBA
> 
> Also, a number of bits of dialogue are inspired by events from the series proper - specifically, Toph ruining Aang's project is based on how Toph lost Appa, her little speech to Jane is inspired by when Toph was teaching Aang earthbending, etc. There's a few others, but those are the most important ones. I try to fit things like that in from time to time but I think those two examples are a little more pronounced than normal. There's more of that, and it becomes much more apparent, as this series goes on.


	27. Big Bro

[Commission: SRU](http://mokk-swagger.deviantart.com/art/Commission-SRU-200165871) by *[Mokk-Swagger](http://mokk-swagger.deviantart.com/)

* * *

\- Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 -

"She rubs me the wrong way, Sweetie. I don't appreciate her attitude."

Sokka rubbed his palm over his increasingly scruffy chin - he decided in that moment that he would shave that night - and contemplated his girlfriend's statement.

"Toph can be a little...difficult...now and again, but it's not like Jane's any better."

Suki sighed and shrugged, poking at her leafy salad.

"But...Sokka, Jane is at least supportive within the band. She encourages the rest of us, she does her part, she accepts and adapts to criticism...But all Toph does is dish out insults and...and she's just very negative to herself and the rest of the band."

" _Weellll,_ she's, like...a music major and stuff," Sokka loosely defended, smearing barbecue sauce across his burger with the topside bun.

"So?" Suki quipped, spearing some spinach.

" _So,_ she's all super-critical of music and performance and...all that jazz. Heh. _Literally._ " Suki ignored his accidental joke and continued.

"I'm just worried that if we don't nip this issue in the bud it's always going to be a problem." She chewed on her salad in an indignant demeanor.

"What are ya complainin' to _me_ for then?" groaned Sokka, finally taking a bite of his meaty salami/ham/turkey sandwich.

"I just thought you might have some advice as to how I should... _deal_ with the girl."

"OK, OK," Sokka spat through burger chunks. He swallowed. "First, you should stop talking about Toph like a weed. I mean, she _is_ like one - she's a damned terror, haha - but she _is_ a person. And she has her reasons for...being the way she is."

"Oh?"

"But that's her place to tell you - not mine. Point is: with Toph, she can be a stubborn little prick when she has a mind to. To earn her respect, you gotta be stubborn right back."

"Hm." Suki didn't seem to have much to say to that.

"Anyway, think about it, Snookums."

Suki's solemn face cracked, giving way to a smirk.

"I will, you buffoon."

* * *

\- Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 -

Sokka picked out his sister's walk amongst the crowd of students exiting their afternoon classes. She was dressed in her blue Aqua hoodie, her head covered by its hood, a single textbook tucked under her arm.

"Katara!" he called out, waving up an arm. Her bobbed head perked up and scanned around, eyes wide. Having noticed her brother, she waved back and made her way over. Her expression was worn, somewhat dulled. She approached her brother, who stood in a brown sweater just off the sidewalk. Sokka accepted her with open arms and she plunged herself into his chest, one arm in her hoodie pouch, the other against her book. He enveloped his sister, washing his love over her.

"Hey, Sis," he warmly greeted.

"Hey, Bro," she sighed back.

"Did it go OK?"

Katara took a deep breath and shifted her head, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"I guess..."

"What did the counselor say?"

"He wants me to stay on my meds..."

"OK. Hm." Sokka scratched at the back of her head. "That's what you're hung up about, huh?"

"Mm-hm."

"You know what I'm gonna tell you," Sokka said simply.

"Yea. It just...ugh. It _sucks._ I hate this. I hate...feeling like I need...need some _drug_ just to...get by. Like I need my stupid... _happy_ pill to feel good."

"Hey, hey - lots of people need medicine for things all the time," Sokka pointed out.

"Yea, Sokka - when they're _sick,_ or have some...some problem with their body." Katara lifted herself from his body, but he kept his hands planted on her shoulders. "What does it say when I need pills for my...my _brain?_ Huh?"

"Your brain is part of your body, _too_ , Sis."

"It says I'm messed up in the head, Sokka. _That's_ what it says..."

"You are _not_ messed up in the head!"

"Why does everyone complain about how I'm on _edge_ all the time? Or-or how I'm controlling? And-and needing to _fix_ everything, and-?"

" _Hey._ " Sokka's hands clamped down and he gave Katara a gentle stir. He stared at her with calming, icy blue eyes, like the sky on a snowy, winter afternoon. "Katara. Everyone has their problems. OK? You're _doing_ something about yours. Just 'cuz you take an anti-depressant, that doesn't mean you're some psychopath. Chill out. You're perfectly sane - more than _I_ am, anyway. So stop being a perfectionist and deal. You're not perfect." He pulled her trembling form in for another hug. "But you're my sister, and you're about as close to perfect as anyone needs." He pressed his lips into her temple and gave her a gentle kiss, rubbing her back as her quivering breath settled.

"Thanks, Sokka...I guess I'm just...overreacting. It's been a long day."

"I hear _that._ " Sokka squeezed her tight before letting her go. "Where you headed next?" He eased her to proceed along, across the dry autumn grass.

"Back to Aqua before my last class," Katara explained, still tense. "I need to...just...-"

"Watch kitten videos on YouTube for a little while."

Katara choked out a laugh through her worry and glared at Sokka with narrowed eyes accented by a smile.

"Shut up."

* * *

\- Thursday, November 11th, 2010 -

"What's wrong with two civilized folks having a chat over coffee on a Thursday afternoon?" Sokka shot a snarky smile Jane's way, leaning back in his chair casually.

"Hey, roommate!" chimed the girl from behind the counter. "Is he harassing you?" she joked from across the way.

"Naw, Jin...He's just... _like_ this," Jane called back. "If you ignore him, eventually he just goes away." As she said the last part, she stared Sokka dead in the eyes with a danpan glance, brows raised.

Sokka gasped, grasping his chest.

"I am _hurt,_ Jane."

"Wounded, even?" Jane dully shot back without any letup on the dry humor.

Sokka grinned wide and reached out an arm to slap her on the shoulder.

" _Ha,_ I knew showin' ya that Scott Pilgrim movie would do ya good."

Jane slowly shook her head, casually brushing his arm aside and sipping her mint latte.

"Yea," she sarcastically agreed, "I really connect with that Kim character. Gee, I _wonder_ why you think we're so similar?"

"I _knew_ you would. You've both got so much going for you: freckles, red hair, bitchiness..."

"Ass."

"So how are things going with that gang of yours, SmellyJane?"

"Told you not to fuckin' _call me that_ ," Jane hissed with a quiet voice, clutching her coffee cup tightly.

"Sorry, slip of the tongue," Sokka said with an exaggerated shrug. He stared, wide-eyed and expectant, at Jane. The girl resisted for a moment, but eventually gave in.

"Mmm... _Tongue,"_ she quoted the film again. She froze, squinted her eyes shut tight, and slapped herself in the forehead, grumbling, "Good _God_ , I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual, my friend," Sokka chuckled. "But seriously, I know you and John-Boy have been in a rough patch. What's up?"

"Since when do _you_ care?" Jane asked, trying to temper her humor with a sharpness - her words intended to come out like a steak knife but ended up like a butter knife instead. As she slurped on her drink, Sokka shrugged.

"The Fearsome Fivesome looks out for its own. I've been hearing some rumblings going on about the Freedom Fighters, soooo...-" He scratched his arm and shrugged yet again. "Just checkin' that they're not messin' with ya."

"No," Jane shook her head with a sigh. "Haven't heard from any of them. Well..." She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Those two goofballs - Pipsqueak and The Duke - they say 'hi' once in a while, but...Nah. It's just difficult with Johnny..." She frowned and pinched at her temples to subdue a coming headache. "Pff. I mean, _Longshot,_ whoever the fuck he is anymore..."

"Sorry there, Freckles..." Sokka muttered his sympathy before he chugged down a large gulp of his drink. "Guess you guys are still trying to sort things out, eh?"

"I don't know what to do," Jane growled, avoiding Sokka's probing gaze. "I've been hearin' crap, too. Stuff like...how the Freedom Fighters are trying to stir shit up with the Rhinos, get revenge, that kinda thing. Wayward's not a big enough town for both of 'em...I dunno what's gonna happen if fists start flyin'. Ya know?"

"Yea..." Sokka nodded with dire contemplation. "But...If fists _do_ start flying...-?" He narrowed his pale blue eyes at her with inquisition.

"No," she immediately assured. "No, no... _Fuck_ no. I ain't gettin' involved. Period. I'll convince Johnny to sit it out, and...and that'll be that." She was not quite certain in her own words, Sokka could tell.

"And if he refuses?" Sokka pondered the heavy question. Dreary olive eyes glanced up at his serious expression through dark rings.

"I've got no fuckin' idea," she admitted, grinding her jaw to the side with doubt. Her expression - if only for a brief moment - was pleading and afraid, but she quickly masked it through a sip of coffee.

"Jane..." Sokka murmured - he rarely called her _just '_ Jane' - setting his elbows on the table and his chin against his folded wrists. "I don't mean to pry, here, but...From what my Sis has told me, you don't...really have anywhere to _go_ when you're not here...at SRU, I mean."

Jane bobbed her head and rubbed her eyebrow nervously.

"Nah, I'm...all good. I've got places."

"Like where?"

"P-places," she spat. Her face was simmering. He knew the truth - and he knew that _she_ knew that he knew the truth. She hated admitting her vulnerability, of course. She was Jane. This was expected. "Like...ya know, with Johnny's family. It's none o' yer business, anyway. Don't worry about it." Things with the Fitzpatricks were touch-and-go at best, and usually 'go' given her attitude toward them as of late, which left Johnny's endearing southern family as her only other choice now that things with the Fighters had gone rotten.

Sokka smirked at her distraught fidgeting - she was squirming in her seat and kept touching her brows as she drank.

"Well, uh..." He nodded slowly, picking up his coffee cup. "If, for some reason, _p-places-_ " he mocked her stammering, "- don't work out for ya, I'm sure there will be room at the Kesuk house for Thanksgiving break." He raised his cup to her, and she glared at him suspiciously as she knocked her cup against his. They both took a swig. "Even though you Americans are stupid and celebrate Thanksgiving at the _wrong time_ of the year..."

"Heh." Jane's brow - thoroughly rubbed at this point - lifted and her eyes spun around with a sigh. "Ya know," Sokka went on proudly, "Our dad insisted that he would put off celebrating Thanksgiving until this month just for us."

"Right..."

"That's how awesome he is."

"Uh-huh."

"Don't sound so _interested_. Geez. It's a big deal for us. Imagine celebrating Thanksgiving in October."

"Pff. Couldn't care less," Jane groaned, quickly turned off by the conversation concerning the holiday. "Thanksgiving is fuckin' retarded. Pig out on food, watch football..."

"Yea, just another excuse for you Americans to eat too much," Sokka agreed, but he'd lost her - she was definitely brewing, and from the looks of it, about some unpleasant memory related to the holiday. "Well..." Sokka dropped it. Seemed like a sore spot for her, likely due to the familial issues. "How about celebrating St. Pattie's Day in April?"

Jane's bitterness melted away into a grin at Sokka's efforts to pry into her head.

"Yea, yea," she chuckled. "All right, I'll bite. That would be fuckin' weird."

"Drinkin' green bear while eating Easter Eggs would be odd, right?"

"Sure..." Jane's expression went dull for a moment, like she was zoning out, wandering elsewhere.

"Wouldn't want to throw off your Irish biological clock, with the-"

"Sokka." Jane cut in solemnly with a sigh. "Could we...-?" She lifted up her hands as if to try grasping them around some invisible object before her face. "Could we stop pissin' around for, like, five seconds here?"

"Huh?" Sokka felt his intestines twist at her confrontational demeanor.

"That's great that you're such a fuckin' wise ass, Sokka," Jane grumbled. "But I don't fuckin' _get_ you. It's like, one second you're an idiot, then you're all serious and acting like you give a shit, and then you're a fuckin' moron, all over again."

"I could say the same about _you,_ Ginger," pointed out Sokka with some defense. She glowered at him with a puzzled expression for a moment but his telling glance made her realize just how hypocritical she was being - if only one replaced words like "idiot" and "moron" with "bitch" and "jerk."

"Fair enough," she huffed. "Just don't get why you...-"

"Why I'd care?"

" _Yea_ ," burst the grouchy girl incredulously.

"Jane, you've gotta get over this...this insecurity problem you have," Sokka threw his words out on the table neatly. "I can't speak on behalf of anyone else, but within our little clan? You're golden. _Trust us,_ Jane. Stop making up excuses as to why no one should care. So _what_ if you're all grumpy and mean some times? You aren't to _us,_ and when you are - at this point - you're just joking around. Usually."

"Usually..." Jane agreed with a small smile.

"There are reasons why Katara and you became friends in the first place, Jane."

"Yea, because of Jet..."

"No, I mean, why _you_ and Katara became friends. Jane, my sister doesn't make friends - the way she has with you, like Toph and Aang - unless she has a good reason. My sister, she meets acquaintances, but she _makes_ friends. It's...very 'on purpose' for her. So, obviously, she saw a good purpose in you."

"Hmph..." Jane stared at the green dragon printed on her coffee cup stubbornly, her cheeks flashed for just a moment.

"You remember a while back, when I told you cut the 'tough girl' act?"

"Mm." Jane shrugged with a slight nod.

"You did," Sokka observed. "Now, I'm _asking_ you - not telling you - to stop selling yourself short. Drop the doubt, just _trust_ us, huh?" He extended his arm out, his elbow still on the table. Jane gripped it in return and they squeezed tight before letting go and bumping knuckles together.

"Got it," Jane confirmed, tilting her chin up with a cocky grin.

"'Atta girl."

* * *

\- Friday, November 12th, 2010 -

Sokka peered into practice room after practice room until at last he found the right one. He knocked on the door twice, gave pause for a moment, then proceeded in.

"Hello?" She perked her head up.

"Heya, Dead-Eyes."

"Oh...Hey, Snoozles..." She drooped back down.

"Pff. Don't sound so excited to see m-...er... _hear_ me."

Toph pulled her guitar strap off her shoulders and rested the instrument against the wall beside her. She was sitting on the carpeted floor, her back wedged into a corner of the room.

"Excuse me, Captain Sarcasm. Not in the fuckin' mood to get made fun of for being _disabled_ today."

_OK, then. Someone's not in the best of moods, I suppose..._

"Whoa, hey," Sokka eased, sliding himself down on the wall adjacent Toph and her guitar. "I'll retract my claws if you do, Kiddo."

"Fine..."

"What's eatin' ya?" Sokka inquired, staring at her subtly distraught face. With her head bobbed, Toph's bangs were arranged in such a way that it made it even more difficult than usual to decipher her mood. She always turned stoic when she got upset. Aang was easy to read. He practically wore his emotions on his sleeve, especially when he was angry. Admittedly, Aang didn't _get_ angry all that much, but when he was, you knew damn well. Toph, though, for all of her humor, could really wall herself up when upset. Sokka knew Katara had learned to pry her way through those cracks but it was an art he was still learning, himself.

"Twinkles and I had a...spat...last night," Toph grumbled.

"Oh?" Sokka was naturally curious but knew that with Toph, it was often best to just let her say whatever she was going to say. That, or get your face chewed off.

"He keeps saying he just wants to take it slow, take it slow, _take it slow._ Ugh!" She kicked her bare foot out into the air and rubbed at her face in frustration. "I've _been_ taking it slow! It's like...every time I try to...to...-" She grasped her fingers around before her. "-...reach out and _do_ something, I just keep get let off."

"Let off?"

"W-well, like...-" Toph's face was starting to brighten up a bit as she scratched her neck. She took a deep breath and plunged in. "OK. So, like, last night he kisses me, and I...ya know...kinda drag it out a bit, and try to slip some tongue in there, and he just breaks the whole thing off. It's just... _urgh._ "

"Wait, wh-?" Sokka tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Was that, like the first time you guys tried frenching, or-...?"

"Pff, for _him,_ maybe," Toph growled, slapping her fist into her lap. "At this rate, _last_ time..."

" _Someone_ sounds impatient," Sokka teased.

"Fuck's sake, man!" Toph roared, pounding her hands into the sides of her head in frustration. "I've been trying _so_ fuckin' hard to _be_ patient this whole time!"

"OK, OK, yea," agreed Sokka complacently, grabbing her wrists and easing her hands off her face. "I get ya, Toph. Not sayin' ya haven't been. You're right - you guys need to be moving at a pace that works for both of you."

"But how do we _do_ that?" Toph huffed. "I don't _get_ him! Some days he seems like he's totally into me, and others all he wants is to hold hands and cuddle. What the hell?" The last question was groaned out slowly as Toph bumped her head into the wall behind her.

"Uhh...Sorry, Dead-Eyes, but I'm not the person who would know those things."

"You're his _roommate._ "

" _So?_ I don't _make out_ with him! Pretty sure you'd know better than me."

"You guys never talk about that kinda stuff?" Toph muttered, seemingly surprised.

"Huh?"

"Well, like, I know how Katara really likes it when a guy goes to town across her neck, like with slow-"

" _ **That's OK** ,_" burst out Sokka, cutting her at the pass. _"I'm good_. Point equals _taken._ Dudes don't exactly _talk_ about that kinda stuff. Geez...I'm surprised _you_ do, frankly."

"Why's _that_?" Toph defied with a pout.

"You're not exactly Miss Sentimental."

"I _am_ a girl, Meat-Head. Know you forget that once in a while, but I _am_." She poked at her own breast mockingly through her green T-shirt.

"Psh, I don't forget," he insisted. "You _mood swing_ often enough."

"You're one to talk. For a _man_ you sure scare easily."

" _What?_ "

"Spiders?"

"OK, _hey_ ," Sokka defended vehemently. "Those don't count. They're a freak of nature. Why does _anything_ need eight legs? Ever?"

"Clowns?"

"Th-that's more common than you think! It's easy for you to mot understand, you don't have to _look_ at the damn things!"

"Chiuauas?"

"I had a _traumatizing experience_ as a child! You couldn't possibly understand! And-and _besides,_ this isn't about me, we're talking about _you._ Stop-...Back to...the other stuff." He was frowning bitterly, his machismo shattered to her delight.

"Psh. Are ya _sure_ you don't have a vagina, too, Snoozles? It's OK. You can admit it. No one will hate-"

"You bitch."

"Ice cold. That's me. Heh."

"I get it. That's why you need someone who will get you laid, then - to keep you warm."

" _Hey._ "

"It all makes sense now."

"Just because it's _true_ doesn't mean ya gotta rub it in, asshole."

"Wow, just goin' all out with the language today, aren't we?"

"Pff. Like _you_ care."

"But Aang does. And if you have any hope of getting laid by him-"

" _Hey,_ if anyone's gonna be doing any _laying_ in this situation to anyone else, it's gonna be _me._ Let's make that clear, here."

" _Wow,_ then. T.M.I. Dead-Eyes."

"Oh, come _on,_ like that's any shocker to you."

"At this rate you're gonna work so hard trying to protect your girly-manliness that you're gonna lose those boobs and forget how to woo _Twinkoh-Toez_ over. Watch out, there, Kiddo. Too much dramatic artificial testosterone and you'll get pulled into the world of underground wrestling or something. And that is a slippery slope, my friend. I'm not sure you're cut out for it."

_Whump!_

"Owie..."

"More than _you,_ Meat-Head."

"OK. Lesson 1 of How to Turn Aang On: no punching."

"Awww...But I _like_ punching."

"Most guys - especially Aang - don't get it off by getting rammed in the ribs by your fist. Just sayin'."

"All right, then, Oh, _Master of Romance,_ what do you think I should try doing?"

* * *

\- Saturday, November 13th, 2010 -

The cries of two dozen young adult males echoed out in unison across the soccer field from the bleachers, their words cued by what the were witnessing together.

 **"Foot. Foot. Foot, foot. Foot. Foot-foot-foot-foot...foot. HEAD!**"

The small army of Aero men were dressed in a crazy assortment of clothing purely for the sake of drawing attention to themselves and making no sense. One wore an innertube over pajamas with a football helmet over his head, another had on a kilt and a Scottsman's hat, with a plastic bin slung over his shoulder to serve as a makeshift drum.

**" GOOOOALLLLLL!"**

Their home team had scored by sneaking a shot into a corner of the net, slyly slipping through the goalie's defenses.

The group of boys was participating in an Aero tradition know as 'AeroDynamics.' The goal of this activity was to dress in as deviant a way as possible - while still legal - and bond together as young men supporting their school sport teams with lively and exaggerated cheers.

"We are on a freakin' _roll_ today!" Sokka cheered, stomping his foot against the metal bench beneath him. His hair was pulled back into what he adamantly insisted was not a ponytail but a 'warrior's wolf tail' that poked out from under a viking helmet, with blue and gray paint plastered his face into a tribal design - an eyepatch veiled one eye to top it off. In one hand he waved a wooden boomerang with carvings dug into it - a relic he'd received from his father as a child. It had been obtained during his dad's honeymoon to Australia, and he lovingly treasured it as a prized possession. His dad always joked that it was a souvenir of Sokka's conception, so it was only fitting that he be given it. Appropriately enough, Sokka assigned the name "Boomerang" to the cherished family heirloom and often talked of it as if it were a person. In his other hand he waved around a plastic light-saber, its 'blade' a strong shade of purple. The valiant and equally eloquent name bequeathed to this accessory was "Space Sword." He wore a jersey of white with bright blue accents - number 42 on the back - that had blue lines that ran down the arms, forming into arrows at the wrists. The name "Sky Bisons" was emblazoned across the chest. He wore khaki slacks and his ever-present black loafers.

At his side, Aang wore a pirate hat with a matching jersey - his had a number 4 - and waved around an arm tucked into a puppet. The puppet - one he'd created himself - was shaped like a lemur with bright green eyes and long, floppy ears. Aang's face was a bit pale, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot.

Earlier that day, Aang had briefly touched upon his difficulties with Toph that week at Sokka's probing, but the conversation didn't really go anywhere. Sokka knew this was because Aang often felt more comfortable talking "girly" things with girls, and doing "manly" things with...men. While there was some concern, Sokka trusted that if his advice was truly desired, it would be asked for, and that as roommates and brothers in spirit, he'd be best servicing his friend by providing escapism when desired and relationship advice when requested.

As the teams lined up to prepare for the next kickoff, Sokka rallied the troops, and they joined in a battle cry as the ball was tipped off.

" **THIS...IS..."  
"SPARTAAAAAA!"**

As the ball was tossed around the field, the men clapped and sang sports cheers manufactured in the basement of Aero from ancient times, eons ago. Tradition bound their actions together, as many acted as one. Men who might otherwise not really spend time together, or perhaps even hardly knew one another - me who maybe didn't even know each other's names - were united in these rituals, celebrating a bond of brotherhood born from the building they lived in.

As the timer counted down to halftime, the men grew rowdier. They counted down the final seconds, stamping their feet against the bleachers, louder and louder. The buzzer sounded off for halftime and the men of AeroDynamics concluded their feet pounding with a riotous roar, bounding down the metal seats in a berzerker rage, like crazed barbarians going out for a hunt. They raced in a clump to the concession stand, but quickly filed into a courteous line and settled down immediately.

"The Sky Bisons got this in the _bag_ ," Sokka proudly declared, lifting his eyepatch up and letting it stick to the side of his forehead.

"YEaH," Aang croaked, his voice crackly and hoarse. "THeY'rE dOiN' pReTtY gOoD tOdAy..."

"Whoa, there, Bud," Sokka chuckled, giving his friend a sympathetic pat on the back after stuffing his boomerang into his back pocket. " _You,_ on the other hand, are _not_ doing pretty good, are ya?"

"nAh, i'M-" Aang forced out a deep, rasping cough. "-i'M fInE, sOkKa..."

"You really are a sucky liar, Bro..."

"tHiNk i'M cOmIn' DoWn wItH sOmEtHiN'..." lamented Aang, drearily pounding his fist into his chest as he huffed out another violent cough.

"Just make sure it doesn't come down on _me,_ man..." Sokka dug into his pant pocket, squirmed his fingers around the pen resting there, and retrieved a cough drop, which he then forced into Aang's hand.

With no resistance, Aang unwrapped the drop and popped it in his mouth, his cheeks pulling in as he sucked on it. He clenched his stomach, his lemur puppet biting its owner.

"...uUuUlLlLgGgHh..."

"Uhhhh, _yeeeaa._ " Sokka's brows furrowed with concern at his roommate's condition. "I _think_ someone ought to take it easy back at the dorm..."

"bUt...BuT..."

"Ah-ah. Uh-uh. _Keh-_ mon...We're headin' back, mate." Sokka grabbed Aang by the shoulders and spun him to the side, gently pushing him out of the line. They slowly marched back across campus, side by side, their conversation wandering as they went.

"aNd ThEn...AnD tHeN...tHaT pArT wHeN bEn ApOlOgIzEd tO lOcKe...lIkE...i WaS cRyInG LiKe sOoO mUcH aT tHaT pArT, mAn..."

"Uh-huh. Yea, Dude," Sokka pacified, rubbing his hand across Aang's back. "Deep stuff."

"i DoN't GeT...LiKe...wHy sO mAnY pEoPlE dIdN't LiKe ThE eNd..."

They entered their room at last, and Sokka laid Aang down in his bed. Still in a pirate hat, Aang nestled himself into his blanket with a lion's yawn before he exploded into a burst of coughs, thrusting the hat off his head and onto the floor.

"We'll have to pick this up some other time, Pal. Your throat is dead - you oughtta take it easy."

"GgRrRrmMmM...yOu GoT aNy MoRe CoUgH dRoPs...?"

"Sure thing." Sokka set his viking helmet on his bed post and pulled out the bag of Wood Frog cough drops from his dresser. He took the entire bag and tossed it on Aang's bed. It collided with Aang's stomach and the boy growled out in defiance but barely moved.

"...tHaNkS..."

"No problem." Sokka sat down at his desk and opened up his laptop, booting it up.

_Rrrrmmmm._

[From: SmellyJane]  
[hey toph wont shutup bout aang not callin her back. he ok?]  
[Sent: 4:34pm]

[Reply]  
[To: SmellyJane]  
[Yea, we've been at AeroDynamics and he's super sick. We won't be coming to dinner tonight.]  
[Sent: 4:34pm]

[From: SmellyJane]  
[k no big. she will deal. take care of that kid. or i will kick ur ass.]  
[Sent: 4:35pm]

As Sokka's desktop finished loading, he leaned back in his chair to observe his roommate. Aang was passed out, mouth agape, his hand - still wearing a puppet - sticking up out of his blanket on the pillow beside his face. The bag of cough drops was still on his abdomen.

[Reply]  
[To: SmellyJane]  
[Doctor Sokktagonapus is in the house. It's all good.]  
[Sent: 4:36pm]

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AeroDynamics is pretty much an activity my dorm used to do at sporting events but with a different name.


	28. Hold

[Last Song](http://hoodsun.deviantart.com/art/Last-Song-195651065) by ~[Hoodsun](http://hoodsun.deviantart.com/)

* * *

\- Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 -

"What? You guys don't want to meet him now, or something?"

["Toph, Dear, we didn't _say_ that, we-"]

"I _finally_ have a boyfriend I really _care_ about, and you guys refuse to meet him."

["Thanksgiving is a _family_ holiday, Toph, we want time to focus on each other, not-"]

" _What? Excuse_ me? He _is_ like my family, thank you very much! And if we stay together then eventually he will be _your_ family, too!"

["Dear, your father and I just worry that if this boy comes with you it'll give you an excuse to avoid the rest of the Beifongs..."]

"For fuck's sake..."

["And aside from that, at this point in time, he is _not_ a Beifong, regardless of any future intentions to might have."]

"Whatever, Mom. He's more my family than you _ever_ have been..."

["You may feel that way, Toph _._ But I am still your mother, and I do not permit you to bring that boy with you to _our_ house. Perhaps some other time we can-"]

"His name is _Aang,_ and he's _coming,_ or I'm _not._ "  
 _Click._

"Yikes," grumbled Jane with her reknowned deadpan tone. "Thanksgiving with the Beifongs isn't gonna be pleasant, huh?"

"Fucking _ass_ ," Toph swore in a huff, stomping her foot as she sat in her chair, laid back lazily. She carelessly chucked her phone to her bed, and it bounced on the mattress, landing safely by her pillow. "I've _never_ been able to bring anyone home with me. _Ever._ It's bullshit. Like no one's good enough for my tight-ass family."

"Hmm..." Katara sighed thoughtfully, tapping her pen against her chin as she stared at a worksheet. She scribbled an answer onto a blank space. "I hope you can get things worked out with them...I really think it might be good for them to meet Aang, and maybe it could be a time for you to, like...stand up to them. Make amends. Ya know?"

"Oh, I'll stand up to them, all right," growled Toph, her knee bouncing impatiently. "I'm taking Twinkles with me, or I'm not going."

"W-well, I meant...-" Katara exchanged glances with Jane, biting her lip. "Maybe you could try and sort things out with them so that...this kind of thing doesn't happen anymore. Like, come to an agreement."

" _What_?" Toph calmly demanded. "Sugar-Queen, I think my ears need to be cleaned, 'cuz I thought I heard you say-"  
"They _do_ need to be cleaned, you're disgusting."  
"Shut up, Freckle-Face," Toph bluntly tossed away the effort at humor before continuing. "I thought I heard Katara here say that I should try and _come to an agreement_ with my parents."

"It-it was just a suggestion," Katara fumbled in a rush, swiftly regretting having said anything. "I just think it might not be best if you go around...burning bridges with your family, is all."

"Pff," Jane spat. "Worked out fine for _me_."

Katara shot a dagger glance at the red-head, a sarcastic _'Thanks for encouraging her,'_ coming through her expression. Jane rolled her eyes and shrugged, plainly apathetic about the entire situation.

"Ya know, Katara," Toph grumbled, "Not everyone has such a fucking _wonderful_ little family like you do where we can just up and invite random people over for Thanksgiving, and kids and their parents all get along, and-"

"You still _have a mother,_ " Katara countered with some aggression, cutting Toph rant off. "You should appreciate that she's even _around,_ that she even wants you to _come_ for Thanksgiving with the way you treat her!"

Toph stomped up from her chair, her milky white eyes ablaze and intent but unfocused. She slammed her bare foot against the carpet, cocking her head to the side.

"The way _I_ treat _her?_ She _asks_ for it! If they're going to act like I'm some God damned dog on a leash, I'm gonna fuckin' bite them back!"

"Your parents are probably so protective because they actually _care about you,_ " hissed Katara, jabbing her finger out with indignation. "Maybe they overdo it, sure, but...but you should be grateful you even _have_ them looking out for you!"

"Yea, Dead-Eyes," Jane muttered. "'Cuz ya obviously can't look out for yourself..." She was intending to try and lighten the mood with her dry humor still, but based on the steam that practically blasted through both girl's nose's, she was making things worse.

" _Thanks_ , Jane, that's _just_ what I need right now, having that rubbed in my face."

"I'm sorry, Toph," Jane sighed, attempting to be solemn this time. "I'm just trying to-"

"I'd rather my parents _died_ knowing they loved me and wanted me to make my own choices than have them stalking me, trying to lock me in a cage."

Now Jan was scowling, her arms crossed as she sat on Katara's bed. She dropped any sympathy she had been trying to express like a stone.

"I'm startin' to side with Kat on this one," she huffed. "Maybe you oughtta reconsider that you _have_ parents. Period. 'Cuz I sure as hell wish mine were still around and they're _not_."

Toph's hands were stuck to her hips, her foot thumping grouchily as she tolerated her friend's words.

"At least you have a chance to fix things with them," Jane concluded. "Me and Kat? We've got nothin' _to_ fix. They're _gone._ "

Toph's defenses crippled, her offense deflected, she uttered out a " _Urgh..._ " as she grabbed her guitar from its post by the foot of her bed and stormed out of the room. She whacked her toes on Katara's bed upon exiting and groaned, slapping her hand against the doorway edge in a fit before flying down the hall.

"Damn, what crawled up _that_ girl's ass today?" Jane wondered with irritation.

"I don't even know," Katara sighed. "I get where she's coming from with her parents - they really don't sound like the nicest people - but I think she overreacts about it."

"For fuck's sake, they pamper her like a baby. She has a silver spoon stuck so far down her throat she's entitled to act like some over-protection is the most horrible thing..."

Katara pinched at her temples and breathed out. "I'm sorry you got mixed into that..."

"I don't take bullshit from people," Jane put it simply with a shrug, fuming. "I love that girl, but she needs to grow the fuck up. Lot worse things can happen to a person..." Jane flinched when Katara's hand clasped her arm. She loosened her muscles and let the assuring hand remain.

"Yea. I know, Jane," mumbled Katara darkly. "I'm sorry..." Katara squeezed with sympathy.

Jane sucked in a trembling breath as memories trickled through the cracks of her mind.

"Not your fault. Don't apologize." The red-head scratched her hand at an itch within her shaggy, greasy mat of orange. "I've got half a mind to tell that crazy bitch a few things that'll make 'fuck my life' have a _whole new meaning._ "

* * *

"Dad said 'yes.'" Sokka closed his phone with a wide grin from Toph's chair, ogling her keyboard.

"Wh-...? R-really?" Katara mumbled, flabbergasted. "But...But do we even have _room_ for that many people?"

"We're going to be having Thanksgiving with the grandparents," Sokka clarified with some satisfaction. "So...Yea. We will have the room."

"I-I dunno, Sokka, it just sounds...weird."

"What's so weird about it? It'll be like an extended family party. It'll just be bigger than a usual Thanksgiving."

Katara nodded, her eyes wandering as she saw the upside of his argument.

"I guess I'd just be worried about putting so much stress on Dad for a long weekend like that."

"He said 'yes,' Sis. Frankly, I think the poor guy's been feelin' kinda lonely up there these days."

"Hm..." Katara sighed and shrugged. "I guess I see your point."

"Besides, we're not _kids,_ it's not like he's gonna have to babysit us."

Katara raised a humored brow his way, folding her arms across her chest.

"All of us? In one place for a whole weekend? You _do_ realize how childish we act, don't you?"

" _Pff._ " Sokka tossed his arm, shaking his head. "You _do_ realize we're talking about _our_ Dad, don't you?" he retorted.

Katara rolled her eyes, tucking loose hair behind her ears.

"Ohhhh, our _Dad_..."

"It'll be _awesome._ "

"Yea, I know," Katara conceded. "I'm just concerned about the details, and, like...Toph's parents, for example. I feel like they wouldn't really want her coming with us."

"Hell with 'em," Sokka easily wrote of the proposition. "What are _they_ gonna do, right?"

"Right," Katara agreed with some reluctance and a nervous laugh.

"Sis, you're over-analyzing this. Stop finding the cracks in my brilliant plan for once, huh?"

"Wh-what? I'm...I'm not over-analyzing this!"

She received pale, dulled eyes, lids half closed. They were unconvinced.

"I'm _not,_ " Katara insisted. "I'm just worried about Toph's relationship with her parents, I really think-"

"See what I mean? Worry-worry-worry. Sis, sis, sis..." Sokka wrapped his arm over her shoulder, lamentably shaking his head. "Toph's problem is _her_ problem, not yours. You can't fix it." Katara, now annoyed from the fire she was under, squirmed out of her brother's gesture.

"But I can help her fix it _herself_ , can't I?"

"It's not your business, you should stay out of it."

" _Fine,_ fine, whatever," moaned Katara, swiping her arm through the air to cut off the topic. "I think too much and I care too much and it's not my business and I should just leave her alone and not even _bother_ trying to-"  
"Whoa-whoa-whoa, hey. Breather. Simmer down."

Katara, eyes squinted shut with irritation, pulled in air and released.

"No, I didn't take my medication last night, _all right?_ " she grumbled.

"I...I didn't _ask,_ Sis," Sokka sighed as Katara paced back and forth. "You want some chocolate, or something?"

Katara began to growl but her words cut short. " _No,_ Sokka, I don't want some-...!" Her fists clenched at her sides, Katara's eyes lashed out, only to pop open before dulling themselves down. Her hands opened, her shoulders relaxed, and she sat herself down on her bed with a groan. "Y-yea...Actually, that sounds pretty good right now...Please."

"OK. I'll go get ya some..." Sokka hopped from the chair and walked by, running his hand across his sister's head, scratching it with warm concern.

"Thanks," Katara made sure to say as he vanished from the room.

She leaned over, her shoulders and back aching, and grabbed her phone from next to her computer.

[From: Aang]  
[hey, did somethin happen? toph is really really grouchy and wont tell me why... _ ]  
[Sent: 2:14pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[She's upset about her parents. They apparently don't want you to come for Thanksgiving break.]  
[Sent: 4:13pm]

[From: Suki]  
[are we not practicing tomorrow night now? i thought everything was all set but i ran into toph a bit ago and she said she's not coming?]  
[Sent: 3:25pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Suki]  
[UGH. She's just being fickle today, she's dealing with family stuff and I think Jane and I got her mad. I'm sure she'll come around.]  
[Sent: 4:15pm]

[From: Suki]  
[today? she seems fickle -every- day..:P]  
[Sent: 4:16pm]

"Hey, who ya talkin' to?"

"Aang. Suki. I guess Toph's been giving them trouble, too..." Katara smiled as a Caramello was dropped into her lap. "Thanks a lot, Sokka."

"No prob, Sis. Cheer up, _geez_. You have chocolate now."

"Haha. I sure do."

[From: Aang]  
[yea i already knew that part. i meant what happened with YOUguys. she's pretty mad. O_O; ]  
[Sent: 4:17pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[~sigh~ Sorry, Jane and I think she's acting kind of immature about it and tried suggesting that she try working things out.]  
[Sent: 4:18pm]

"What are you _sighing_ about over there?" Sokka sneakily accused, fiddling with keys on Toph's keyboard and generating random chords. "Wh-? You haven't even _opened_ your chocolate yet? Damnit all! _God._ What are you, stupid? Eat it!"

Katara, eyes rolling, closed her phone and set it aside, sticking her tongue out at her brother as she tore open the wrapper, breaking off a piece and popping it into her mouth. She cracked open the sweet shell and it exploded into a splash of caramel.

"That's _right!_ " Sokka bellowed dramatically, pointing a finger. " _Eat_ that candy and feel _better_ about yourself, woman!"

Katara had to hand it to him: her brother knew how to pacify her when she was stressed, whether it was a mental breakdown or an exam or trouble with her roommate. She found herself reflecting on how grateful she was for that, and yet still worried that perhaps she didn't work as hard as she could in return when he was feeling down. As she chewed on another piece of her Caramello, she made a mental note to dedicate herself to trying harder the next time he seemed down.

Katara was swiftly jolted back to the events around her when a familiar voice growled from behind, entering the room.

"Who the _hell_ is touching my keyboard?"

"Yipe!" squeaked Sokka, immediately switching it off, eyes wide at fearful at the gaze of the girl in the gray sweater whose angry face was pointed in his general direction.

"What are _you_ doing with my stuff, Sokka?" Toph hissed.

"I was-I just-it was sitting there, and I-"

Toph marched forward and slammed her fist into his pectoral, cutting him off.

"Get off!"

Sokka rapidly obeyed her command without question, removing himself from her chair as she whipped at his shin with her walking stick.

" _Ow!_ Hey!" he snapped in retort. She ignored him, slinging her guitar off her back and setting it at the foot of her bed before ramming herself into her chair at the keyboard. "What's _your_ problem?" Sokka grumbled, rubbing chest with a pout. Again, he received the cold shoulder as she plugged in her massive headphones and propped them over her ears, seamlessly commencing with some practice.

Sokka stared at her in disbelief for a moment, scratching his scruffy chin. He spun to his sister and gave her an aghast shrug. She flashed him an expression of expected disapproval at Toph's attitude, biting her lip as she contemplated what to do.

"Toph," Katara blurted. Sokka could see the fire in her eyes, so he backed up, quietly sitting himself on Toph's messy bed. There was, of course, no reply, merely the _thm-thm-thm_ of fingers pressing down plastic keys. Katara groaned, rose to her feet, and swooped over to Toph, staring down at her oblivious face. Katara primly pressed her finger into the power button on the keyboard, and it clicked off. Toph's face boiled with irritation and she tore off her headphones, slapping them against her keyboard's speaker.

"Stop fucking _around,_ Sokka, I'm not in the mood!"

"It wasn't me! It wasn't me!" was Sokka's immediate, squeaking defense.

"Toph, what is your _issue_ today?" Katara demanded firmly.

"My _issue-_ " Toph proceeded to vent, storming to her feet, shoving her chair back. "-is that _everyone_ is getting on my fucking _case_! Back _off!"_

"Back off?" snipped Katara. "I was _trying to do_ that, but you keep giving everyone else trouble!"

"Maybe if you weren't so damn neurotic about keeping everyone happy, and left everyone in peace, it would sort itself out!"

"Are you _seriously_ trying to make me out to be the bad guy because I _care_ about everyone?"

"You're _obsessive,_ you're not our fucking mother, or our doctor, or our psychiatrist! Stop trying to fucking _fix-fix-fix_ everything!" Toph fidgeting her hands around impulsively.

"Oh! I'm _sorry_ ," Katara quipped, oozing sarcasm, hands digging into her hips. "You think I should be more like _you_? Like some...some freaking _wild child,_ who just...does whatever she wants _?_ "

"Yea, may _be!_ " countered Toph, her arms crossed.

Sokka whimpered from the corner of the room, rubbing the back of his neck wih doubt. Why was he here? How could he escape? The girls were blocking the middle of the room...Two bulls, snorting our steam, ready to charge.

"Ya know what? I get it," Katara pricked. "You're acting like this because of your parents."

Toph's face drained slightly, and the Kesuks could see a tinge of regret seep through the milky white eyes, drizzling across her face between strands of black hair.

"...Whatever," Toph grunted, huffing a gust of air that tossed her draping bangs around.

"They were controlling over you," Katara analyzed, pointing out her finger as her mind pieced together her argument, "So as soon as you were able to go to college, you took off, and now you act like your parents don't even exist." Toph shrugged at Katara's observations. "You act like they're such _jerks,_ like you hate them - but you _don't,_ do you? You just feel guilty."

Toph, obviously displeased with the patronizing lecture, flopped back into her seat, still sour-faced.

"I _do_ hate them," she insisted, her confidence now stripped away.

"I don't think so," Katara concluded. " _I_ think you want their approval - you want their acceptance. I think you _miss_ them. You wish they were proud of you, that they respected you. You feel like they're ashamed of you. But you're too stubborn, and you won't confront them about it. You don't want to _deal_ with any of this, so _instead,_ you try pinning it all on them, turn them into villains, and then whenever it gets brought up, you act like this...this _crazy_ person!"

"Piss _off_ , Katara." The words dribbled out of Toph's lips half-heartedly. She regained some momentum and launched a retaliation. " _I'm_ crazy? Who's the one who needs to take _meds_ here, huh?" Katara's eyes burned with indignation at Toph's retort. "Psychoanalyzing me - yea, thanks, that makes me feel _so much better._ I'm not a _kid._ Christ..."

"No, Toph, you _aren't_ a kid. So grow up and stop _acting_ like one!"

"Great idea, **_Mom!_** I'll get right on that!"

"So, are you going to stomp off like usual?" Katara rhetorically insulted. "Run away from me because I'm telling you that you're acting immature? Because you refuse to try solving your own problems?"

"I get your _fucking point!_ " roared Toph, tossing her arms up. " _God,_ shut _up,_ I'm not your charity case!"

"Fine."

"Fine!"

Sokka, shoulders stuck up with fright, eyed both side of the cat-fight, assessing his odds of escape. The tension was so thick he felt like he'd need a chainsaw to get through it.

" _Speaking of 'fine'!_ " he blurted sheepishly, hopping up from Toph's bed. "I'm gonna make like a tree and get something to drink..." He pranced his way out in a rush and closed the door - which had been open the entire time - as he exited.

Toph forced her headphones back on her head, squished her chubby finger into the power button on her keyboard, and went back to practicing. Katara sighed, ate another piece of Caramello, and opened her laptop, accessing YouTube.

* * *

\- Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 -

"You don't _get it,_ Mom!" Toph squealed. "I'm sick of feeling this way! You guys act like I'm this pathetic little girl who can't take care of herself, but I _can!"_

Aang groaned, slamming his forehead onto the table. It was a busy evening at Appa's, and Toph's irate phone discussion was drawing attention.

"Maybe you oughtta help her go somewhere private," Jane suggested in a mumble with a shrug. Aang nodded in concession and dragged himself out of his seat. He stared as Toph went on and took a slurp of his milkshake.

"I'm not running off on my _own,_ Mom, I'd be going to spend the break with my friends!" Toph defended her proposal with irritation hanging on every word. " _No,_ I won't need any transportation, they'd be driving me... _Noooo,_ they are _not_ **shady people,** they're my fucking _friends,_ Mom! I don't hang out with drug-dealers or rapists, or something! Christ..."

"Hey, uh...-" Aang made motion to interrupt Toph, who was now in the hallway, pacing back and forth, running her hand along the ridged concrete wall of the ACC's basement.

"I told you, Mom - I fucking _told you -_ I refuse to be a part of this family holiday if _you_ refuse to treat me and my boyfriend like we're actually family!"

Aang took a deep breath and wedged his hands in his pockets, propping his back against the wall and watching Toph wander across the tiled floor in her bare feet. When her anger wasn't directed at _him,_ it was cute to see her eyes ignite, her nose wrinkle, and the intricate gestures she'd make in her fury. Her hair was dropped loose today, and Aang appreciated the way it trickled down her back.

"Wh-? No, I don't want... _Ugh..._ " She pounded her fist meaninglessly into the wall. "Hey, Dad," she grunted. "I'm not in the mood for-...But-...I just told Mom that-..." She kept trying to squirm her way in, and Aang could hear some shouting from the other line - firm, clear, formal scolding. He found himself relieved that he wouldn't be meeting these people anytime soon, if only for all of the obvious issues that would come up. "No. You want me to come visit? Then you can let me take my boyfriend, and I'll come _right_ over, OK?...All right, fine...Fine...Yea, OK." Having made her rounds, Toph's wall-traveling hand hit Aang. She paused for a moment, working her hand across his chest in a way that demonstrated she knew full well it was him. "Then I guess we'll see what happens _then,_ but right now, my mind is made up, and you can't change it." She sighed and leaned herself into Aang, one hand still on his chest, the other keeping the phone held up.

Jane poked her head around the corner to see the two of them pressed against each other and flashed Aang a lifted brow that read ' _Wow, really?_ ' before shaking her head and disappearing back behind the wall.

"Whatever, Dad. You guy never _listen_ to me. You can't _make_ me visit if I don't _want_ to, give me some fucking _space,_ I can see you guys for Christmas, all right?" More yelling. "No-...That doesn't-... _Ugh!_ " Toph bumped her forehead against the wall above Aang's shoulder as he offered sympathy by rubbing her back. "Yea? Well, I'd like to see ya try." [ _Beep._ ] She closed the phone and stuck it in her jean pocket.

"Great talk with the folks, huh?"

"Like always..."

"Hey, don't worry. We'll have a good time. And maybe you and your parents just need some space, ya know? I'm sure by Christmastime they'll realize how they're acting-"

" _No,_ Aang, they _won't_." Toph thumped her head again. "It's always been this way, it always _will_."

"O-OK, well...Just tryin' to be optimistic."

"Yea, I know."

"Let's go finish dinner, huh?" Aang rubbed Toph's hips roughly, trying to shake her from her daze.

"Sure..."

* * *

\- Thursday, November 18th, 2010 -

["Hey."] It was Katara. She did not sound pleased. As expected. ["Um...So. I just got back from practice. Suki was _not_ happy that you weren't there. Just thought I'd warn you. Listen, I know you're avoiding me, Toph. Since you won't let me say it to your face I guess this will have to do. I'm sorry. OK? I _really_ am sorry. I still stand by a lot of what I said, but...that doesn't mean it was right to throw it out at you like that. Can we please talk this out later? I guess I'll...hear from you when I hear from you."]

Toph sighed and closed her phone. She had been holding off listening to the voicemail all day, but found herself relieved that she had. If only she'd listened to it earlier, she could've sorted out any awkwardness right then. Now she'd have to deal with it later that night with a tired, studied-out roommate. But right now, she had to clear her mind, because none of that mattered. She stuck her phone in her pocket as she stepped onto the cool, flat wooden paneling of the small stage. Right now, what mattered was that wood beneath her toes, the stool she found her way to, the smell of coffee thick in the air, the murmurings of attendees, and the feeling of her darling instrument between her hands.

**_"~Yea, I'll~tell you something~"_ **

She strummed at her strings with conviction, the pace slow and methodical, in a lower key to play bass for the intro.

**_"~I think you'll understand~"_ **

Her words poured out the very feelings she refused to show earlier.

**_"~When I~say that something~"_ **

The truth Katara saw that she had been denying.

_**"~I wanna hold your hand~"** _

Arms reached out. They stretched, her toes flexed out to prop up and meet her.

_"Mommy? Mommy?"_

**_"~I wanna hold your hand~"_ **

_"Mommy is busy, Dear."_

The cold kitchen tiles against her feet _._ The voice fading away as it called out. _  
_

**_"~I wanna hold your hand~"_ **

_"Maya?"_

_"Yes, Mistress?"_

_"Could you please look after my Darling for a while?"_

**_"~Oh, please~say to me~"_ **

Her hands exploded on the strings and played chords now instead of instruments, the notes splashing through the air before her, leaking out melancholic memories through the cracks.

**_"~You'll let me be your man~"_ **

_"But-but_ Dad, _I can do it! I_ can! _"_

_"Toph, it's too dangerous. I can't let you."  
_

_**"~And please~say to me~"** _

_"Mom, could you do my hair for me?" **  
**_

_**"~You'll let me hold your hand~"** _

_"I'm sorry, Dear, I'm occupied. Oh, but...Hm. I see. Madison, Dear?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Help tidy this girl's hair. It's quite a mess today."  
_

_**"~Now let me hold your hand~** _

Arms reached out. They stretched, her fingers grasping for his attention.

_**"~I wanna hold your hand~"** _

_"I'm sorry, Toph, but I have a lot of paperwork I need to take care of today."_

_"I know, Dad, I just...-"_

_"Yes?"_

I just want a hug.

_"Nothin'. I'll go ask Madison..."_

_**"~And when I touch you~I feel~"** _

The tight dress against her bosoms, her hips...it was rather uncomfortable. Her hair tucked in a bun, the hard shoes housing her toes...she couldn't stand it.

_**"...happy..."** _

But her hands were clasped in theirs. Her parents walked her into the banquet hall, their daughter between them.

**"~inside~"**

She felt as if, for once, they were actually proud to have her in their presence, displaying themselves as a family in public.

_**"~It's such a feeling that my love~"** _

Aang's earlobe between her lips.

_**"~I can't hide~"** _

Sokka's hand ruffling her hair.

_**"~I can't hide~"** _

Jane's forehead acne under her palm.

_**"~I can't hide~"** _

Katara's concerned embrace.

_**"~Yea, you~You got that something~"** _

The smell of chocolate chip cookies, her rickety voice humming along to the song.

_**"~I think you'll understand~"** _

_"I love you, Grammy-Gram."_

_"Why, that is_ quite _a coincidence, my Muffin - because I happen to love you, too._ "

_**"~When I~feel that something~"** _

Dry, wrinkled skin against her fingertips. Wet, fat lips smooshing her cheeks lovingly.

_**"~I wanna hold your hand~"** _

_"You act like they're such_ jerks _, like you hate them - but you don't, do you? You just feel_ guilty _."_

_**"~I wanna hold your hand~"** _

_"But you're too stubborn, and you won't confront them about it."_

_**"~I wanna hold your hand~"** _

I'm your own daughter and you won't even _touch_ me, you won't let me take care of my own things, but you won't take care of me _yourselves,_ either...

_**"~I wanna hold your hand~"** _

Toph strummed the final chord, and the room burst into applause. Her insides torn, her eyes threatening to drip from the unknown mysteries that were worming their way out against her will, she raised her hands to express acceptance of their praise, slung her guitar over her back, and carefully wandered off stage as the smattering died down. She fumbled for her walking stick, thankfully right where she had left it, and briskly found her way out of the Jasmine Dragon.

"Wow," muttered a short blonde boy, scratching his head, staring at her as she passed through the glass double doors and up the stairs. "Pipsqueak, didn't she seem familiar to you?"

"Uh..." Pipsqueak ran his hand across his rough black hair. "Hm. Yea, The Duke. Sure looks familiar to me. Isn't she one of those people from Smellerbee's gang?"

" _Right!_ Yes, of course...And she was in the band at FestivALL, as well..."

"Toph Beifong, right?" came the voice of Jin, the clerk behind the counter who was preparing The Duke's drink. "Yep, that was her all right."

"She's st-...Just...It's stunning-" The Duke murmured, impressed, "-how well she can perform without any sense of sight."

"You're telling me," Jin agreed, drizzling whipped topping onto the beverage. "She comes here every Thursday Night for Open Mic, and every time she plays...it's like she's really just pouring her _soul_ into it, ya know?"

"Yea," confirmed Pipsqueak. "She seemed real sad..."

"She did," Jin lamented with a shrug, passing The Duke's freshly brewed drink. "I live across the hall from her, and her and her roommate have been arguing a lot lately. From what _my_ roommate tells me, that girl's got a lot on her plate."

"Well, she's a talented musician," observed the blond boy, straightening his tie as he stepped aside and let Pipsqueak take his order.

Jin smiled and bobbed her head to the side thoughtfully. "They say good music comes from the heart."


	29. Smellerbee

[SRU SketchDump ](http://doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/art/SRU-SketchDump-318842343) by *[DoodleBuggy](http://doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/)

* * *

\- April, 2005 -

"Hello? Anybody home?" Jane surveyed the quiet living room, the lights on. There was no car in the driveway aside from her own, but someone had to be home - the door had been unlocked and lights were still on. With a shrug, she let an exhausted sigh slip from her lips she set her backpack onto the floor by the couch. It had been a long, damp weekend of hiking and camping, but had been rewarding, nonetheless.

"Hell _-oh_?" she called out, confused, as she unstrapped her hiking boots. Her feet tender and blistered, she carefully paced through the living room, appreciating the squishy, soft carpet, and glanced out through the glass sliding door to the backyard. No one was in sight. "Hm." She frowned, perplexed, and wandered upstairs. She noticed the bathroom door was closed, and it clicked - whoever was home was probably occupied. "Hey," she greeted to them, stretching out her arms and dragging her aching joints to her bedroom at the end of the hall. "I'm home early," she explained to whichever cousin was there. She knew her uncle was still at work on this Sunday afternoon. She received no response but shrugged it off. This family wasn't exactly talkative, but she didn't mind. "Anyway, I'll be in my room," she advised, closing her banged-up door.

Her muscles were sore, her head throbbed, and her clothes were damp with rain and sweat. It had been an exhausting week of camping and she was bushed. Without the will to take a shower at the moment, she opted that she would just change into fresh clothes for the time being. Her room's walls were painted black, posters of a random assortment of movies that didn't really make sense together were splattered haphazardly around the room. Her sheets sat in a bunch on her mattress, a pile of clothes from a week before exactly as she'd left it at the foot of the bed. A composition notebook was flopped onto the corner of her dress, the name "Smellerbee" scribbled and retraced on its front, cartoony sketches of bumblebees buzzing around the cover. She slipped on a pair of roomy sweatpants for lazy Sunday afternoons, appreciating the security that was brought by the familiar sound of the toilet flushing in the distance and creaking footsteps crawling down the hall. That security was shattered at the sound of her bedroom door's handle clicking.

"What the hell, man?" she hissed with irritation, happy her back had been facing the door as her shirt was off. She rushed to slap her fresh T-shirt on. "Would ya _knock_ from now on? I was freakin'-..." When she'd whirled around, her heart had skipped a beat, a wave of fear washing through her veins. He didn't belong here. This was _her_ space. She'd thought she'd gotten rid of him months ago when his family had moved. She gulped hard, a knot in her throat, her insides churning at the sight of his curious face. "N-Nils?" she mumbled. She dunked her words in a bucket of spare courage she had lying around and tossed them out at him. "What are _you_ doing here? Get outta my room!"

"Aw, little Cousin It's all sensitive about their girly parts," Nils taunted. "Simmer down, prick," he grunted, rolling his eyes at her defensive nature. "Your cousins went to the store to get some drinks, I'm waiting for them to get back."

"Why'd they leave you _here,_ then?" Jane demanded, suspicious. "And what are you even doing in town?"

"Just seein' some faces before I graduate. And they told me to come meet them here at three. I showed up in town a bit early so I figured I'd just stop in like old times and make myself at home."

The explanation seemed plausible enough, and Jane's cousins _did_ have a tendency to leave the front door unlocked, and Nils had become like some odd overgrowth into the family. Her cousins would probably leave the door open on purpose for good ol' fucking Nils.

"Fine, whatever," dismissed the red-head with the scowling olive eyes. "Just...piss off and leave me alone, all right?"

"Whatsa matter?" Nils jeered. "Why all the hate, huh? Don't miss your old _chum_?"

" _Out."_ Jane burst the word out through clenched teeth, her heart-rate climbing just being in his presence. Rage and fear blended together into a most unpleasant combination. She thrust her index finger back to the hall behind her longtime adversary.

He shook his head and sighed. "I try to play _nice_ and you're a complete _bitch_. Just like old times, am I right?" His smug grin and devilish eyes berated her, and in her wrath she gave in, stomping to him and shoving at his shoulders. She was shocked when her wrists were tightened by his grasp. She pulled to no avail, glaring at his cocky smile. He twisted her arms around, behind her back, and chuckled at her squirming and huffing. "You think you're so tough, but you're just a scrawny little stick." He let go suddenly, and Jane found herself tumbling back, falling flat on her rear. As Jane lamented the pain and frustration, the door closed. The soothing _click_ of the lock on the door - normally a great comfort - was now terrifying. This didn't compute. Nils, in this safe space, was never meant to exist.

"Leave me the fuck alone," Jane growled, her strength deteriorating as she scrambled to her feet.

"We both know that's not what you really want, Jamie," Nils suggested, his eyes sly as he ran his hand across his thin, clean blond hair. "Ya know, I'm actually really glad you showed up when you did. It's like fate." He was slowly pacing toward her, one step forward for each one she took back. "Two star-crossed lovers..." he mused dryly. "...getting a chance to embrace before their farewell."

"Don't you fucking _touch me_ ," seethed the girl from the corner of her room. In that moment, every odd glance, every lingering smile, every off-remark, and every insult...all of it came snapping together like a puzzle. He was obsessed with her, wasn't he? _That_ was why he always saved some attention for her, why he _always_ went out of his way to give her trouble, all this time. "I swear to God, Nils, I will rip your fucking _balls_ off," Jane threatened, shaking her head intently at him, relishing the idea.

" _Oh-ho!_ " He clapped his hands together mockingly. "You really know how to cut straight to the chase, _don't you_? Always have liked that about you Fitzpatricks."

Jane had run out of space to retreat to and he had come within inches of her by now. Her fists were tight, and she launched one into his chest. It sunk into his pectoral with little effect, save for a cough.

"Whoa, throwing punches, are we?" Nils shrugged off her feeble attempt. She swung the other at his face, and he absorbed the blow, as if on purpose. Her arms were trembling now, eyes ablaze, as she shook off her wrist. He sighed and sniffed, wiping a trickle of blood from his nose. "Two for two. Haven't lost your touch, have ya? Scrapper. Livin' up to that Irish name."

_You fucking-ho-bag-douche-whore-shithead-creeper, **shut up.**_

Jane motioned to ram her knee into his testicles - that would sure keep him quiet - but her efforts failed as he caught on to her scheme, delivering a solid blow to her stomach with his knuckles. Jane's twisted intestines were now smashed together, and she coughed violently from the force.

"But now it's my turn," Nils explained after the fact, pressing his head against her own, which was bobbed down, her body scrunching up in reaction to the hit. She pushed at his thick frame with her scrawny arms to no avail, pressed at his head with his own despite her dazed state, but the strength simply wasn't there. She was too skinny, he was too large, the wind had just been knocked from her, and she was already drained from her hiking that day. His butch hand clutched itself around her neck before slamming it against the wall. The back of her skull pounded with pain, the world a blur around her, until another body blow overloaded her senses.

She came to moments later, the familiar comfort of her bed calming her petrified soul. Her situation came roaring back into her mind like a train crashing into her fortress of peace. As her senses drifted back, she was horrified at the realization that the very clothes she had just changed into her no longer there. She only wore her underwear.

"Rise and shine, Cousin It." Nils' voice berated from above. She grabbed her head in agony, her sight still blurred from the impact. "Hm. A push-up bra and boxers. Can't say I'm surprised in the slightest."

"...The...The _fuck_ are you...-?" Jane warily urged words out but they tumbled and spilled where she intended to lash.

"I know it's been an excruciating wait, my friend." The girth of Nils' body heaved down on Jane's back and she grunted out in defiance as he continued. "All this time you've been teasing me with the name-calling, the punching..." Nils pinched at her cheek and she tugged away, her skin stretching and snapping back. "...Flaunting those cute _freckles_ of yours and that pretty, pretty hair." He ran his dry, clean hands through her greasy, sweaty mess of orange. Jane thrashed from under his heft, squirming to escape. She may not have possessed the physical force to bring him down, but surely she was too speedy for him.

Just as she could feel herself finding some headway, a clump of her hair was tugged back, yanking her head up, the nerve endings burning her scalp. She cried out in aggrevation and fury, scratching at his arm with her dirty nails. Her face was crushed into her own pillow, eliciting her to switch up her reaction and gasp for breath through her own pillow's fabric rather than attack. The cold, beefy hand against her neck felt like Death's fingers pulling at her spirit. She could hear the sound of Nils' jeans unzipping from behind her, and she anticipated the torture that awaited.

She couldn't run, she couldn't fight, she could only endure, relieved at least that she was on her stomach and didn't have to see his face while he decimated her defenses. Her body involuntarily choked out sounds of disgust and anguish, to which a hand enveloped her lips to quiet her. His nose sniffing at her head felt like rabid wolf, his hand on her neck like claws. Minutes passed, each second a small eternity of agony. The walls of her only place of solitude and safety crumbled, a white flag of surrender all that stood in the aftermath.

She tried to drown out the sensations, but she might as well have been ignoring bullets and grenades from inches away. When the last round had been fired and the battle ended, the weight lifted, the zipper sounded again, a siren in her ears, and she flinched as his hand gently smacked the back of her head.

"You'll always be _mine,_ Little Cousin It."

Jane did not move from her position on the bed for a long, defeated moment. She felt dead, her soul riddled with bullet holes. She simply waited, trembling in a heap on her stomach, until the door closed. She slowly rolled onto her back, her fresh afflictions surging cramps and pain through her body. She woefully glanced at the closed door to confirm that the danger was gone. Only then, upon his exit, did she allow herself to cry out the shadows he had put in.

She decided that she would not feel this way ever again.

And she would get revenge on anyone who _did_ make her feel this way.

* * *

\- Sunday, November 21st, 2010 -

"So did you finally manage to get that _stick_ out of Toph's ass?" Jane wondered, spinning her straw around in her large cup with the blue arrow. She glanced at Aang's sigh as she tipped her strawberry milkshake up to her face.

"Did _you_ finally manage to get one out of _Johnny_ ' _s_?" he retorted, grabbing his fresh veggie wrap in both hands.

" _Touche_ ," Jane congratulated, raising her cup with a wink. "'Atta boy, Aang. You just may end up growing a pair one of these days," she teased. "There's hope for you yet." They exchanged humored grins before Aang chewed into his green-tinted wrap and Jane sucked a gulp of pink shake. "Seriously, though," Jane muttered. "She seems better this weekend. Things get cleared up?"

"W-well, I mean...as much as they _can_ be right now, sure," Aang answered with some hesitation.

"What does _that_ mean?" Jane dubiously inquired, taking a moment to study Aang's sheepish expression, his eyes staying stuck to his food.

"Her and Katara made up and everything."  
"Of course."  
"But...she's still really upset with her parents." He sighed, enjoying another bite of his meal. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy with them, myself, but...I think Katara has a good point."

"Yeh," Jane shrugged in compliance, uncomfortable with taking any sides.

"She won't listen to anyone, though," Aang lamented. "Not even me."

"Guess she'll figure it out herself," Jane concluded with some remorse. "The hard way."

Aang nodded his head to the side in admittance, not pleased with the concept.

"When she gets worked up about her folks, though, she gets all...-" Aang huffed, letting the thought trail off.

"Gets all what?" Jane prodded coyly, noticing some embarrassment in Aang's demeanor.

"Difficult," replied Aang. "Very pushy."

" _Pushy,_ huh?" The red-head crossed her arms, amused by the prospect as she quickly pieced things together.

"Y-yea, it's...She gets very...physically demanding."

"Horny, Aang. You can say it."

"..." Aang's brows furrowed in discomfort.

"C'mon."

"Sh-she gets...really horny..." The words trickled out reluctantly. "It's weird, and...I-I don't know what to do with it when she acts like that."

Jane slurped more strawberry liquid and wiped her lips with her knuckle, holding back a chuckle at his endearing confusion.

"Oh, so you're not interested?" Jane teased with glee as Aang's face burned up.

"N-no, that's-...Of course I am," Aang assured. "It...It's a little...bit _much_ sometimes."

"Little forceful, is she? Ya don't _say..._ " Jane grinned facetiously.

"It bothers me sometimes, though," explained Aang with some seriousness through his blushing. "She gets so stubborn, and she tries pushing me to do stuff I just...-"

"...You're not comfortable with," finished Jane with some solemnity.

"Yea," huffed Aang.

Jane nodded slowly, and sat her drink down. "Aang, listen," she firmly advised. "I _know_ how that girl is. Don't let her force you to do something you aren't cool with."

"Yea...She's...She's usually good about taking it slow," Aang defended her. "We've...ya know." He popped his shoulders up. "We've made progress, we're a lot more...intimate than we were when we started."

"Don't let her _push you_ , Bud," Jane reiterated, tapping her finger into the table. "Take your time. Trust me, that kinda stuff...It's tricky."

"I don't...I don't know what I'm _doing_ ," Aang explained. "This is...It's all _new_ to me. I've never had a girlfriend before Toph."

"Heh." Jane smirked and nodded her head. "Yea, no kidding. I can tell."

A pouty frown poured across Aang's face and Jane laughed.

"Hey, don't be like that, ya baby. It's fine. Everyone has to start somewhere."

"I feel like I'm...not 'man' enough or something."

"Hm." Jane drank the last of her milkshake as she contemplated her reply. "From experience, Aang, lemme tell ya: it's not about how 'manly' or 'womanly' you are, it's about...how you _are._ Period. Toph doesn't look at it like that. She doesn't think 'is Aang _man_ enough?' Get me?" Aang nodded at her raised, expectant eyebrows. "Toph thinks 'Aang _is_ enough.' Just _you,_ exactly as you are _._ I know she's told you this."

"She has, she has...When she gets all...pressuring...and stuff, it starts seeming like she wants me to do things I don't want to do yet, or be someone I'm not."

"I hear ya," Jane agreed. "I can see that. But like you said, maybe that's just because she's stressed right now."

"I guess."

"Ya know, Aang..." Jane fidgeted in her seat as he ripped through his vegetables. "I know what it's like."

"Mmph?" His mouth was full.

"The...- " Jane glanced around Appa's, pleased that there wasn't anyone nearby who would likely overhear. "The 'uncomfortable' thing." She was mumbling now, trying to convey some intimacy but unsure how to do it in this public setting.

"What do you mean?" Aang wondered.

"I...-" Jane's olive eyes darted to her right for a moment, her nail running across her left eyebrow. "I've had trouble with...physical stuff, too." Aang's curious eyes were now peppered with concern. "It takes time, but eventually, with the right people, it works. It's all about going at your own pace, Bud."

"I know, I'm trying. You...You and Johnny, you guys have...-" Aang waggled his finger left and right. "-worked through stuff like that?"

Jane nodded and took a deep breath as her mind was washed over the stress of that entire situation.

" _I'm_ the one who needed to go slow," Jane admitted. "So I had to keep getting Johnny to drop the pace here and there. We got there eventually, though."

"Got there?"

" _Got_ there," Jane snickered with a wink.

"And things are going well?" Aang checked. Jane's smile faded and gave way to a melancholy sigh as she folded her arms onto the table and sat her chin down.

"They're...hit-and-miss," she groaned.

"Haven't they...been like that for a few _weeks_ now?"

" _Uuuughhhh..._ " She slammed her head into the table.

"Sounds like I'm not the only one who needs to work on some stuff."

Jane quickly popped her head up and ranted off her issue. "I seem important to him until those God _damned_ Freedom Fighters need him. They _always_ come before me. What the _shit_? Seriously!"

Aang flinched back from her rage, wide-eyed, and Jane recognized her fury and settled it.

"Heh, sorry, Bud. I'm a little...worked up about it."

"Yea, _no kidding,_ " picked Aang, stealing her line from earlier. "I can _tell._ "

"You're getting quicker on the draw, Aang." Jane pointed to him with a sneaky grin. "But ya gotta be more original with your comebacks."

* * *

\- Monday, November 22nd, 2010 -

"The _fuck?_ " snapped Jane, exploding with irritation. "Are you serious, Johnny?" She pounded her fist against her pillow as the slender young man slid into his pants. "Can't it _wait?_ You're just gonna leave right in the middle...-?"

Longshot shook his head, jamming his feet into his working boots. Jane rolled onto her back, tucking the sheets back over herself.

"Fine. Whatever. Obviously, I'm fuckin' chopped liver on a stick over here..."

Longshot gave her a disapproving gaze in the dim light from the desk lamp, but Jane avoided it, opting instead to inspect the time: [ **1:12am** ].

"It's an emergency. I have responsibilities," Longshot defended with conviction. "You have to accept that."

"Yea, you just _keep on_ spinnin' it 'round back on _me_ ," growled Jane, rotating around so that all he could see was a freckled shoulder and a ball of hair popping out from the covers. "Makes me feel _super_ important. Glad to know my place."

"You insist on having this same argument over and over," Longshot sighed, zipping up his flannel coat. Jane refused to acknowledge his statement as he approached the door, poised to leave. The handle clicked. "Good night," Johnny muttered gently, sticking his hat over his head.

"Night," was the bitter farewell he was given.

* * *

\- Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 -

"Don't-!..." Smellerbee jabbed her finger out with accusation at Johhny's suspicious glance. "I just-!...Stop _looking_ at me like that, Longshot." He didn't stop. "I told you, I'm not in the mood to discuss it, all right?"

Longshot shrugged and fidgeted his cap, his eyes rolling with a smirk, as if this were merely some embarrassing factoid akin to a light-hearted childhood story.

"It's not _funny,_ Longshot," insisted the grouchy red-head with a heaving sigh. "Can we just...drop it?" Scratching at her itchy, sweaty scalp, she flopped onto his bed and bobbed her head down in exhaustion.

Her mind boiled with anger at how Jet had stirred this history back to her present just the day before.

* * *

\- Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 -

"Ya just _couldn't_ let it go, _could_ ya?" Smellerbee growled, fists clenched, grime wedged in her fingernails. "Couldn't let it the _fuck_ go!" she roared at Jet, kicking her tire again.

"Oh, like how _you_ forgot _your_ demons, right?" Jet countered. "Sure let _that_ shit go, didn't ya?"

Smellerbee could feel Longshot's inquisitive presence prying at her with that curious raised brow of his, but she dared not look at him.

"That's-!...That was _different,_ " Smellerbee hissed, slashing her hand defensively through the air. She marched over to Jet and grabbed his collar, tugging his face within mere inches of hers. She seethed to him in a whisper, "I fucking _told_ you to never bring that shit up. Ever!"

* * *

\- Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 -

And now here her boyfriend was, expectantly curious about what Jet could've been referring to - what Jet knew that Longshot did not. It crawled around the inside of Smellerbee's skull like a parasitic worm that had never left but had merely hibernated for quite some time. The familiar stinging confusion warped her thoughts as she considered the prospect of confession. Guilt ravaged her brain: _How could you tell Katara about this and not your own boyfriend? He knows about most everything else. Why have you hidden_ this _from him?_ The answer was quite simple. _Because he is a man. Because he will hold it over my head, just like Jet did, and never let me forget about it. Because he is just and will want me to accept penance or something. But I just want to leave it alone. I don't want to go back to that. A different person did those things.  
_

Longshot's perplexation was contained as he stood before her and wrapped his hand around hers, his way of assuring that things were all right.

 _Things are really_ not _all right, Johnny...Fuckin' Jet, why did he have to bring that up? Argh. Guess I asked for it, though. Fucking stupid. What was I thinking?_

Smellerbee's mind was dragged out of the mud as Johnny's lips pressed against her forehead. She was in a foul mindset, but her depleted energy welcomed the sensation. He bent his head to the side and enveloped her lips with his own, and she reciprocated. Somehow, in that ever-knowing way, Johnny could tell she wasn't in the mood for anything too intimate, so he sat beside her on his bed. She yawned and stretched, and by the time she was done with this gesture, she was overcome by a methodical and familiar rubbing on her ears. Johnny's slender, strong fingers worked around her ear lobs and up around the entirety of her ears, quickly sending her into a deep state of relaxation. Only Johnny knew of this weakness of hers - no one else had ever cracked this particular code because no one had ever bothered to find it. Before she knew it, her head was against Johnny's skinny shoulder, her face warm and her arms numb. She hummed out a pleased sound and let herself drift into slumber.

* * *

\- Monday, November 22nd, 2010 -

Jane scratched at her ears, her sleep interrupted for reasons she couldn't identify. She rolled over groggily, trying to decipher the alarm clock on her desk. The blurry red lines eventually formed the time: [4:52am.] Johnny hadn't come back yet. Had he just gone back to his own dorm instead? That would figure. Jane groaned out in dissatisfaction.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, Jane," squeaked the mousy voice from across the dark room. "Did I wake you?" It was Ginnie, Jane's roommate, at her computer, the laptop glow reflecting off of her glasses.

"Nah, Jin," Jane grunted, rotating back over, unable to find a comfortable position, her shoulders stiff, her stomach empty. "'S cool..."

"Is everything all right?" Jin wondered. "You've been really restless in your sleep."

"GrRrRmMmMmNm," was all Jane found herself able to muster through her pillow, her face half buried in its fabric out of frustration.

"Hee. I'm sorry to hear that," Jin joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere of the dark dorm room. "If you'd like, you could have some sleeping pills or something."

"Mmm," hummed Jane approvingly.

"Haha, all right. No problem." Jin's motions were like a blur in the pale light of the laptop, and as she fiddled with a bottle and poured water in a glass from their bathroom sink, Jane fumbled for her cell phone. She flipped it open, the light blinding her eyes, and closed it quickly thereafter upon the disappointing realization that she had no new messages. Worry overtook her, but she knew if anything had actually come up, she would hear from _someone_ , so she laid her concerns to rest and gladly took the glass of water Jin provided, popping the pair of pills and swallowing.

Jane chugged the water down with ferocity and lamented her own dehydration and hunger before grumbling out a "Thanks," and settling herself back into her sheets.

"Hope you sleep better," Jin offered retreating back to her computer.

Jane and Jin shared this bizarre but comforting relationship in which they rarely interacted but when they did, it was peaceful coexistence. Jin didn't ask questions, and neither did Jane. They both were often away and half the time neither even slept in their own room. It wasn't anything that Jane held onto, but she had grown to appreciate the natural flow and lack of difficulty. With Jin, there was no commitment, no questions, and no worries. She had a feeling this was a mutual feeling. Smellerbee would have preferred this kind of relationship over one where she'd get periodically frustrated with her fussy friends or irritated by their sense of humor, but Jane had grown to rather enjoy the mystery that each day brought with this group of people and the deliberate sense of being belonged - not out of obligation like the Freedom Fighters but out of choice. She _chose_ to spend time with them, to be a part of their 'clan.'

She _chose_ to commit that act, years ago.

_Fuck me._

Her mind was reminded of that which seemed to be possessing her in her sleep this week, and she opted to attempt sliding back into slumber's embrace with the prospect of better dreams. Better dreams didn't come.

* * *

\- July, 2005 -

The arid summer afternoon was welcoming to Jane's teenage senses, the scent of dry grass blissful, the gentle occasional breeze soft against her hair, which flowed down her back in a scruffy ponytail. She couldn't have asked for a nicer day to run this errand. She followed her steps from the day prior, traversing the hot fields near her home. In this place, on her own, she enjoyed the company of her only true friend: nature. While most summer afternoons out in the wild had been spent leisurely, this was different. Jane Fitzpatrick had a purpose, a task of dire importance to fulfill. This made her glad.

The consistent, gentle humming sound she approached was relaxing, welcoming.

 _Come. Come to us, Jane,_ she could swear they said. _We are ready._

She stared at their hefty mass, wrapped around the small tree's branches. Jane grinned a wide smile that rivaled the Cheshire Cat's as she approached. She savored the sweet irony as her biology terms screeched to a halt. _Apidae: Bombus_. That may have been a species she loved - the Bumble Bee - but _these_ creatures that swarmed before her...they were hybrids. They had no accurate terminology to suit them, no concrete scientific classification. These creatures were a mistake, an unnatural species that had become reality - something she could connect with.

These were Africanized Bees. While in most other situations Jane would lament their unfortunate nickname, on this day, she couldn't contain her pride in the association.

_Killer bees._

"Hey, there, girls," Jane greeted verbally with a casual wave. "Good to see ya again. How ya been?" She lifted her metal can and directed the spout at the pulsating swarm, flooding the colony with smoke.

Bees could smell fear - pheromones - but Jane was not afraid. And if their senses were dulled by smoke, their channels of communication faded. After she had sufficiently doused them into a stupor, she set down her can and picked up her glass jar. She gently, confidently, extended an arm, scooping up a handful of the insects. Their tiny feet en mass danced across her palm, trickling across her fingers in a river of energy and life. She watched with delight as they scurried and as some took flight, whirling around and away. She slipped her fingers into the jar and let the small platoon crawl off, finding their way onto a tiny branch she'd set inside. With care, she screwed on the jar's top, and was quick to drizzle a helping of smoke inside before leaving. If the insects panicked and released chemicals indicating as such, she might have to worry about the swarm immediately behind giving chase.

Unscathed, Jane merrily began her trek back home, ammunition in hand.

"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten, ladies," Jane promised her private army, admiring their tiny bodies as they wandered around their glass deployment vehicle.

* * *

Jane tended her restless new pets with another puff of smoke, her window wide open and a fan blowing to mask the gas as well as the potential noise. She had been lucky to smuggle them in, careful to sneak through the back door while her cousins tossed a football in the front yard. She untied her tail and let the mess of orange fumble across her back. She occupied herself for a while in her bedroom, doing her best to settle her nerves and maintain her resolve. She sat at an old desk, one inherited from her late mother that she had cared for tenderly over the years. Propping open the top drawer, she admired a pewter-hilt that formed the shape of a roaring lioness head, and smirked at the blade that protruded from the other end. It had seen use in the months since she had received it the prior Christmas, a relic passed down from her grandfather on her dad's side. It had been her father's, left behind when he had moved out, only to be unearthed and given to Jane to be put to work for various tasks, the common of which being letter opening. She delighted at the sight of it as it glinted back up at her.

_Hello, old friend. What shall it be tonight? Business or pleasure? Maybe a bit of both?_

"Hey, 'Cuz!" cried out a distant voice from the stairwell. "You seen my phone anywhere?"

"Nope!" Jane cried back simply.

"Shit...I think the battery might be dead. Well, whatevs. We're finally headin' out to go pick up Dad."

"Yep!" She casually dug into her pocket as she heard the stomping footsteps of her cousins flee the house and fiddled with the device she'd procured - the very phone her cousin had been inquiring about. She sorted through the contact list to the guest of the hour and sent a message to someone who was spending their summer vacation in town - someone she had been avoiding as best she could for months and who had, funny enough, been seeming to avoid her.

[To: NILS]  
[yo man wassup? my bro is gettin pops n then its baseball time u in or wut?]  
[Sent: 5:36pm]

Jane set the phone down and took a deep breath. She waited, her mind full to burst with adrenaline, the wait agonizing.

_Rrrrrmmmm._

She grabbed the phone in a flash, viewing the message with heated anticipation. _  
_

[From: NILS]  
[Sounds good. Should I come over?]  
[Sent: 5:38pm]

With shaky hands, she punched in a response.

[Reply]  
[To: NILS]  
[ya totally im up in my room come over]  
[Sent: 5:38pm]

Jane deleted the messages - sent and received - that had occurred during this exchange and snapped the phone shut, proceeding to sneak off to her cousins' shared bedroom. She cautiously traversed discarded clothes and magazines about sports, porn, and hunting until she reached their bunkbed. She slipped the phone on the floor just under the bed, carefully dropping it atop a stinky t-shirt. She clicked on the television in their room, leaving it at its default station as some sports commentary played. She drowned out whatever the suits were babbling about and closed the door, then did the same to an empty bathroom.

The trap was set. All that she had to do now was wait.

She shut the entrance to her own room so that only a crack was open, and she tactfully hid her jar of bees between her desk and her dresser. She pried open the drawer, retrieved her blade, and contemplated different possibilities as to how this would play out. Before she knew it, the sound of someone entering the house echoed from downstairs. Jane could feel her heart speed up as the steps approached her, climbing the creaky old stairs, one by one.

"Hey, man! I'm here!" Nils' painfully familiar voice called out.

_You sure are, you fucking prick._

She waited until the tell-tale groaning of her cousins' bedroom door sounded before she quietly slipped out of her room, holding both hands behind her. She made sure to keep some distance as she approached, a panther on the prowl.

"You in the bathroom or-...?" Nils curious question was stifled when he saw Jane staring at him from the hallway. His hair was slick as usual, and he wore an unbuttoned jacket representing some sports team Jane had never bothered to focus on. He had been wearing it every time she had seen him that summer, which she found to be unwise given the hot weather. Nils had never been one to care much for practicality, though. "Well, well," he said with amusement. "And how are _you_ doing today, Fitz?"

"Fuckin' fantastic," growled Jane, eyes narrowed. "Get the hell over here," she cut to the chase. Nils' brows raised and a smile worked its way up.

"Wow, pushy as ever." He sauntered toward her, and she carefully backtracked, keeping her gaze locked on him. She swerved to the stairwell and drew her knife, pointing it straight out. His hungry, questioning eyes now flashed with shock.

"Get in my room," Jane commanded robotically.

"Whoa, _whoa,_ Cousin It. I didn't know you were _that_ happy to see me..."

"Get. In. My. Room," she repeated with conviction, showing no sign of amusement.

"All right, OK." Shrugging his hands up, Nils did as he was told. "We're playing _your_ game this time, is that it?"

 _Damn straight we're playing_ my _game, you creep._

Jane followed him in, knife raised all the while.

"You even dressed up all nice for me," Nils observed. "Ya got your hair down, you're showing off those precious little freckles on your shoulders..." Jane noticed her bare shoulders above the black tanktop she was wearing, and was stunned at how he could still be trying to flatter her after all that had transpired. She couldn't tell if he was sarcastic or delusional. In a few minutes, it wouldn't matter either way.

She issued her next command. "Get on the bed."

"Ho, _ho,_ right down to business. So very tact." Nils slung off his light sports jacket, dropping it at the foot of her bed. She was glad that he hadn't noticed the jar on the floor to her right yet, the rushing fan on her desk covering their sound. She took a quick moment to survey the jar's position, and in that moment, Nils took her by surprise, gripping the wrist that contained the knife. She struggled, her heart pounding, as Nils twisted her own arm until it gave out, dropping the blade to the floor. He pushed her away, her back slamming into her dresser, as he bent down to pick up the knife. This unexpected twist was welcomed, though, as she saw it playing to her advantage in the aftermath.

"Didn't your Uncle tell you to never play with knives, Fitz?" taunted Nils, his blue eyes burning with anticipation, just as they had on that day in the spring. It was easy to make herself look afraid with how much she was sweating, how much her mind was flashing back to what he had done to her. But she wasn't truly afraid. Not anymore. She squirmed across her desk's front, inching toward her desk, and Nils grabbed one arm, pinning her with his weight, while her other arm was to weak to stop him from raising her own blade to her face. He jabbed it gently at her cheek and she froze up at its presence. She knew he wouldn't actually harm her. He didn't have the guts and whatever his intentions were, they wouldn't be any fun if she couldn't resist. She had certainly learned that, at least. Her face burned slightly at the scratch Nils had created from the pressure of the tip.

"Gee," he cooed, "I'm so sorry about that, Cousin It, I didn't mean to hurt that little face of yours." A chuckle escaped him as he retracted the knife, delivering a punch to her face. Dazed, she shook off the blow and wiped at her nose with her hand, blood smearing across it. Delightful. He was playing right into what she wanted. Still dizzy, Jane had enough stability to ram her knee into his testicles. He choked and faltered, stumbling back but oddly laughing the entire while. It was unsettling. "'Atta girl," he huffed. "Knew ya had it in ya..." He pointed the knife out casually at her, finding this entire situation entertaining as he rested on her bed's side.

Jane, teeth clenched tight and adrenaline pumping hard, scooped up her glass jar with her damp hand, her own blood sticking to its surface. She tossed it underhanded to Nils, whose face flashed with fear as he dropped the knife to catch it.

"The _hell_?" he shrieked. "You bitch, I'm fucking _allergic_ to these things!" His arms trembled as he stared, horrified, at the now disturbed insects.

"Oh, I _know,_ " Jane assured with a sniff, blood clotting in her nose. "I remember. I did my _research,_ you cock. Anaphylactic shock, Nils. That's what happens to _you_ because of your allergic reaction. Did you know it can be _fatal_?"

Nils' expression flared, his blue eyes ablaze with indignation and horror.

"Careful, now, Nils. Bees can smell your fear," Jane reminded him.

"Crazy _cunt!_ " Nils roared, chucking the jar at her. She swiftly dodged, bounding out the door as the jar smashed against her dresser and the angry buzzing commenced. Nils' screeched like a banshee as Jane pulled out her bedroom door's key and locked it shut from the outside. That would buy her just enough time, she imagined. She relished the involuntary shouts of agony Nils exerted as he attempted to traverse the bedroom. She flinched when the door rattled, savoring the sounds of his anguished hacking, his senses already too stunted to think to simply unlock the door from the inside. Nils' groaned out incomprehensible insults and demands that went ignored as Jane waited for the ruckus to die down. She opened the bathroom, she turned off the sports programming, all to make sure it was still apparent that she had simply been in her bedroom. At last, she unlocked her own door and entered, stepping inside.

Shards of glass, some stained red, littered the floor, the jar lid at her feet. The delightful, droning hum coming from below filled her with satisfaction. She wiped the blood from her cheek with her sleeve, eyes locked on the discarded jacket at the foot of her bed.

She rustled through her dresser, whipping out a near-empty box of cigarettes from beneath her socks. Her grimy hands, shaking like leaves in the wind, fumbled a cigarette out from the rest. She grasped it tightly in her jittery fingers as she retrieved the lighter from the top of her dresser.

Her trembling thumb desperately flicked at the disposable lighter, again and again, aching for it to ignite. At last, it did, and she quenched her nicotine thirst with a deep inhalation. She puffed out a cloud of smoke and immediately stuffed the small box of cigarettes into her pocket. Restarting the lighter, she smoked for a few moments, eyes mesmerized by the flickering flame in front of her face as she contemplated the situation.

"Fucked with the _wrong_ bitch, Bastard..."

She lifted her thumb and the spark died out. As she puffed on her cigarette, she nonchalantly put on her pair of leather hunting gloves she had tucked in her desk, grabbed her smoking can from her closet and puffed it out at Nils trembling body, settling the bees down. He was covered in hives - she found the cruel irony hilarious - his eyes terrified between puffed patches of skin, his lips swollen.

"And you were worried about _my_ face," Jane teased with malice as she felt around Nils pockets, pleased to see her black and yellow friends still scuttling about his body. Nope, not here. She then approached his nearby jacket and found his phone. She purged its memory banks of any messages pertaining to this interaction and stuffed the phone back where she had found it. Nils whimpered in agony. "Oh, I know," Jane mocked. "It'll be over soon." She slapped him in the face with her gloved hand softly and he winced. "You wanted me so badly? You _got_ me. I've always been your Little Cousin It. When you leave? That little cock-bite that always took all your _shit_ will leave, too." She lectured him over his anguishing moans for help. "I'm not that person anymore, Nils. Thanks for waking me up from that. I really owe you for teaching me how you fucking _men_ work."

She took in a deep inhalation from her cigarette and puffed smoke out into her fan, watching it dissipate out toward the window. Self-defense, she could argue. As she removed her gloves, stuffing them into her dresser, she pieced together the story in her mind.

Nils had shown up, knowing that she was home alone, to try and rape her - which he had before, but she'd been too afraid to tell anyone for her own safety. They would probably buy that. He had attacked her - invaded her room, grabbed her by the wrists, punched her in the face, taken her knife from her own hands and cut her cheek...And she'd tried to threaten him with her jar of bees - collected for research purposes, of course, as she was often inspecting local wildlife - to distract him and escape, but he'd forced it from her and tried throwing it at her, instead. She'd managed to flee, but upon realizing he was incapacitated, she tried to smoke the bees and settle them for his own protection. She'd called 9-1-1 in an attempt to get medical assistance there in time to save him, but they had arrived too late. He was gone before they had even shown up. She was only trying to protect herself and unfortunate events had resulted in his untimely demise. He happened to show up at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong intentions.

Once her place of sanctuary, her bedroom had become her own prison on that day when Nils had defiled that illusion of safety. Now, she had turned it into _his_ prison. This new person that had found her way out from the ashes of the fires of her past...this wasn't Jane Fitzpatrick. Someone tougher, harder. Not as trusting, not as naive and foolish. More cunning and selfish because looking out for herself was the only way to not be used by others. This was someone new.

As Jane toyed with her cell phone, getting ready to make the fated call to the authorities to establish her innocence, she smirked at Nils' fading life with sparking olive eyes.

"When you get to hell, Nils, tell them that 'Smellerbee' sent you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I've said before, part of Jane's inspiration is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and if you've seen that movie, you will recognize some correlation with the character "Nils" in that movie and the similarly named character in this story in terms of some of what role they fill. As for the bee-catching, I did try to do some research and got inspiration from this particular video: http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmLo2D9LFGs
> 
> Obviously, Africanized Bees are different, and I really don't know how easily they'd take to Jane's taming, but I try to imply that she has a kind of special connection with bees, so give me some benefit of the doubt on that, please. ;)
> 
> Also, a little props to artist Doodle Buggy and her comic about Longshot and Smellerbee and it has influenced certain nuances to how I write their interactions. In particular, I really liked the idea she did with this strip, and it reflects in this chapter.  
> http:/doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/art/JL-D0-P9-63949253  
> http:/doodlebuggy.deviantart.com/art/JL-D0-P10-67439775
> 
> Lastly, I want to specify that while what I experienced was not the same as what Jane goes through, I am a victim of sexual abuse, and I use the characters of Jane and Aang to explore the difficulties of physical intimacy that I myself have dealt with over recent years.


	30. Baggage

SRU!Katara and Jane by [ehcs](http://ehcs.deviantart.com/)

* * *

\- Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 -

"You're really OK with this, Dad?"

["I am, Katara. _Really._ Why are you so worried about it?"]

"N-nothing, it's fine," she assured with a hint of hesitation.

["In Woman-Speak that means there _is_ something."] Her dad _did_ know her well, and she realized with those exact words how much her brother sounded like him.

"Heh. Y-yea, I'm, um...-" She trailed off, collecting her thoughts. "Thanksgiving has just always been...just _us._ You know?"

["I understand,"] Hakoda sympathized. ["But you and your brother are allowed to share that with others. It's what your mother would've wanted."]

"I know..." Katara sighed in spite of her own muddled emotions. "It's going to be fun. You'll get to meet all of our friends, and...and going to be...a very _interesting_ holiday."

["Haha. 'Interesting' is exactly what I could use these days."]

"Hee." Katara could detect anticipation in her father's voice. He was lonely. She couldn't deny him some excitement, and she knew deep down that once she could work her way through her own uncomfortableness she would love sharing Thanksgiving with her friends. It was just strange to consider: this very personal holiday in which they would always honor her mother, being shared with _non_ -Kesuks.

["Well, you're a busy girl. You probably have...classes or homework you need to take care before you head out tomorrow, right?"]

" _Oh,_ " Katara gasped, her mind snapping to her assignments. "Shoot. You're right, ha. I _do._ I have a paper I need to finish before we leave..."

["Better get on that then!"] Hakoda chuckled. ["I'll expect to see you guys tomorrow, then!"]

"Right! We should get there sometime tomorrow night."

["Keep me informed if you need anything, Katara."]

"Sure thing, Dad."

["I love you."]

Katara smiled at his solemn tone. He always said it with a sort of seriousness that left no question to the statement's validity.

"I love you, too," she replied softly before ending the call. She stuffed the phone into her coat pocket, marching across the autumn-worn campus, the calm bustle of busy students humming around her. The air was crisp and chilled, the ground covered in brown and orange and red. Snow had not yet stuck, but she knew it wold come soon enough, and she couldn't wait.

* * *

"Yep, it's official." Aang replied in a chirp. "My first time to Canada."

["Ahhh, wowie. Well, gee, Aang, that sure sounds like it's gonna be quite a trip, eh? Ya know, I actually grew up in Canada, myself. Did you know I used to be-?"]  
["Chong, Dearie,"] Lily piped in. ["I'm sure Aang has a lot he needs to do before he leaves. How about you save the story for another day?"]

["Ah, ya know, I betcha she's right, huh?"]

"Ha, well, kinda. It _is_ pretty crazy around here right now."

["Gotcha, gotcha...Well, don't mind me and my ramblin', then. You're a busy kid in school! Take care of your business."]

Aang felt a twinge of guilt and decided to try and compensate. He _had_ given them some forewarning, but he still felt bad about the situation.

"I'll come visit you guys the first chance I get when I get back."

["That sounds swell. Real swell!"] Chong expressed. ["You just go right on ahead and stop by whenever ya like, eh?"]

"I will."

["Have a happy Thanksgiving then, all right?"]  
["Happy Thanksgiving, Aang!"]

"You, too, guys!"

["Byeeee~"]  
["Bye-bye!"]

Aang hung up his phone and yawned, scratching his hungry stomach as it gurgled. He couldn't shake his uneasy feeling off for some reason. _Something_ about this whole situation wasn't settling right. He wrote off the sensation as merely hunger and went back to his drawing, shading in the lineart he'd laid out.

Sokka cast a casual glance over his shoulder as he waited for his video game to load. He and Suki had gotten all of their work done the weekend prior, so they were all set.

"Wh...Is that, like...A Bear-Duck, now?" questioned Sokka.

"Looks like it has a beaver tail," Suki murmured thoughtfully.

"It's a Platypus-Bear," Aang correct with some smug satisfaction.

Sokka nodded slowly with an impressed smirk. "That is pretty bad-ass, my friend."

"I need to finish this up and then I'm all set," Aang explained. "Hey, Suki, did you figure out what you were doing?"

"It sounds like you guys are going to be pretty crowded for break," she observed with a hint of doubt. "I'm just going to spend it with my folks. We can always video chat if _someone_ needs a break." She tugged on Sokka's ear, wobbling his head back and forth. He elicited a sigh, his eyelids sinking closed.

"I shall survive," he whimpered, clutching his controller as the game started up.

"Not today, you won't," challenged Suki, fingers tight around her own controller. Aang cast a cursory glance at the screen and noted what they were playing on his Wii console.

"You play Dr. Mario?" he muttered, surprised.

"Used to play it all the time with my folks when I was little," bragged Suki. "Hey, hey," she interjected Sokka's button pressing. "C'mon, ya wimp - turn the speed up."

Sokka froze, creaking his head to his side from his seat on the beanbag chair.

"You want to bring the pain?" he whispered, dashing his words with threat.

"Oh, I _do,_ " Suki retorted cockily, settling herself into Sokka's desk chair.

As the battle of pills and chiptunes ensued, Aang continued to dabble with his work, humming along as his pencil danced across the page. He and Sokka would often play a match or two of Dr. Mario periodically. Aang found it therapeutic and Sokka appreciated their fairly even competition, as their tastes didn't usually match up in the field of gaming.

"Auuughhh, fuck!" Sokka growled, tipping Aang off to the victor.

"Hey," Suki scolded. "Don't gimme that toilet mouth just 'cuz I'm beating you..."

"Grrmmrbbblegggpphhh...Come onnnn, come ooooonnnn, come-"  
A victory jingle played.  
"FFFFFFFFFFFFFfffffff-!..." Sokka huffed the letter out but stopped himself, squeezing his controller.

"Don't break anything," Aang nonchalantly advised.

* * *

"I dunno. I _dunno_ ," Jane whimpered out, smacking her face and dragging her palm down. She reviewed the text message for the tenth time.

[From: Johnny "Longshot"]  
[We need to talk.]  
[Sent: 10:23am]

"That's-!" She sighed, blinking at the phone. "It _can't_ be good," she moaned, scratching her free hand through her hair as she passed the device to Katara. She inspected it briefly and furrowed her brows. Jane had come to read Katara's body language very well at this point. She was trying to contain her pessimism. "You think so, too," she murmured, panic starting to set in.

"Wh-? N-no, I didn't-..." Katara began to try and pull her 'positive spin' deal on the situation, but Jane shot it down with a worried glare. "OK, OK," Katara gave in with a shrug, passing the phone back. "After everything you've told me, it... _doesn't_ sound good," she admitted, rubbing Jane's sweatered shoulder with optimism. "But, I mean...This will be a _good_ thing in the end, Hun. You guys really need to talk this stuff out."

"Don't you fucking _get it_?" reeled Jane, the words spit-firing from her lips, her body tense, shoulders popped up as she shook her hands out. "We _have_ talked this shit out - over and over and _fucking over_ again! It never _goes_ anywhere!" She slammed her fist on the couch's arm, her reaction eliciting some puzzled glances from nearby students. The ACC lounge was bustling with activity as dinnertime had commenced.

"O-OK, Jane, OK," Katara pacified, sitting down beside the distraught girl and folding her arm across Jane's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I...don't really know what to say."

"Fucking Christ," Jane groaned, rubbing her dreary eyes. "He's going to break up with me."

"Wh-whoa, wait, you don't know that-"

"He's going to fucking _break up_ with me," Jane repeated in an anguished mumble, a slight quiver in her voice as she struggled to keep her cool. Katara rubbed her hand across Jane's sweater, her heart aching at the sight of her friend's shell cracking apart and dripping out doubt and fear. " _Shit_..." The red-cheeked, freckle-faced girl pounded

"You don't _know_ that," she tried to encourage, her efforts futile at Jane's now concrete pessimism. "You even told me yourself: you've been having those nightmares, a-and you're stressed out, and...-" She saw the burning pain in those olive eyes, her hope extinguished, and she gave up with a sigh. Jane had hit that 'It's No Use' phase where nothing Katara could say would change anything. Toph often had these stages, and her brother certainly could, too, but with Jane it was much easier to notice. Those eyes were very telling. She opted to stop her words and instead offer a sideways hug in a moment of melancholic reflection.

"Is...everything all right?"

Both girls flinched their heads up to a concerned Aang standing before them, latched by the hand to a confused Toph who was picking her nose with blunt disregard of her company. Jane's face turned even more pink as she shrugged and looked away, apparently ashamed of the situation.

"Ummmm," Katara stalled, trying to read Jane's body language. "It's, well...Jane is, um...-"

"Did something happen with John-Boy?" Toph gasped, wiping her finger off on her jeans. Her words had an air of threat about them.

"N-not exactly," Katara spat with a shrug, avoiding Aang's prying gaze as he attempted to read the situation. "They're going to try talking everything out, and Jane's just...well...worried how it's going to turn out."

Jane puffed out a silent and sarcastic laugh through her nostrils. "Hmph."

"Gosh, I hope it goes well," expressed Aang with a sheepish smile, trying to push out optimism. Katara appreciated his effort, at least.

"If it doesn't, I'm gonna have to rip that hick a new one," growled Toph, aimlessly waving a balled fist.

"You'd better warn him," Aang chuckled, rocking his girlfriend back and forth as she continued to thrash her arm out.

Jane smirked in spite of her doubts and nodded, amused.

"What are you people _doing?_ " cried out a despairing Sokka from across the lounge, his arm interlocked with Suki's. "It's freaking _dinner time_! Let's get our _food_ on!"

* * *

[From: Katara]  
[Just relax. No matter what happens, we're here for you. Let me know how it goes, I can meet you somewhere if you want afterward.]  
[Sent: 6:34pm]

[From: Aang]  
[i hope it goes ok! thinking about you guys.]  
[Sent: 6:47pm]

Jane inhaled a deep breath and sighed, sitting in the driver's seat of her car, parked beside the Treetop Pub. She knew a half-empty box of cigarettes sat in her glove compartment, and the idea of breaking them out was eating away at her nerves. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a cigarette. It had been some time. But she persevered, avoiding the temptation.

She remembered Sokka's words during dinner, when he'd offered his own two cents on the matter.

 _"Ya know, Freckle-Face, any relationship worth something takes some work. But if all you're_ doing _is work? Thennnn...That's a_ problem. _"_

She decided to listen to the voicemail she'd received during her car ride into Wayward.

["YOU HAVE **ONE** NEW MESSAGE. **FIRST** NEW MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep!_ ]  
["Heya, Janey Jane..."] Toph's tone was quiet and subdued. ["I'm taking a break from being an intolerable bitch for, like, thirty seconds...just for you. 'Kay?"] Jane couldn't help but smile to herself. ["Listen. I don't know about this whole thing, but...You shouldn't stick with this guy - _any_ guy, I mean - if he's going to ignore you and not treat you right. I know we can both be pretty psycho, but even crazy bitches like us deserve some happiness, huh? Anyway. 'Kay, I-LUV-YOO- **BYEBYE~!** "]

Having decided that she thoroughly understood the idea her friends were trying to communicate, she slapped her palm against her steering wheel in irritation. Now that she was actually _here,_ and she knew that Johnny was waiting for her, just inside, her heart was swelling with determination. Her friends were right - she deserved better than what she'd been tolerating as of late. Hopefully, she could work things out and actually find that.

She zipped up her black winter vest, black and yellow-striped sleeves emerging from the holes in their sides. She glanced in her car's rear-view mirror and tried fidgeting with her bangs. She had just showered to ensure that she was clean for this occasion, and couldn't deny that the feeling of clean hair between her dry fingers was kind of nice. Fear-filled eyes of olive, dark skin hanging below them, stared back at her. Her breath shook and she closed her eyelids for a moment to attempt to gain her cool.

"All right," she murmured to herself at last, exiting the car and stepping through the slush to the bar's entrance. She pushed herself inside, taking the plunge into anticipated chaos. The familiar scent of booze and tobacco washed over her senses, teasing her with their alluring false comforts.

"'Ey, look whut da cat dragged in, huh?" Sneers lived up to his namesake from behind the counter, passing a drink off to a customer. Jane nearly passed said customer by, only to recognize them as the very person they were here to see. The black cowboy hat they wore had thrown her off, but when she did a double-take, his black and white flannel shirt was something she should have noticed from the get-go. He spun around on his swiveled stool, eyes tired, his expression oozing disappointment.

"Hey," Jane grunted out, head bobbed slightly. Her gaze drifted off, away from his dull glance, like two rusted daggers. "Uhhh..." Her fingers found their way to her forehead and rubbed themselves across her traces of acne, but eventually gave in and ran across her brow. "S-so, Johnny, er, we gonna...talk?" She stared off across the bar, noticing the familiar crew at their usual spot at the round table in the back - her heart skipped at their sets of prying eyeballs, intent and curious from afar, only to break away and make like they hadn't been gawking.

Jane swallowed saliva, her esophagus struggling to get it down, as she turned her head back to Longshot, who now held a worn leather book in his hand. His arm was extended, holding it out to her.

"What-...?" She leaned back slightly, intimidated by the gesture. "What's this?" she questioned, puzzled and worried. Johnny simply jiggled his hand, insisting that she took the book. "Fine." Smellerbee snatched the book, unbound its strap that held it shut, and made note of a page early in that had a playing card jutting out. She opened to the page and pulled out the ace of spades, setting it on the counter next to Longshot's beer mug. " _What_?" she repeated, irritated by his silent treatment. "You want me to read this, or something? What...What _is_ this?" She slapped the back of her wrist against the weathered page, her impatience rapidly rising.

Longshot nodded toward the literature, then rotated back in his stool and calmly started his drink. Jane's eyes glared at the back of his head, covered by that stupid cowboy hat he would wear from time to time. Normally she'd find it kind of cute but in this context it somehow felt insulting to her. She huffed through her nose and sagged against the stool beside her boyfriend, her back to the bar, as she read the current page's entry.

The writing was cursive, the grammar highly incorrect, but the writing itself very neat. She knew this handwriting very well.

The pieces clicked together. This was Jet's journal. Suddenly the book was familiar - from time to time she recalled seeing him scribbling in it. Fear gripped her as she wondered what he could've said about her. She knew, already, that he had written that which she had forbid him from telling anyone. As she started to read down the page, the feelings that had been haunting her that week built up in her head, ready to burst through her eyes.

{5-18-08}  
{how do i always end up with the crazy ones? been with this girl for like 2 weeks and she wont even kiss me yet. talk about baggage. shes fuckin weird for sure. guess im just a man of mystery. cant turn away from the brooding types.}

Jane groaned, having trouble reading the words of this person she had long ago felt something for.

"Longshot, this was fuckin', like, two years ago. Two and a _half._ I'm _over_ him, it's history. Why are you-?" But his eyes

{5-20-08}  
{holy shit. nevermind what i said about baggage, cuz this girls got a fucking trainload. just told me today that she killed a guy. killed a guy! and got away with it! shes a sneaky bitch, haha. murderous intent. cant lie, it definitely has its appeal. she hasnt told me why she did it but ill squeeze it outta her. fuck. capable of murder at the age of 16. shes got quite a spirit to her this one. shed make a good addition to the team i think. i can see it in her eyes: shed be able to help out with the tricky stuff. shes got the mind of a rebel.}

"OK." She shook her head, slapping the book shut and bashing it on the counter, her patience spent. "What is this about, Johnny? Huh? _What?_ "

Longshot sipped at his tall mug, wiped his lip, and cocked his head to the side.

"So _what_ if I...got involved with some crazy shit? That was _forever_ ago! And-and it's not like _Jet_ never did, or did you already fucking forget _why_ we got mixed up with the Rhinos and all _that_ bullshit?" She pounded her fists against the wood, shaking the liquid in Longshot's glass steiner.

"You were raped?" Johnny murmured, shaking his head. "And you _killed_ him?"

Jane's jaw dropped at how openly he was saying these things with prying ears all around. Clearly, Jet must have written about this in a later entry.

" _Asshole,_ " she hissed at the now-deceased Jet for betraying her secrecy. She covered her face with her hand before exploding. " _Yes,_ I was fucking raped!" she growled, tossing her arms up and glaring across the bar. "Everybody _happy?_ Make you all feel _great_ about yourselves to know my God damned business?" By now the pub had grown quiet in response to her wrath - her flushed cheeks, flaming eyes, and raspy shouting. "And I didn't _murder_ him," she insisted, her tone shrinking down. "He...he tried to pull that shit again, and I wasn't gonna...-" Rivulets of salty water were starting to run down her face against her will, her body succumbing to the pressure of the entire situation. "Like none of _you_ have ever defended yourselves," hissed the broken girl, hands clamping on her skull, elbows against the counter.

"That's not the _point_ ," Johnny firmly explained with a sigh. "I've done things I regret, too. Been through things I'm not happy with. I've _told_ you about them." His words cut through Jane's soul like "Why did _Jet_ know these things...-" He tapped his index on the journal's cover. "-...but _I_ didn't?"

"I don't _know!_ " Jane spat out in a panic, overwhelmed by his demanding stance.

"Why did he tell _you_ what was happening the night he died, but not _us_?"

Jane shook her head and popped her shoulders up, jaw agape at the implied accusation.

"Why did _you_ not even tell _me_ what was going on that night?"

"I didn't want you to get _hurt_!" whimpered Jane, her resolve crumbled.

"And _what_ would I have been hurt by?" Johnny pondered, his words conveying that he had already decided on an answer.

"It wasn't _like that,_ Johnny!" insisted the distraught red-head, her voice cracking. " _Fuck_ , man..."

"Funny how as soon as Jet's gone, you decide that the Freedom Fighters aren't worth your time," observed the calculated tone of the person Jane had come to trust most. His obvious lack of reciprocation in this regard pierced through her like a bullet.

" _Listen_ to yourself!" she snarled. "It's not _like that,_ I fuckin' _swear!_ How can you not _know_ this?"

"I don't know _anything_ about you anymore," Longshot decided. "You won't _tell_ me anything. You run off with your...-" He fumbled to find the right phrasing. "-..your little group of idiots, you ignore all of the responsibility you had with this organization...It's like we don't exist anymore to you."

"I didn't _sign in fucking blood_ that I'd be a Freedom Fighter for the rest of my damned life!" Her bony arms thrashed about, chucking Jet's journal to the floor beside Sneers' feet. "Jet _died_ because of this bullshit! I'm not gonna get _shanked_ in a fuckin' alley in a gang fight, all right? It's bullshit!"

"Of course, so you're just going to deny that you ever were one of us, run away, and act like you aren't to blame. Like you're just a victim. Just like the unfortunate young man you killed in high school. Is that it?"

Jane's face was boiling with embarrassment and fear as she wiped at her eyes in frustration, tears dripping out. She shielded her face with her palms in a feeble attempt to settle herself and protect herself from the scathing barrage from the person she loved most.

"You know, Jane, you can have us stop calling you 'Smellerbee' all you want, but that doesn't change what you've _done._ It doesn't mean you're a new person and can forget about all of this."

_Great. I finally get him to talk for more than two sentences for the first time in weeks and he won't shut up about what a stupid bitch I am..._

"What do you _want_ from me, Johnny?" she pleaded, thrusting one hand while the other remained stuck over half of her face. "Just...tell me what you want me to do..." She reached out her hand, palm up, hoping he would take it. "I'm sorry, OK? I was-...I just want to get over all of that shit and _move on_ with my life. What do I have to do?" Her hand was ignored, and she felt her intestines tighten.

"I'm a Freedom Fighter," Longshot established with an ice-cold resolve. "If this is going to work between us...you have to come back."

"What?" she whined, leaning her head back in disbelief. "I can't _do that,_ I've told you, it's-"  
"Then this _isn't_ going to work."

There was a moment of frigid silence across the pub, the entirety of the small population hanging on their conversation.

"I'll-!" Jane sputtered, petrified to let everything they had worked toward end this way. "I can-!...Just give me some _time_ , Johnny..." She clutched at his wrist in desperation, begging to make things right. He tenderly patted at the back of her hand before slipping away.

"You can think about it," he concluded. "But for now...this isn't working."

"So you're...What? You breaking up with me?" grumbled Jane with fury, forcing the words out through grit teeth.

Longshot nodded slowly, and the tear stream thickened for a moment as the pain pounded at Jane's insides.

"I don't know what's happened to you," Johnny mused, "But I don't think that group of people has been such a good influence on you."

"Are you fucking _serio-_ "  
"You've gotten lazy, and selfish. You're...obsessed with them. You're just using them as a means to try forgetting about _us._ About your mistakes."

Jane couldn't stand hearing these words. They were causing her to start questioning her own emotions. She didn't have any answers to _anything_ Johnny was saying. But he seemed to have a very clear answer for _her:_ The Freedom Fighters were a higher priority than she was.

"Forgetting about _you_?" she seethed, jumping from her stool and kicking it to the floor in aggravation. "This is _my-fucking-life!_ " She thumbed her chest with each word. "I'm sick of this cock-sucking popularity contest! All these secrets and plans and having to cover up all the shady bullshit to make ourselves look good! I just want to fucking go to school and be with my God damned friends!" She grabbed an empty mug left over from a previous customer and shattered it on the floor, directing her rage to the entirety of the pub. "When in the _hell_ have you people been my friends? _Huh?_ " She glared across the bar at their vacant stares, the sounds of some sporting event playing on the overhead TV struggling to fill in the silence. "I dunno about some of _you_ asswipes, but the whole reason I'm in this town is 'cuz I'm enrolled in college! I'm a fucking _student,_ not a thug! Piss the _fuck off,_ and leave me alone! _Christ!_ " She glanced at the shattered glass she'd left on the wooden paneling and then to Johnny, whose back faced her, the brim of his hat covering his no-doubt disappointed expression.

"I'm done playing this game of Robin Hood and the Lost Boys in God damned Neverland!" She yelled these words through her tears, her voice quaking with anger and pain. "And ya _know_ something, _Longshot?_ " She jabbed, shoving at his shoulder. "Ya know why Katara broke up with Jet? 'Cuz she felt the same God damned way! Because she knew she would never be more important to Jet than this pathetic tree-house club! And _look_ what happened to Jet!" Cries of indignation rang out through the pub, the people upset at their late leader being badmouthed. "He made _you guys_ the most important thing in his life," Jane continued, raising her voice to cut through their ruckus. "And a **lotta fucking good IT DID _HIM!_ WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT ALL OF _YOU?_** " By now, things were quite rowdy, various members stepping up and name-calling, beginning to crowd their way toward her.

Her speech complete, Jane stomped out of the pub, making a quick break for her car and speeding off as quickly as she could, wincing as beer bottles and cans were tossed against her vehicle upon her exit.

 _Could that have gone worse?_ she wondered. _Well..._ _I'm sober, I didn't punch anyone, and I still got all my limbs in tact. So that went all right._

She sped out of town, traversing the lonely road back to campus, her radio off. Her anger gradually dissipated, her adrenaline wearing thin. Halfway there, the armor she had built up in her rage had worn apart, leaving a shivering, trembling girl exposed. Her face was damp and sticky, the faucets in her eyes having already run their course. She sobbed, hands tight around her steering wheel, unable to shed any more tears for the only person in the whole pub who had been worth crying about.

* * *

\- Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 -

"Damn," whispered Toph, rubbing sand from her eyes. "Did she finally stop?"

"Yea," Katara replied quietly, glancing toward her own bed. Jane was sprawled on her stomach, one arm hanging off the edge. Her face was flopped over a decorative pillow with a penguin patched on its surface, her head at the foot of the bed and her socks wedged under Katara's primary pillow. Her mouth was agape, drool trickling onto the penguin's chest. "She's dead asleep," Katara observed with a sympathetic smile. She sighed, reviewing the sentence she was halfway through, as Toph clicked off her keyboard. The girl let loose a deep, drawling yawn, stretching her arms out wide and grimacing as she twitched out her kinks.

"Rough night, huh?" Toph mumbled, scratching her chest as she found her way to her bed.

"She took it pretty hard..." Katara affirmed warily, struggling to continue her paper. Spending a couple of hours trying to appease the despairing Jane had eaten a large chunk of her dedicated 'crunch-time.'

"You still writing?" wondered Toph as she shuffled her blanket over top her body.

An exhausted "Mmm" was the answer given as the delay from her roommate's yawn finally caught up to Katara and she repeated the gesture herself.

"'Kay. Don't stay up too late."

"Not much of a choice," moaned the girl at the laptop. "Almost done..." Katara took a look at her clock with some despair: **[2:45am]**

"Good luck, Sugar-Queen."

"Good night."

* * *

"Should I bring my laptop?" Aang wondered, wrapping his power cable up as he admired the House of Aero logo he'd painted onto the device's lid.

"Go for it," Sokka advised. "I know Katara and I are bringing ours, just in case."

"Hm..." Aang contemplated the decision. "I don't want to end up doing any work on it, though."

"Soooo...don't do any _work_ on it," chuckled Sokka, folding a button-down shirt and packing it into his case.

"Yea," Aang acknowledged with a slight nod, tucking his machine flush against the pile of sloppily placed clothes in his duffle bag.

"You might wanna hit the bathroom before we go, too, Champ," suggested Sokka. "Gonna be a looooong trip."

"When are we supposed to leave?" Aang wondered, beginning to zip up his duffel bag.

"Fifteen minutes. Oh-hey-wait-wait!" He flashed up his palms up. After getting Aang's attention, Sokka poked a finger at their small entertainment center. "Would you mind bringing your Wii? We could play, like... _stuff..._ together. On it."

"Haha, sure." Aang went about sliding the system's components in a dedicated carrying bag with the Nintendo logo emblazoned onto its surface. Sokka's phone went off from his desk. He grabbed it, but paused to let the last line play, too amused by it to pick up prematurely.

["Because _I'm_ a _lady,_ that's why!" "Oh, you're not a lady." "You're nothing but a _sister!_ "]

"Cute," Aang complimented the new ringtone as Sokka flipped the device open.

"Hey, Katara, what's up?"

["Hey, Sokka. Toph's running late..."]  
"As usual."

["Heh. Yea, no kidding. Anyway...ummm...we needed to...to get a few things for the trip, so...-"]

"You OK, there?"

["Ugh,"] sighed his sister. ["Just...so tired. But, so...um...Jane and I...? Are heading to the campus store...at the ACC. Would you mind, like...meeting us there? We can head back over to Aqua...and grab...you know...our stuff. Get Toph, and...head right out."]

"Yea, no prob."

["OK. See you, in...um...in a few."]

"See ya."

"What's going on?" wondered Aang.

"We're gonna meet Katara and Freckles at the ACC and swing over to get your girlfriend on the way out. She sounds pretty beat."

"Ah. She can probably nap on the way there." Aang set his Wii bag onto his bed beside his duffel, ready to go. "Well, let's do this."

* * *

Toph fussed her fingers through her bangs, tugged her sweatshirt down to ensure no skin was exposed below her neck, and ensured that her phone was tucked into her sweatpant pocket. She groped her hand around her bed and grasped the handle of her suitcase with care. Lifting it from the bed and dropping it to the floor, she noted no sensation of it unlocking or popping open. She wished that Katara was there to double check her belongings, but on the other hand, she appreciated being given the space to care for herself.

She heard the familiar sound of the bedroom door swing open and grinned wide, taking a couple steps toward the sound.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted. "I'm all set!" She stuck out an open hand, requesting an escort.

There was a silent moment of pause that made her uneasy before a tender and familiar set of fingers clutched her own.

"What-...?" she whispered to herself, completely thrown off as the figure led her out of the room. She stood firm after a few steps, freezing like a status. "M-Madison?"

"Yes, Lady Beifong." The often heard phrase from her past felt like a slap in the face.

"Why-...? Why are _you_ here?"

"Oh...To pick you up, of course," replied the overly courteous servant. She had a sweet voice - like honey.

"To pick-...? _What?_ " Toph snapped the last word out with a bite of ferocity, and she felt Madiline's hand flinch in surprise. "I _told_ Dad I didn't _need_ anyone to come with me, I'm going with my friends..."

"You...you did?" she murmured back, her voice trembling.

"Yes, I _did."_ Toph tossed the young woman's hand away. She took a deep breath, reflecting on her hostility. "Um, I...I'm sorry," she pushed the words out quietly, digging her hand into her pocket. "I'm just... _really_ pissed off at Mom and Dad, I don't get why they can't just leave me _alone_ for a change..."

"You're... _sure_ you told them you weren't...coming for Thanksgiving?" the polite woman checked.

Toph furrowed her brows with irritation but tempered herself in her words.

"Yes, Madison. I spent...like... _two hours_ debating with my parents about it. I am _pretty sure_ I made it clear."

"Oh. I...I see. Hm."

"Why?" Toph wondered, suspicion rising in her voice at the sheepish mannerisms of her trusted servant.

"My, my...I'm...very sorry, Lady Beifong. Your father requested that we come pick you up promptly. We've been waiting for your roommate to leave so as to not intrude."

Toph's breathing cut short and her heart-rate elevated. What, now her parents were going to try _kidnapping_ her or something?

She could hear footsteps approach, and suddenly her suitcase was no longer in her own hands.

"I'll take that for you, Madame," came the well-known tone of another servant. His voice was thick and stuffy.

"George, what's the meaning of this?" Toph demanded, pulling out her 'prim and proper' voice for the sake of the formality she was being pressed into.

"Master Beifong's instructions were very clear, My Lady: you are to accompany us back to the estate."

Toph's lips peeled back, revealing her teeth, and she pushed her fists into her hips, leaning forward with determination.

"And what did he say he'd do if I refused?" she seethed.

Another uncomfortable silence.

"He...-" George coughed, finding the words, slowly and with hesitation. "He indicated that funds reserved for your...education...would be revoked."

It was as if Toph's very breath had been forced from her lungs. Her lips hung open, but no words came out. Her fists fell apart, fingers drooping to her sides. Her spirit was drained from the weight of the impacting idea. The prospect of losing everything she had found at Saint Roku University suddenly made a few days with her parents seem much more tolerable.

"...L-Lady Beifong?" Madison uttered with concern after a a few seconds of speechless shock.

Toph's useless eyes blinked rapidly and she rubbed her face, gaining her bearings.

"I...I understand," Toph choked out, raising a trembling hand to her face to tuck her disheveled, lengthy bangs behind her ears. "I'll...um...-" She erratically started to rub her hands together in different motions.

"I'll get your guitar case," Madison offered. Toph couldn't decide what to do next as she heard the normally relaxing clacking of the case being shut behind her.

"Y-yes. Th...Thank you, Madison," Toph sputtered, her eyes welling up.

"Is there...anything I can do for you, Miss Beifong?" wondered her loyal servant from her side.

"No," coughed Toph, choking on a sob as the disappointment mixed with fear of confronting her parents. Her mind flashed away from her despair and to what she might need now that plans had changed. "Umm...I-I mean...George, could you pack my laptop?" She waggled her hand in the general direction of her desk. "There should be a case beside my desk."

"Of course, Madame."

"And...Madison, could you...-?" She cautiously pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and lifted it. "Would you mind sending a message for me?"

"Oh! Yes! Yes...certainly."

"Um...Go to my Contacts, and...um...it should be, um...The first one there."

"Ong?"

Toph's teeth ground together in a millisecond of frustration, but she contained it - practice for what was to come.

"It's...it's _Aang,_ actually, but...-"

"Oh dear, I'm...I'm sorry, Lady, I-"  
"It's OK, just...send him a message."

"Very well. What shall I say?"

"Tell him...-" She sighed, scratching her inner earlobe with her pinkie finger. "Just tell him that I'm really sorry, but I can't go with them."

"O-OK..."  
 _Tap-tap-tap. Thak. Tatatat. Tap. Tap-tap-tatt._

 _Zzzziiiiiipp!_  
"Your personal computer is packed, My Lady."

"Oh!" Toph grunted, ignoring the previous comment. "And be _sure_ to tell them to go without me."

"As you say, Lady Beifong."

"Was there anything else, Madame?"

"That should be everything, George."

"Very well. Your baggage is ready."

 _Even now, I need others to carry everything for me. When can I start carrying my_ own _weight?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sokka's ringtone is a quote from the Disney film Aristocats.


	31. Headache

[SRU Toph colored](http://fallonkyra.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Toph-colored-204672228) by *[Fallonkyra](http://fallonkyra.deviantart.com/)

* * *

\- Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 -

Aang couldn't believe what he was reading. He rubbed his eyes, blinked rapidly for a second, then read again.

"Whhhhat is it, Aang?" wondered a dreary Katara from the backseat as Sokka pulled their car into the Aqua parking lot.

"It's Toph," he muttered, still staring at the phone from the passenger seat besides Sokka.

"What's up?" Sokka wondered. "Did she hurt herself trying to do things on her own?" he picked.

"She's not coming," Aang explained with some seriousness, tearing Sokka's veil of humor.

"What?" Katara gasped.

"I-I don't _know!_ " Aang snapped, observing her confusion through the rearview mirror. "She sent me a text message a few minutes ago, and it just says...-" He examined it one more time, reading it aloud, irritation thick in his voice at the tone of the message.

[From: Toph Potato]  
[My apologies. I am unable to attend your Thanksgiving plans due to unforseen circumstances. Please go through with your plans without me.]  
[Sent: 7:09am]

"What in the _hell_?" murmured Sokka, turning his head to his roommate with an utterly baffled expression. "I'm thinkin' that wasn't Toph, Buddy."

"No _shit,_ Sherlock," Jane growled, slouched in her seat in the back beside Katara, who was still reeling. "She's fuckin' blind, remember?"

Aang noticed Sokka's eyes narrow for a brief moment of frustration before he washed the anger away.

"Sooo...Wh...what do we _do?"_ Katara's exhausted body couldn't keep up with her anxious mind as she placed a palm on her head, eyelids closed. An uneasy pause proceeded before Aang's door swung open.

"I'm going to find her," he firmly decided, squirming out of the car.

"Uhhh, but Aang, er..." Sokka lifted a finger, bending down to see his friend through the opposing door. "Didn't she tell us to go without her?"

Aang leaned his head into the car with a determined expression.

"That wasn't _her_ that told us that," he concluded before he closed the door and stomped into the dorm.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sokka sighed to himself as he watched Aang enter from afar. Katara offered her half-awake theory.

"I wonder...if it was, like...um...her parents...?"

"Ya think?" Jane growled, her arms crossed. Her index finger kept tapping against her bicep.

"Freckles," Sokka spat, maintaining his cool as best he could. "We've got a _really_ long ride ahead of us. I know you're not doin' the best and all, but would ya mind, like...toning it down a bit?"

Jane's words slid out from her lips with a calm, icy flow. "Toning _what_ down a bit?" Sokka shrunk in his seat at the sight of flaming green eyes from the mirror before him. He bolstered himself and replied with resolve.

"Your _attitude_. Chill out, Ginger. Please. I know it's hardwired into your system with that Irish blood and all, but this is gonna be a lengthy trip, so if you could-"  
"I'm in a fuckin' bad mood, _Officer,_ deal with it!" A half-aware Katara flinched from Jane's outburst, her hand now planted on her temple, eyes still closed. Jane continued her assault, ignoring Katara's heightened sensitivity.

"My boyfriend just broke up with me, I don't need you and your bullshit trying to rope me in!"

Sokka noticed his sister's pained face, both of her hands wrapped around her forehead now, but Jane's momentum was too strong to pay any heed.

"I'm not in the mood for your damned nicknames, or your stupid-ass jokes, or you trying to be some fucking policeman and make sure we're all _good little boys and girls._ "

"You're entitled to your opinion," Sokka countered, keeping his voice low, then directing his attention to his sister. "Are you OK, Katara?"

Katara shook her head slightly, eyes covered by her palms.

"Migraine," she blurted in a grunt.

"You take anything for it yet?"

"Nuh-uh..."

Jane, her face bet red flustered, dug through the grocery bag they had brought from the ACC's store and fished out a green bottle of migraine pain reliever.

"Er, here, I...-" She fumbled with the lid, then pushed her thumb through the plastic seal and tore it open. "How many...-?"

Katara flashed her friend two fingers, leaning back against the seat. She extened her palm, accepting a pair of pills, and popped them into her mouth, swallowing them dry.

"You gonna be all right there?" Sokka wondered with concern.

"Mm," Katara hummed back in an attempt to assure. "...Gonna take a nap..."

"O-OK...You _sure_ there's nothing else we can do for ya?"

"Nm-mm. Mmfine." Katara let her arms sag into her lap, eyes still shut tight.

" _Now_ will you please calm down?" Sokka sighed to Jane, curbing his anger with disappointment. To his dismay, Jane didn't apologize or even acknowledge his request, opting to lean her head against her window and stare out at the parking lot. A couple of minutes passed before a defeated Aang dragged himself out of the dorm - alone - and back to the car.

"So, what's the story, Wishbone?" Sokka inquired as Aang slumped into his seat.

"The room's locked, no sign of her anywhere..." He huffed, running his hand through his abnormally tidied hair. "Tried giving her a call, but it went straight to her voicemail..."

Sokka patted him on the shoulder with a manly affection as he started up the car.

"Sorry, Bud. Sounds like there's not much we can do...Either she doesn't want to come, or she _can't_ come..."

"But...But what if she can't do anything about it? What if this wasn't her choice?"

Sokka sighed at the frustration in his friend's eyes.

"She can do more about it than _we_ can, Aang. If she _really_ wanted us to come...save her? Or something? I'm pretty sure she would've done something about it. You _know_ how stubborn she can be."

"Why _wouldn't_ she, though?" Aang demanded, clearly perterbed. "She was so determined on this. On _not_ giving in to her parents."

"Aang. Bud. I don't _know_ ," insisted Sokka. "But we've got a schedule here. And if we don't leave right now it's gonna be that much later that we'll be getting there. I'm sure she has a good reason."

"Hmph..." Aang popped off his shoes and leaned back in his seat. "Guess so," he gave up.

"For now, we have to worry about getting ourselves up to Canada. I know that's hard, I'm not happy about it, either, but that's how it is, Aang. It's a few days. We'll all get to see her when we get back. I promise."

"OK..."

"Everyone all right in the back?" Sokka checked, pulling the car out of the lot. Katara seemed already asleep and Jane was...being fuming and insufferable in his eyes. "Oooookay, then. Off we go..."

* * *

"This place is...a _lot_ different when it's empty..."

"Wahaha! Nothing like some peace and quiet, eh, Nephew?"

The Jasmine Dragon cafe was completely closed down, but having an Uncle who owned the place granted some benefits for visiting after hours. It was early afternoon on the first day of break, and while most students were traveling to see their families, Zuko's was already here - mostly.

"For now," Zuko mumbled with anxiety, stirring sweetener into his coffee.

"Come now, Zuko," Uncle Iroh eased him, pouring a freshly blended kiwi and banana smoothie. "It's been nearly a month. I am sure your sister will be in better spirits by now."

"What makes you say that?" Zuko wondered, intrigued.

"I am an optimistic man."

"Haha, more than _I_ am, at least!" Zuko sipped his coffee, leaning against the counter as Iroh slurped into his smoothie.

"Here's to optimistic fools," Iroh raised his cup across the counter and Zuko tapped his own against it.

"To fools," he chuckled.

"How is that lovely lady of yours doing lately?" Iroh wondered, waddling around to the nearest table. Zuko joined him, taking off his stuffy winter coat and draping it over a nearby chair at the table beside them.

"Mai's doing great. Her work's been a hit with her professors."

"That's wonderful." Iroh stroked his white and gray beard hair as he stood back up, wandering to a shelf in the back of the shop. Zuko didn't ask, as he knew exactly where his Uncle was going.

"So...why the smoothie today, Uncle?"

"What's that, now?" cried the gruff voice from across the room as he turned round, a chess set box in his hands.

"You're having a smoothie. Not in the mood for tea?"

"Waha." Iroh set the box onto their table and popped it open, beginning to separate the black and white pieces - whites on Zuko's side, black on his - arranging them into their proper starting arrangement. "Man cannot live on tea and bread alone. Just as birds flock south for the cold season, so, too, should men venture into new territories from time to time."

"Heh, all right, then."

Zuko stared across the wooden board, admiring the many scratches across its surface and the worn-edged wooden pieces. It was a miracle the entire set was still in tact.

"Who goes first?" Zuko wondered.

"Fire before Smoke," Iroh sagely advised. Zuko gave pause, the phrase not quiet settling right.

"Wasn't it Smoke before Fire?" he surmised. The phrase triggered memories of previous chess games but the way his Uncle had said it didn't quite sound right.

"Today, Nephew...Fire comes before Smoke," Iroh suggested with a wink.

Zuko smiled back and shifted one of his center pawns forward two spaces.

"I know how you must feel about your sister visiting us for the holiday," said Iroh with some solemnity, moving one of his edge pawns out. "But I do hope you realize how much it means to her that she was invited."

Zuko shook his head and drank more of his coffee. "You really think so?"

"I do." Iroh stared at the board cautiously, running his fingers over his beard in habit as their game continued.

"I'm still not convinced she will even _show up,_ much less be tolerable..."

"She will come," Iroh assured.

"Be-cause she is...family," Zuko imitated Iroh slow and careful voice. The two shared a laugh. "We'll see, Uncle. I sure wouldn't mind..."

"Really, Nephew. Use your head," Iroh knocked his knuckle on his temple with a smirk. "If Azula bothers to even show up in the first place...is that not enough proof that she appreciates our company?"

"Having no one else to _go to_ and simply taking what you're given is _not_ that same as actually _appreciating_ something," Zuko decided with some cynicism, pushing his bishop forward to take out a lonely pawn.

"I suppose that may be true," conceded Iroh, knocking out a white bishop with his black knight. "Anyone who does not appreciate an oasis in the desert is quite a fool."

"We're talking about _Azula,_ Uncle." Zuko placed a rook in a position set to take out the knight.

"Fool or not, she _is_ your sister," Iroh pointed out, sideswiping Zuko's rook with his bisop. "And just as there was hope for you, so, too, is there hope for her."

The young man with the combed over hair shrugged in contemplation, studying the board carefully.

_Bamf-bamf._

Both men directed their eyes to the glass double doors of the shop, where a familiar girl in glasses stood, unlocking the shop doors with her own key after her courtesy knock.

"Ah, hello, Jin," greeted Iroh as the girl sheepishly shuffled into the Jasmine Dragon, swinging around the counter.

"Hello, Iroh. Hello, Zuko," she greeted with utmost courtesy. "I'm really sorry, I just forgot a thumb drive here last night and I need it to work on some things over break."

" _Whaaat?_ " Iroh doubled back. "Work? On your _vacation?_ Nonsense."

Jin grinned as she fished the USB drive from the shelves beneath the cash register and slipped it into a pocket in her slacks. This was that aggressive journalist girl who he'd have to deal with from time to time. She seemed oddly polite when she didn't have a pen and a notpad in hand.

"Heh, sorry, Iroh - I'm a busy girl, I've got stuff to do!"

"At least tell me you are _enjoying_ it," Iroh pleaded, scratching his bald head.

"I sure am - don't you worry. Sure beats sitting around!"

"Waha, whatever you say, my Dear. Do enjoy your holiday! Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving, gentlemen!" Jin bid them, disappearing up the stone steps.

"She certainly is a hard-worker," Iroh observed, refocusing back on their game. His furry eyebrows fell down with concern as he reviewed the board. "Did you rearrange our game?" He pointed an accusing finger at Zuko, who smiled as he knocked over Iroh's king with his knight, the position of both pieces entirely different than it had been previously. "Cheaters never prosper, you know," Iroh chuckled, delivering a solid and amused slap to Zuko's arm.

* * *

"Damn, She's _still_ asleep?"

Speeding down a cramped highway, Sokka had just cast a brief glance at his rear-view mirror long enough to see that is sister's eyes were still closed, her head flopped over on Jane's shoulder.

"Uhh...Er, yea," Jane mumbled, cheeks brightening as her attention was forced upon her situation, Katara's body pressed against her side, the sleeping girl's cheek on her bony shoulder. Jane took a moment to observe the quiet, contained breathing pattern of Katara's body before pulling her eyes away and staring back out the window. Her mind sidestepped to the feeling of Johnny's gentle snoring under her ear.

"Man, she's been napping for, like, three hours," Aang mumbled, turning pages in a CD case. "Really must've been tired."

"Oh, erm...Y-yea, she was up pretty late," Jane defended in a mutter. "Had to work on a paper."

"Argh," Sokka groaned. "I'm gonna need to take a break from driving soon, so we might need to wake her up and see how she's doing..."

"Hm?" Aang noticed his phone vibrate from the change holder, so he grabbed it and flicked it open.

[NEW VOICEMAIL.]  
[1 MISSED CALL - Toph Potato]

Aang's heart raced with relief for some kind of explanation. They were driving, so she had probably called at some point whil they'd been out of signal.

["YOU HAVE **ONE** NEW MESSAGE. **FIRST** NEW MESSAGE."]  
[ _Beep!_ ]  
["H-hey, Aang..."] A deep sigh. ["It's me. I, uhh...I'm really sorry. My phone was off when you tried calling, I kinda got...-]  
"Who's calling you?" Sokka wondered. He received an upward index finger from Aang.  
"-...swept out of the building, and, uhm...Please don't worry about it, it's OK. It's just my parents. They...they sent some people to come pick me up, and said if I didn't come they'd cut off my college fund, so...Ugh...Not fun. So fucking sick of all this...I don't even know what to do when I see them, you know? I am _so_ pissed. They didn't even pick me up _themselves._ A-anyway, I didn't want to hold you guys up, so...yea. I am _not_ gonna let this go easy. Well...I miss you already. Love you, Babe. 'Kay. Bye."]  
[ _Beep!_ ]

"That was Toph - her parents told her if she didn't come that they'd stop paying for school."

" _Whoa,"_ Sokka mumbled. "That's pretty rough."

"When you're that rich, _someone's_ got their hands in your pockets," Jane dismissed the matter.

"At least she's OK," Aang tried to turn things toward optimism.

"Right," agreed Sokka. "She'll be fine. By the time she gets back, I'll bet she figures everything out with them."

"One way or another," Aang lamented, sending a text message.

[To: Toph Potato]  
[hey, got ur message. im so so sorry. :'( we miss you too!]  
[Sent: 10:39am]

Jane heard a sudden, drawn-out gust of air being drawn into Katara's nostrils as she lifted her head, her once neatly brushed hair draping in multiple directions. She groggily pushed back loose hair behind her head, blinking and gawking about the car. A sloppy yawn poured out as she stretched her arms.

"Heh. Morning, there, Sugar-Queen," Jane teased, poking a finger into Katara's rib. She whimpered like a dog and pushed the hand away. "Wake up."

"Noooooo," whined back the recently stirred girl like a child, clutching her stomach.

"How's your headache?" Sokka inquired.

Katara inhaled another yawn and nodded her head.

"Better," she replied with relief.

"Good. 'Cuz we're gettin' food here at the next exit, and then you're takin' the wheel."

"Mmkay," complied Katara with a gentle nod, staring blankly at the back of Sokka's seat for a moment. She glanced to her side to see Jane's amused grin. "What?" she giggled, still waking up.

"Nothin'," Jane mumbled casually, shaking her head and turning back to the window.

"How about some a capella?" Aang offered, turning his head around to check with Katara as he held up a CD.

"Mmmmm, a capella," cooed Katara with a dreamy smile, pressing her palms on her flushed cheeks. "That should wake me up. Who is it?"

"Uhhh..." Aang checked the CD. "Straight No Chaser...?"

"Yes, yes, yessssss please." Katara playfully clapped her hands together.

Sokka cast her a raised brow through the rear-view mirror. "Yoooouuuu OK, there, Sis?"

"Heehee," Katara burst out a devilish laugh and Sokka smiled at her foolishness.

"Someone's in a mischievous mood today," Aang teased.

"I have to make up a bit for Toph," Katara explained sheepishly, rubbing her eyes.

"We all will," Aang decided.

* * *

"That was...very lovely, Lady Toph," complimented Madison. Toph could hear it in the woman's voice - she really _had_ been moved by the music.

"Thank you, Madison." Toph gripped her guitar's neck tightly as she dropped her other arm, intaking a careful breath as her guts were uneasy from the motion around her. Even in a private plane, Toph didn't much fancy flying. It always left her a bit queasy.

"It was truly inspiring," Madison went on. "I've never seen you play like that before."

"Hm?" Toph scratched an itch behind her ear. "You've heard me play many times..."

"Not like _that_ ," insisted her servant.

"Oh..." Toph shrugged, strumming an odd chord for comfort. "It's, um...-" She trailed off, her face heating up as she contemplated the idea. Playing songs with such personal meaning in front of strangers was easy, but in front of someone who knew her well seemed...much more embarrassing somehow.

"It's quite amazing how you can put your soul into your work, Lady."

"Hm." She nodded, wandering through crashing waves of thought.

"I hope you can find success in that field."

"Thank you. Me, too."

"Perhaps when we arrive at the estate, you should play some music for your parents?"

"Hmph." Toph's gentle, somber mannerisms immediately disintegrated into rage.

"Or-or maybe not, perhaps they might not share your tastes..."

"Ain't _that_ the fuckin' truth...?" grumbled Toph under her breath.

"Pardon?"

"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea," Toph clarified with more deliberate formality.

"Forgive me if it's not my place to speak on such matters," Madison timidly began. "But...I do not approve of the Master's decision in this situation..."

"You...you _don't?_ "

"F-forgive me, I apologize! I shouldn't have said that. Please nevermind. I shouldn't speak ill of your father, I-"  
"No, no, it's OK," Toph chuckled with some relief. "It's...nice knowing I'm not the only one who finds it...ridiculous."

"I certainly do hope you are able to come to some sort of...agreement...with your parents." Madison's words were spoken with that same hopeful sense of concern that Katara and Aang had both expressed over the days prior.

"I can assure you, Madison," Toph said with confidence, plucking some strings in a playful series. "There will definitely be some sorting out of some kind..."

_Rrrrmmmm._

"Madame, your phone is...-"

"Who is it?"

"Hm...It...It's your cousin. Shall I answer it for you?"

"Ugh. No. Let it go to voicemail..."

"Very well."

* * *

["~They're taking the hobbits to Isengard~They're taking the hobbits to Isengard~They're taking-"]  
"Uhhh- **NO**."

Katara pressed the 'next' button the car's CD player and Sokka, who had been singing along, whined out in protest.

["What we need's a few good taters..."]  
["What's 'taters,' Precious? What's 'taters,' eh?"]  
["POH-TAY-TOES!~Boil 'em, Mash 'em, Stick-'em-in-a-Stew!~Boil 'em, Mash 'em, Sti-"]

"Nooooo," whimpered Aang with a facepalm.

Katara was already on it, switching to the next song. That which had given birth to Toph's new namesake was a clear reminder of her lack of presence.

The next track began with a rhythmic clanking of metal and other odd sounds that Katara knew she had heard before but couldn't place at first. Sokka bounded to the beat his seat with anticipation, joining in as soon as any semblance of 'lyrics' showed up.

[ _Whump..._ "That's not good enough!" _Whump..._ "That's not good enough!"]

Katara rolled her eyes and pressed the 'pause' button, frowning with irritation and focusing on the road as Sokka groaned again in dissatisfaction.

"God...Sokka, is this _entire_ CD just...crap from YouTube?"

"Not YouTube 'crap', Katara," Aang pointed out. "YouTube _Poop_."

Sokka shook his head and propelled a valiant finger of correction into the air. " _Actually,_ my misguided roommate, _that_ is another category entirely. _These_ are YouTube _Remixes._ Huge difference. And go to number six, Katara."

Katara's eyelids sunk down dubiously.

"Come on. That one's for you."

"Fine...put it on..."

Sokka eagerly pressed 'forward' a few times. The track began with a crude synth-type sound that shifted into a metronome-like ticking.

["Wot is that mysterious _ticking_ noise...?"]

A smirk worked its way across Katara's face, forcing a crack through her grouchy disposition.

"See? _See?_ " taunted Sokka. "You _like_ this one." The voice in the track dully spoke in time with the ticking.

["Snape. Snape. Severus Snape."]

"Could we turn this shit off please?" Jane growled from the backseat, her hands dug into her winter vest's pockets.

["Snape. Snape. Severus Snape."]  
[" _DUMbledo-!_ "]

Katara twisted the volume knob down so the song was drowned out.

"What was that, Hun?" she questioned, having not caught her friend's request.

"Ugh, never _mind,_ whatever..." Jane shook her head and slumped her temple against the window.

"Something up?" Aang asked from her left.

"No," spat Jane, eyes trailing objects as they passed by.

"Hey..." Aang placed a comforting hand on Jane's shoulder that was quickly brushed off, eliciting a nervous expression from the sympathetic boy.

"Don't touch me," Jane muttered.

"OK, _seriously?_ " Sokka piped up from the front seat, rotating his head around behind the seat. "Your boyfriend broke up with ya. It's sad. We freakin' _get it._ But that doesn't give you the right to be jerks to us when we're giving you a place to stay, here."

"I didn't _ask_ for it," Jane defended. "You practically forced it onto me."

" _Woooow_ ," Sokka drawled, flabbergasted. " _Really,_ Jane? That's how you're gonna play this?"

"Whatever, Ass. Like you're some _noble_ person 'cuz you're dragging me along to fill in some missing gap at your house 'cuz your dad's got no social life."

"H-hey, guys, come on," Aang interjected sheepishly. "We're all tired and cranky, w-we've been stuck in a car all day, so maybe it'd be good if-" But Sokka cut him off.  
"Maybe it'd be good if some of us were a little more _grateful_ and didn't project their self-esteem issues on their friends who _haven't done anything wrong._ "

"Yea, 'cuz shoving into _my_ fucking business and telling me how I should feel isn't wrong _at all._ "

Aang and Katara were both on edge, practically flinching each time the other heightened their tone or volume.

"I'm not _doing that,_ I'm telling you to stop taking it out on _us_."

"Ah. OK. So trying to keep to myself 'cuz I'm fucking _pissed,_ and upset - that's me taking it out on poor Sokka."

"Hey, ya know what? You wanna brood in your damned corner? Fine by me. Just don't go freakin' out on us when we try to help you feel better."

"Been dealing with my own problems my whole fuckin' life, man. I don't need _your_ help, that's for sure."

"Good! 'Cuz I'm sick of trying to-"  
" **SHUT. UP.** "

Silence fell across the car as the built up steam exploded from Katara's mouth, her hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel as they traversed the highway.

"I'm _trying to **drive**_ right now, and it's _really_ stressful with all of this traffic, and I don't need to hear you guys bickering like...like _children,_ OK?"

"Shit, _someone's_ got a stick up their ass today," Jane nonchalantly grumbled.

" _Excuse me?_ " raged the irritable driver. "Did it occur to you that maybe I'm a little grouchy because I didn't get enough sleep because I was trying to help _you_ feel better last night?"

"All of you guys can stop it with the fucking guilt trips, all right?" Jane pounded her fist into her lap. "I didn't ask for _anyone's_ help!"

"Guys! _Please_!" Aang flailed his hands out and leaned forward, placing his top half in the space in the middle of the car. "What's _wrong_ with everybody? Come _on,_ this is Thanksgiving, here! I thought we all decided to go together because we knew this would be fun, right?" Aang was treated to silence - which he was actually relieved to hear. "I know this is hard, we're all...dealing with stuff. And roadtrips can be cramped and everything. How about we stop somewhere for a bit at the next exit and just get some air?" No response yet again, though this was a bit disconcerting now. "Huh? Guys?"

"That sounds like a good idea, Aang," Katara decided solemnly, nodding habitually. "He's right, guys, we...just need a break, here."

"Yea, that'll just fix _everything,_ " came Jane's under-her-breath sarcasm.

"Let's...-" Aang pointed his finger to the on-board CD player. "-...turn the music back on and just...try to not bug each other for a few minutes...?"

Yet another pause. Aang had no other words to offer the group. He was just glad they weren't arguing anymore.


	32. Family Blood

  
[SRU Commission - Dragon Blood](http://pandalillyrose.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Commission-Dragon-Blood-216147724) by ~[Pandalillyrose](http://pandalillyrose.deviantart.com/) on [deviantART](http://www.deviantart.com)  


* * *

 - Thursday, November 25th, 2010 - Thanksgiving

"I dunno, play something happy, Tophie!"

Toph struggled to keep her visage rigid and courteous so as not to let her disdain come through.

"I'm not really in the mood, Cousin..."

"Please? Pretty please? You're so _gooood._ "

Dressed like a proper "lady," her hair forced into a tidy bun, and decorated in various articles of jewelry that rubbed her the wrong way, Toph was not in a state of mind for playing music to begin with. The lisping voice of her cousin was certainly not helping her feel any better.

"Meng," began Toph with a tone like plastic. "I'm glad you like my work, but now's just...not a proper time for it."

Meng pouted out a weak, "Aw." There was a pause, then the sound of Meng scratching her bristly hair, and a sigh. "What do you wanna do, then?"

"Um..." Toph's head cocked to the side as she contemplated things. What she _wanted_ to do was discuss things with her parents - something she hadn't gotten a chance to do since she'd arrived. When she'd gotten back, there had been a rush of superficial greetings, and then she had been whisked away to her room, only to be quickly pampered, a process she had endured many a time but had grown to dislike even _more_ with her new-found freedom in college. She felt like a product on an assembly line. She'd be bathed, her feet would get scrubbed, then changed into different clothes - the tailor had complained about having to resize her Thanksgiving dress as she'd gained a bit of weight since her measurements had last been taken - her hair was styled, makeup applied to her face... _Makeup,_ for God's sake. After the entire process she had been left to her own devices for the day, but restricted to the interior of the mansion - not to disturb her parents, of course.

It begged the question, ' _Why did you drag me here?'_ The thought had been pounding at the inside of her skull all night and all morning. Now that the extended family was starting to trickle in, Toph was being subjected to their pity and pleasantries. Meng was at least close to her age and shared a similar distaste for the way the Beifong family conducted its affairs. The girl was certainly far from the proper women expected of the Beifong, but where Toph had learned to play along and wear a mask, Meng had opted to simply ignore expectations. Toph couldn't help but admire that, even if the girl was a bit too forward at times. At the very least, when contemplating every previous interaction, Toph found Meng to be someone who would back her up if needed in the face of their relatives -

"Well?" Meng cut through Toph's introspection with a prodding finger against Toph's arm. "Don't space out on me, Tophie. What should we do?"

"Ech." Toph rubbed her forehead impatiently. "What do _you_ want to do?"

" _I_ want to listen to you sing."

"Ugh...I already _told you_...-"  
"I know-I know-I know!" pleaded Meng in a rush, quick to rectify. "Soooo, that's why I _asked_ : what do _you_ want?"

"I...-" Toph wanted to rub her palms down her face in anguish but knew that doing so would ruin her makeup, so she refrained. "I just wanna fuckin' _leave_ ," she whispered.

"Sorry," mumbled Meng. She pieced together an idea before bringing it to Toph's attention. "Hey, maybe I can see if they'll let us go for a walk outside?"

"What makes you think they'll let us do _that_?"

"Be _cause._ We'll ask very, very quietly. Heheh."

* * *

Hakoda clicked the oven on, preparing to set the turkey in the oven. He stroked his hand across his weathered chin, observing the crew at work: Sokka was whipping together cookie mix for dessert, Katara was kneading bread dough, and Aang was chopping vegetables for the salad. Hakoda made note of a task no one had touched yet before making a suggestion to no one in particular.

"Maybe you guys can ask your friend upstairs to help peel the potatoes?"

"Rrrrmmm," whined Aang. "Taters..."

Katara giggled with some sympathy at his pathetic friend before shaking her head to her dad, her mood switching over.

"There's no point, Dad," Katara sighed, pressing her palms into the island counter top and leaning over. "Jane's all...in a _mood."_ She rolled her eyes. _"_ It's no use. She's been acting difficult ever since we left..."

"Truth," piped in Sokka, stirring his mixture with a wooden spoon.

"I see," Hakoda mused, quick to catch onto his daughter's rapidly heightened tension. "Is she up in your room?"

" _I_ don't know," huffed Katara, commencing with her dough mashing once again. As her father passed by, he squeezed her shoulder.

"I'll talk to her," he advised calmly, heading out of the kitchen.

"Good _luck_ ," scoffed a doubtful Sokka.

Hakoda made his way up carpeted steps to the narrow hallway. It was rather silent, which he was used. The door to his daughter's room was open, and he rapped his knuckle against it as he entered. The room was prominently blue, with a stripe of aquarium-themed wallpaper running along the top section of the walls. A section of the wall around her mirror was dedicated to family photographs, a few more recent ones depicting her with her friends from school. Although, these photos were missing the red-headed girl slumped on the floor beside the closet. She was laying on her stomach, staring into a computer screen, the lights dimmed.

"There you are," Hakoda greeted, attempting to draw her attention away from Aang's laptop.

"Hey."

"We're all working on preparing dinner. Would you mind helping out?"

The girl groaned as she dragged herself to her feet with no reply. She shut the laptop closed and pushed it aside under Katara's bed - a space that was otherwise empty.

"What do you _need_?" she wondered with a dull complacency, shoving her draped bangs to the side. They ended up covering one eye, conveying a style that Hakoda was not too fond of, only serving to remind him of his relief that his daughter had never slipped into the classic 'rebellious teen' phase in her upbringing.

"We need a potato-peeler," he informed.

The girl shrugged, avoiding his glance.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "No prob."

"Thanks." Hakoda, relieved by the ease with which he reached his goal, gave pause. "By the way, Jane...Are you comfortable, Kiddo?"

"Huh?"

Hakoda smirked as the girl's grouchy demeanor flushed with fret at being put on the spot, her eyes popping open at him.

"Are you comfortable?" he reiterated. "Is there anything I can do to make your stay any easier? You seem on edge."

Jane shrugged sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck.

"I mean, come on," insisted the father, raising a palm upward. "You can take a _break_. This is a vacation, right? Take it easy. That's the whole point."

"Heh." Jane nodded, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I...I, um...-" She shrugged, eyes darting around the room. "Lotta shit goin' on, is all."

"Hm." Hakoda reciprocated a bob of the head. "If you don't mind my asking: what do you normally do when you're stressed at school?"

"Erm...I-I dunno, I...keep to myself. I need space."

"Ha. I imagine being stuck in a car with the likes of my kids for hours on end likely didn't help, eh?"

A tiny smile.

"Heh, nnnnot really."

"I understand needing that sort of 'Me Time' when you're down and out. My wife was the same way. I always wanted to resolve problems head-on, but she would often want some time away from the situation."

Hakoda took a deep breath as he reminisced on the older days, lamenting that his love wasn't there to see the people their children were growing into.

"I know my kids can be...somewhat stubborn. They certainly get that from both their parents." He shook his head and chuckled. "It runs in the Kesuk blood, I suppose." He eyed her nervous demeanor, shrouded in a mist of apathy that was fading more with each moment. "Sometimes we can be a bit pushy, I realize. A word of advice, though, Jane: when Kesuks start shoving, _tell_ them to stop. Don't shove back." He wandered to the doorway, admiring a staff he had carved from wood for his daughter many years ago. It was propped against the wall, sitting beside Katara's work desk. He put his worn hand around it, thumbing smooth, sanded surface. "We're fighters in spirit, Jane. With a name like 'Fitzpatrick,' I bet you can relate. Those Irish have a reputation for a reason, I've found."

"Ha, _yea_..."

"The next time Sokka or Katara pinch a nerve, try to resist the urge to fight back. You'll just be adding coals to their fire. Just ask them to back off. See if that works."

"Hm..."

_This girl isn't much for words, is she?_

"And thank you," Hakoda added.

"Mm?"

"For looking out for those people downstairs." Hakoda let the staff go and headed through the doorway. "Now come on, there's work to be done."

They plodded down the stairs and into the brightly lit, bustling kitchen.

"We have a potato peeler on deck!" announced Hakoda. He grinned wide, keen on the wall of tension Jane was marching into. "Now how is that salad coming along, Leekpai?"

"Pretty close, Sir," Aang assured, slicing at tomatoes.

"And the bread?"

"Ready for baking," said Katara, holding up a pan full of dough.

"Cookies ready for launch!" Sokka cried with a salute beside a metal sheet filled with chocolate chip cookie wads.

As Jane circled around the island to the sack of potatoes, a peeler already sitting on the island's counter top, Aang asked her, "Hey, you doin' OK?" She responded with a simple nod, pulling up a nearby stool and the garbage can from the corner of the room.

Katara gave pause, casting a tired but concerned glance toward her red-headed friend. Jane caught it, sending a weak smile back as she commenced with her newly assigned task. Katara's eyes then found their way to her dad, whom she offered a sly smirk. His grin widened in the moment of silence.

"Sokka," Hakoda requested, "How about we turn on the radio, eh? Liven things up in here."

* * *

The methodical _tick-tock_ of Iroh's grandfather clock served as the background to the aftermath of the game of Risk that had just been played in the cozy living room. Zuko had observed, pleasantly surprised at how riveted he was by what had unfolded before him. Uncle Iroh certainly loved his board games - there was a chest full of them tucked beside the couch in the corner of the room.

As Iroh packed the game away, he complimented the victor.

"You haven't lost your touch, Azula. Very well played, my dear."

"Victory is in our blood, Uncle," Azula affirmed. "Kurosawas are destined to win." Her words sounded like classic 'Cocky Azula' but her tone was dull and tired.

"Waha, I suppose you may be right, Niece." Iroh opened the chest, setting the thin box on a similarly-sized stack.

"I often am," Azula mumbled, leaning back on the couch.

"What are you in the mood for now?" Zuko wondered.

"Why do you keep _asking_ me that?" snipped the girl, staring at the ceiling.

Zuko frowned and considered his next words with some care, but Iroh beat him to the punch.

"Your brother is merely ensuring that you feel welcome and content Azula. We are both certain that life has been very busy for you. You should take some time to yourself once in a while."

Azula huffed through her nose and cocked her head at her brother across the room.

"That's the entire reason I'm here. I came to see my family, not be waited on. I get enough of that every _other_ day." Azula sighed, glancing at the ornate clock to her right, opposite of the loveseat Zuko was occupying to her left. The swinging pendulum, made of bronze, was in the shape of a slender, serpent-like dragon. "Uncle, when do you expect dinner to arrive?"

Iroh rubbed his stomach, as if on instinct at the thought, and answered, "Ah, yes. It should be arriving in an hour or so. Mm- _mm._ "

"I see..." Azula tapped her chin carefully, her deliberate eyes sliding from her right to her left. "Zuko. Would you mind escorting me around the neighborhood?"

"Erm...Wh- _what_ was that?" Zuko doubled back, perplexed by such a request.

Azula smirked and slipped off of the couch, stretching her arms and picking a bit of lint from her shoulder.

"The neighborhood, ZuZu. Outside?" she spoke with that familiar belittling tone, tempered with some amusement. "Would you escort me around the block?"

"You mean...go for a _walk_?" Zuko clarified, raising a brow at her humored expression.

" _Yes,_ Dum-Dum. A _walk._ "

"Wh-...? O-of course. Yea, let's...let's go!" Zuko scrambled to his feet, scurrying across the room to the coat rack by the front door behind his sister.

"Very well, then." Azula paced behind with slinking steps. The two shuffled on their matching black coats and wound red scarves around their necks. Iroh smiled at the sight, recognizing the scarves as a holiday gift from their mother the Christmas before she vanished.

"Ladies first," insisted Azula, forcing her way past her brother and out through the front door.

Zuko waved Iroh off, promising, "We'll be back soon." Iroh, his arms folded before him, nodded with a telling ' _I told you so_ ' glance. Zuko conceded a smile as he followed Azula, who was waiting at the bottom of the stone steps in front of the house. The glow of street lamps against freshly fallen snow greeted them at the twilight of Thanksgiving evening. The air was calm and clear, a slight icy breeze sweeping across every now and then. Salt crunched beneath their boots as they proceeded down the street without words, and Zuko began to stumble for conversation, puzzled by the circumstances.

"So...Nice...weather. Huh?"

"Zuko," Azula began, her mittened hands clasped behind her back as she strolled. "Why have you been acting so strange since I've arrived?"

"Strange?"

"Normally you'd demonstrate more backbone, Brother. You wouldn't tolerate my incessant insults."

A slight "guh" popped out of Zuko's mouth, but Azula went on.

"Just earlier I mocked your girlfriend and you said not a word in defense."

"What, have you been...screwing with me, or something?" Zuko grumbled, somewhat appalled but not surprised.

"Not entirely," came a sneaky reply. "But as your sister, I can't help but notice when you lack resistance."

"It's Thanksgiving, Azula. I'm trying to keep the peace here."

"I'm _aware,_ ZuZu. You seem to be trying so _very hard_ to be quite the civil servant. It's disconcerting. Has becoming President stripped you of any self-motivation?"

"What?"

"It concerns me that you seem entirely involved with pleasing everyone around you. It's...somewhat disappointing."

" _Wow,_ Azula. I'm shocked," Zuko laughed, every gesture laden with sarcasm. "Me? Disappoint _you_? It's such a _foreign concept_."

"Silence," Azula mumbled, eyes narrowed but lips curved up as she nudged him with her elbow. "I've done a great deal of thinking since last we saw one another."

"Is that so?"

"It _is_ so. I'm worried that my little brother is going to go into the world and tarnish the Kurosawa name by pandering to the desires of those below him."

"Aha," Zuko muttered, realization dawning on him. "So it's not actually _me_ you're worried about."

Azula didn't reply at first, and Zuko was sparked with some intrigue by the fact that her normally rapid denial ddn't come.

"Kurosawas do great things because they _want_ to - for themselves," she pressed on, sidestepping his previous comment. "Yet _you_ continue to be possessed with this desire to latch onto others' opinions of yourself. First it was mother, then it was father, then Uncle...Now who is it, Zuko? Whose approval are you yearning for this time? Is it mine?"

"Playing psychiatrist," mused Zuko with a nod. "Different for you. Not so sure I'm a fan," he muttered with some irritation.

"Yes, yes, continue to joke, Dum-Dum. I'm trying to have some semblance of seriousness here."

"All right," shrugged her brother, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I like you better when you fight back," observed his sister.

"Huh?"

"It's not easy being so intolerable, you know. It can be quite taxing," Azula reflected, staring up at the street lamps as they passed by. "But it's a rather quick means of gauging others' self-confidence. We're Kurosawas, ZuZu. It's our duty to rise above those around us and push them. To _lead._ They'll never learn to defend themselves if they have no force to compete against."

"Let me get this straight - you're trying to say it's fine for you to be a complete _jerk_ because it teaches me to stick up for myself? _That's_ your excuse?"

"Hm..." Azula considered the notion and shrugged. "Perhaps. Either way, I _am_ better than you at nearly everything," she teased with a devil's grin. "This must be rectified. I deserve a truly worthy sibling."

"Psh. No pressure."

"Of course not, Zuko. You're my little brother. Dragon DNA flows through our veins."

"There goes that 'semblance of seriousness' you were talking about." He wobbled his had in the air. "Woosh. There it goes..."

"I don't want to see any brother of mine being swayed by those lesser than he is."

Zuko rolled his eyes, snickering at her approach. Was this really happening? Was she seriously trying to give him actual advice? Her own misguided pep-talk?

"Thanks for the encouragement, Azula." He pointed his hands in her direction. "But what's with this 'Concerned Sister' business?"

"As I explained, Dum-Dum...-" She wrapped her knuckled against his forehead and he absorbed it. "-...I've done a lot of thinking lately."

"Enlighten me, then," Zuko jeered.

"My thoughts aren't your concern," Azula primly advised, waddling an upright index.

"Oh, _I see_ ," taunted her brother, shuffling his scarf. They walked for a moment without words.

"But if you _must_ know," Azula cracked her mute shell, "I've realized that it can be of...benefit...to someone of my stature, you see, to have one or two...non-business-related confidantes."

"Mm," nodded Zuko, containing a laugh at her insistence on verbose diction. She turned her face to the side, chin slightly upright, eyelids dropped just a tad. Azula was a good liar, but her brother had learned to read through her facades. That cursory glance of hers said - in its own way - something Azula wouldn't dare speak aloud: _I honestly thought you wouldn't invite me. I was expecting to spend Thanksgiving alone._ "That's probably a good idea," Zuko agreed with her theory. He was tempted to give her a pat on the back but knew full well that trying such a thing with her in this self-righteous mood would result in a 'Hands-off, Dum-Dum,' so he refrained.

A bit of guilt found its way to his mind as they shared a few fleeting moments of solitude. He had not wanted to see her in the first place. He hadn't been in the mood to tolerate her nonsense, but Uncle had insisted. And he had been right - as usual.

"Er..." He attempted to bumble out of the silence. "So...how are-?"  
"You know, ZuZu," cut in Azula with a prying glance. "You really ought to learn when a lady appreciates some peace and quiet. How Mai stands for your social incompetence is _beyond_ me."

Translated: _Thanks for the talk, Brother. Now just let it be, would you?_

* * *

Toph wedged her trembling hands underneath her buttocks in an attempt to warm them as she sat on her bed - much too large for a single person. She shivered, teeth chattering slightly.

"Y-you OK, Tophie?" Meng checked with a giggle. They had only just gotten back inside, scurrying straight up to Toph's bedroom.

"Y-yea, I-I'm gr-great," Toph assured, her shaking words conveying relief and excitement.

Their escapade to the outdoors had been refreshing. It had been freezing, so they hadn't stay out for very long. There was so much commotion from family members arriving and socializing that it hadn't been hard for Meng to worm the two of them outside for a few minutes. The sensation of the clean, icy air rushing through her nostrils was at the height of Toph's memory, followed by the feeling of balling up snow between her bare fingers. It made her miss college quite thoroughly, where she could go outside and experience such things at her own leisure - in a sense - so a sliver of that freedom was much appreciated.

"Hee, did that help you feel better?"

"Sh-sh...sure did."

Meng rubbed her chilled hand on Toph's bare back. It was a shocking, tingling touch, but Toph enjoyed it in this mental state. Anything _not_ cozy and warm and expected was a treat. It had been a fun 'game' of sorts, sneaking out of the mansion, trying to enjoy the weather outside, all while in a dress, attempting to stay as neat and tidy as possible.

"See, wasn't that fun?"

Toph felt relief as a quilt was draped across her shoulders.

"There ya go!"

It baffled Toph as to how Meng seemed perfectly fine. Clearly, the girl got out more often. Yet another odd trait she could admire.

"Th-thanks, Meng...Is...Is M-Madison around?"

"She's probably somewhere around here, Cuz. Why, what's up?"

"Kinda in the m-mood for some...hot cocoa."

"Heheh, that sounds good to me!" agreed the excitable cousin. "I'll go with her and get some!"

"OK!"

As the rushing steps of her enthusiastic cousin trailed off out of the bedroom, Toph found herself relieved. Comfortable, even. Meng had always seemed like a loon, irritating and overbearing, but today she was serving as a saving grace, a social oasis in a desert of stuffy rich relatives. It certainly wasn't because Meng was acting any different than usual, Toph had to admit. Some introspection in this moment of peace and relaxation, enveloped by her quilt, shed some perspective on the matter, and she had to confess to herself that maybe Meng wasn't just another annoying cousin, after all.

* * *

"This is so freakin' cool," whispered Aang, eyeballing the table of food from his seat next to Jane. "Isn't it?"

Jane nodded, a smile ready to burst from her cheeks at his childlike wonder.

"Sure is, Twinkle-Toes."

The Kesuk family was finalizing a few things from the kitchen, insisting that their guests wait at a quickly-filling table in the dining room. The stairwell leading upstairs sat in one end of the room, its wall covered in family pictures of different kinds.

"I've never had an actual Thanksgiving like this before," continued Aang with giddy glee. "Like, everyone all... _cooking_ everything, and...and a bunch of people all sitting down together..."

Jane's mind reeled back to numerous Thanksgivings of old full of Fitzpatricks, most of their faces blurred and indistinguishable.

"Huh...Yea," she mumbled. "This _would_ be different for you..."

As Katara set a steaming pan of bread before him, Aang rubbed his palms together with such ferocity that Jane wondered if they'd burst into flames.

" _Whoa,_ there, Aang," she snickered. "Settle down, Bud."

"This is gonna be _sooo goood!_ " cried the enthusistic boy with baited breath.

A chorus of two Kesuk men flowed through the house as they sung to the familiar tune normally played by an organ precluding a baseball game. As they sung, Hakoda carried the turkey in while Sokka clapped his hands with each syllable.

"~ **Meat-Meat-Meat-Meat~Meat-Meat-Meat-Meat~** "  
"Oh, God," groaned Katara as they paraded in, shielding her face with oven mits. They changed key.

"~ ** _Meat-Meat-Meat-Meat~Meat-Meat-Meat-Meat_ ~**"  
"I'm adopted!" pleaded Katara as Aang chortled and Jane smirked at Katara's adorable embarrassment.

They set the pot of roasted bird in the center of everything as they rapidly sang the finale.  
"~ **It's-time-to _-EAT_ ~some _-MEAT~_** "

Their performance was concluded with applause and a cry of " _Men! Ugh!"_ from their female compatriot as they all sat down. Smiles were present on every face, eyes glazed at the fruits - and vegetables, and meats - of their labor. Their table had six seats. Aang and Jane sat on one side, Katara and Sokka another, and Hakoda on one end. The opposing end was empty. At this seat there was not a plate and cutlery but instead a thick, black candle in a glass jar, not yet lit. The attention of the Kesuks seemed to immediately direct itself to the candle, which in turn led their guests to be reminded of it.

"Aang," Katara mumbled solemnly. "Would you mind lighting Mother's candle?"

"M-me?" squeaked Aang, his face lighting up. "I-I'm not sure, Katara, that's...I mean, fire and me...w-we don't exactly get along well, and-..."

"Haha, it's OK, Aang," Katara snickered, removing her oven mits. "You don't have to. Would you do the honors, Jane?" Katara's cerulean eyes drifted to Jane, who now shared Aang's surprise. Her stomach emptied in an instant at the prospect, and she decided to accept it, hoping to win back some of the approval she had recently lost.

"Y-yea, OK," she sputtered, shakily rising from her seat. She instinctively reached for her sleeveless vest, which was hanging on the neck of her chair, and fished into the pocket for her light-...wait. It was _Jet's_ lighter...She tactfully withdrew her hand from her pocket and approached Katara. "Not sure where my lighter is," she mumbled, but Katara nodded her head to the chinaware cabinet behind the empty seat.

"There should be some matches in the top drawer, Jane," she informed with a gentle grace.

Jane, hands dug into her pockets, fingers trembling, shuffled over to the cabinet, beginning to feel a bit nauseous from all the eyes on her. She fidgeted out a small box, popped a match out, and turned to face the candle, doing her best to ignore the melancholic, serene demeanor before her. She struck the box, and the normally comforting fizzing of the flame sparking to life jarred her. She carefully tilted the glass container toward her, ignited the fresh candle, then blew out the match, setting it on a stray shelf on the cabinet before scurrying back to her seat.

"Thank you," said Hakoda. Jane nodded, swiftly crossing glances with the group - even Sokka had an appreciative glow about him. "All right, everyone." Hakoda extended his palms. Sokka took one, while Aang took another. Jane noticed that Katara and Sokka were actually already holding hands prior to this gesture, and she took a deep breath as Aang reached his arm to her while Katara extended hers across the table. She swallowed her hesitation and took both, her already warm face flush with blood at this point. "At the Kesuks'," Hakoda informed, "we like to say our grace without words in a few moments of silence." He bobbed his head downward, and Jane felt a lump form in her throat as she watched the rest of them close their eyes.

Jane didn't believe in any God, that was for sure, but with the way her moods were being tossed through a washing machine today, she could appreciate a few moments of reflection and solitude. She couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. She squeezed Aang's gentle fingers, rubbing her thumb across Katara's soft wrist, and stared at the flickering flame in the jar to her right.

* * *

Zuko cracked open the plastic container of potato salad and stuck a large spoon into it, passing it to his Uncle, who eagerly scooped some onto his plate. It had taken a few minutes for Azula to get all of her complaining out of her system, but Iroh had managed to quell her concerns by advising that she was more than welcome to provide dinner if she preferred. That had shut her up quite suddenly. Dinner had been delivered in a box, as there wasn't enough interest or energy to go around between three people to prepare food for themselves. At the end of the day, this sufficed. Zuko had never been big on Thanksgiving dinner, anyway, whether for food or familial faking, but this he could get behind.

Three people, tucked around a small kitchen table, sharing a heavy meal and appreciating one another's company. No small-talk, no expectations, just food, some laughs, and a release of the doubts that normally plagued him when his sister was around.

"I can serve my own string beans, Brother," Azula scoffed at Zuko's aid. He paused, stared at her pouted lip and raised eyebrow...then spooned another slab of garlic-laden beans onto her plate. She laughed through her nostrils with a smirk and shook her head. "You truly are insufferable, you know."

"I learn from the master," Zuko's raspy tone countered with a cocky tilt of his head as he sawed off a slice of turkey and plopped it down.

"Ah, sibling rivalry," sighed Iroh, patting his stomach as he leaned back in his chair, his plate empty.

"U-Uncle, are you already _finished_?" Zuko spat incredulously.

"Waha! No, no, not at all!" The old man slapped his belly with riotous amusement. "I am merely preparing for what is to come, Zuko."

"What's to _come?_ "

Iroh slurped a sip of sake from his handle-less porcelain cup. "A Thanksgiving feast is like a marathon - you have to properly stretch before the the race begins!"

Azula and Zuko exchanged shifty eyes - humored glances - fearful for what, indeed, was to come.

* * *

"Heehee, wow, Tophie, that stuff is fun!"

"You listened to the whole thing?"

"Yea, yea! That was such a _romantic_ song," Meng cooed, removing the waxy buds from her ears and passing the iPod back to her cousin under the table. The table was bustling with activity as flocks of relatives congregated, all bickering smalltalk to each other. Children ran around the room, circling the lengthy table in laps. Meng had lost count of how many aunts and grandmas had pinched their cheeks - more than she'd prefer. _Much_ more than Toph would prefer, she'd hazard a guess.

"That's The Beatles for ya," boasted Toph.

"Later, you should show me more of their music!"

"Um...Y-yea," muttered Toph, her brows slanted in opposing direction. "If you want. Sure."

"Cool!" Meng grinned wide, clapping her fingers together.

"I could show all their best stuff," Toph elaborated, her own lips curling into an excited expression.

"Oh, but...-" Meng's excitement was curbed. "But after dinner, I...gotta go with my folks..."

"Oh," Toph groaned, partaking in Meng's disappointment.

Why was her cousin being so much more receptive than usual? It seemed like every other time Meng came to visit Toph would tune her out, push her away. It was kind of like she was talking with a different person than before. She concluded that it must have been the whole "college" thing. A senior in high school, herself, Meng gleefully awaited the prospect of college: being able to set your own schedule, make your own rules, stay out as late as you wanted, live with your friends...And, most importantly, _boys._ Boys. Boys. And no parents to scare any boys off, at that.

"And how are _you_ two lovely ladies doing?" warbled Meng's mother, slipping behind their seats.

"We're fine, Mother," Meng greeted.

"Hi, Aunt Wu," Toph mumbled, facing straight ahead. Meng observed her pleasant surprise from seconds earlier dissipate into uneasiness.

"Goodness," gasped Wu, leaning over to study Toph's profile. "Doesn't your cousin look simply stunning tonight, Meng?"

"Y-yea," Meng agreed, suddenly relating with Toph's uncomfortable demeanor.

"You are simply so _gorgeous_ , my dear," complimented Wu, stroking Toph's cheek with the back of her wrist.

 _What about_ me, _Mom?_

"I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves," Wu reflected. "It's been so long since I've seen that precious smile, Toph."

Meng was perplexed at how Toph's nervousness seemed to grow the more that her mother lavished her cousin with praise.

"Aunt...Aunt Wu?" mumbled Toph sheepishly.

"Yes? What is it, my dear?"

"Would it be intrusive to invite your daughter to stay with my family tonight?"

Meng's jaw dropped and she rubbed her eyes before double-checking the sincerity in Toph's expression - sincere but entirely embarrassed. Wu seemed rather startled by the request, herself. She stared at Meng with inquisitive wide eyes, and Meng popped her shoulders up, nodding her head.

"Oh," Wu spouted. "It...wouldn't be inconvenient in the slightest! By all means."

"Delightful," Toph chirped with saccharine syllables, bowing her head.

"Very well. I do hope you two girls stay out of trouble."

"Don't worry, Mother!" Meng assured. "We'll be good!" The commotion of the room was slowing down, and Wu waved her daughter farewell before heading to her own seat.

Toph had very strictly insisted that Meng sit beside her during the Thanksgiving feast, manipulating things around with her act of, 'Woe is me, for I am blind and require a trusted familial figure to assist me.' Meng admired Toph's ability to sneak into 'character' in this stuffy environment and make it work for her benefit with none being the wiser.

"God, I feel like a fucking child," Toph whispered, clawing at her chest as if to contain her thumping heart. She mocked herself, her words puffing out like squeaks from a chew toy. "Auntie Wu, can Meng-Meng come for a _sleepover?_ "

Meng snorted a laugh and Toph chortled along with her.

"Bought us a whole night, though, right?"

"Yea," Toph acknowledged. She grumbled under her breath, "I wouldn't be able to stand dealing with my parents tonight, anyway..."

As servants lavished food before them and the many tables around the Beifong family table were filled, both girls took in deep breaths, the wafting aromas filling them with pleasure. Toph's father rose at the head of the table, a few seats down, and addressed the lot of them by tapping his glass. Meng noticed her cousin's pale white eyes dull he spoke. She couldn't contain her attention well enough to focus on what the man was saying. She could only think about how strange it was that during the entire pre-meal ceremony of meet-and-greeting, Toph's own parents had not checked in on her a single time. This made her wonder why her mother and father seemed so OK just letting her sit wherever she pleased rather than by their side. It was not normal for them, Meng believed. The more she considered it, the more she realized that all day, her parents had practically been ignoring that she existed. Why was that?

Clinking of glasses rang out, jolting Meng from her scatterbrained thoughts, and she observed Toph holding out her own glass. Meng fumbled and tapped it against hers before taking a large gulp of her wine, coughing as some went down the wrong pipe and pounding her chest.

"Don't hurt yourself there, Cuz," snickered Toph. "I don't want you dying on me during dinner, or else I'll have to put up with my folks all on my own."

"Hey, you won't have to! I'll keep you busy!" Meng instinctively winked, only to realize her cousin couldn't see this gesture. She added with a mischievous giggle, "I have a plan."

"Huh?"

"We'll talk, my cousin..." Meng sipped more wine, patting her confused relative on the shoulder. "But right now, let's eat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have alluded to a connection with Meng in the past - there was a reference to Aunt Wu a long time ago during a family reunion flashback. Ever since that scene I've been planning on introducing Meng as Toph's cousin. The idea actually comes from the fact that Meng was voiced by Toph's voice actress, she just adds a lisp her voice. So the two sound like they're related. ;)


	33. Idol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics used from a number of different songs.  
> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDl0qPfkSRw - Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (Beatles)  
> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=t08cPMs-vl8 - Example of a guitar cover. =)  
> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYnFwi8HJ-A - I'm So Tired (Beatles cover by Perri)  
> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz7BGlgb5Do - Jar of Hearts (live recording by Perri)

* * *

\- Friday, November 25th, 2010 -

"Yea, yea...We're about to do it. We'll send it to you guys as soon as it's done."

["You promise?"]

"Yea, Twinkles. Tell everyone else I said 'hi.'"

["You just _talked_ with-"]  
"Tell them."

["Ha. OK, OK...Guys, Toph says 'hi' and stuff."]

["Er..."] Sokka's voice from the distance. ["Didn't we just...-?"]

["Hi!"] Katara.  
["Hey..."] Janey Jane.

["Can I go back to sleep now?"]

"Tell Snoozles I'm _sorry I woke him_ ," Toph belittled her friend. She knew there was a time-zone difference of a few hours, so it was earlier for them than her.

["Toph says you can go back to sleep."]

["That's _great_ ,"] sighed Sokka. ["Thanks for the permission, Dead-Eyes..."]

Toph found herself amused by his grouchy grumbling as it faded away.

"So things are better now?" she wondered.

["Yea, a lot better."] Distinct relief in Aang's voice. That was good to hear. ["And you, too?"]

"Oh! Y-yea, definitely. My cousin and I have been having a lotta fun, and...-" She trailed off, hoping to ignore the primary topic of concern. "Yea, it's been good. We're about to do that recording, so...-"

["What about your parents?"] So much for that.

"W-well, I...-" Toph scratched an itch on her cheek. "Yea. I mean, it'll be fine."

["You still haven't talked with them,"] realized Aang with a sigh. That disapproving, disappointing sigh that may as well have been a needle in her ear.

"I'm going to!" Toph was quick to assure. "Later today. I freakin' _swear._ I _will._ "

["Stand your ground? All that stuff?"]

"Stand my ground."

["Good. I'm sure if you try and talk things out, you guys will be able to come to an understanding."]

_Fuck no._

"I-...Mm-hm. We'll, uh...We'll see."

["Keep us posted, Taters."]

"Yep."

["Love you."]

"Love you, too."

Toph closed her phone and carefully set it on the bed behind her. She tucked her legs up from the edge and shuffled around on her mattress, the smooth, soft texture of her sheets a delight against her toes.

"Hee." Meng grinned at the small smile that had appeared on Toph's face for the conversation. "Got some inspiration from your boyfriend before you sing, right?" Toph's lips curved further.

"Somethin' like that," she said.

"You really like him, I can tell," observed Meng as she prepared the camera - one the family owned and had just been using the night prior to record some home footage from the Thanksgiving reunion. Toph didn't comment further on the matter of this 'Aang' boy, which only made Meng that much more keen on its poignancy in her life. Meng knew that Toph had dated some boys in the past - nothing serious, though. Something about thisboy had her acting _different,_ though _._ Meng was still trying to place her finger on it, but now wasn't the time.

"OK, a little more to the right. _Your_ right."

"Liiiike...um..." Toph fidgeted her butt into a more comfortable position on her bed, lifting her guitar up as she shuffled. Legs crossed, she set the guitar back into her lap. "Like this?"

Meng, tapping her chin critically, observed her cousin through the tiny screen coming from the side of the camcorder, eyes narrowed. Toph was captured in the frame from the waist up, her face and her guitar clearly visible. The morning sunshine poured in from a window on the left, casting a lighting effect on the blind girl that was pleasing to Meng's eye. Toph sat on her wide, cushy bed, pink pillows with intricate tassels dumped off onto the floor beside the bed to erase them from the background. Toph was garbed in a green hoodie with her dorm's logo printed on it, and she wore torn, baggy jeans - clothes she had brought back from college. Meng, not an expert on hair herself (hers was rather unmanageable, anyway), had requested that Madison, Toph's personal assistant, tidy her hair up.

Madison, upon being informed of their plan, was delighted to help. Between the three of them, they'd decided it'd look cute if they straightened it out, hung it down over Toph's shoulders, and pushed her bangs over to the side to cover one eye up. Toph had complained that it felt "girly" but her cohorts had insisted that she was fine.

Toph took a slow, deep breath, flicking her head to push her bangs around.

"Looking good~" Meng cat-called, eliciting a tiny smirk from the guitarist.

The girls had stayed up late the night prior listening to music on YouTube. What had started as a Beatles marathon had evolved into a series of fan-made covers, which led to covers of other songs, and other musicians...then it was four in the morning, and the girls decided it was time to sleep. Before they had gotten to bed, though, Meng had suggested that Toph give the idea a try: recording herself playing some music and uploading it to the internet.

Toph had been resistant at first but the more Meng explained its benefits, the more interested Toph became. It would be a way for her to share her music on her own terms, a way to help get herself 'out there.' Meng had cited how the internet was becoming a huge way for new artists to get recognized and find a following. After sleeping on the idea, Toph had decided that it was something she wanted to try - even if she couldn't see how her videos looked, people would be watching them more to listen, anyway.

"Um...Soooo...What should I say?" Toph mumbled, scratching her nose.

"Errr, weeeell...-" Meng thumped her finger against her lips a couple times as she considered. "I would just introduce yourself real quick, and then just start playing."

"Shouldn't I say, like, what song it is, or-...?"

"Nah, they'll see in the title and stuff," Meng dismissed.

"Oh. Right..."

"You ready to go?"

"Sure."

Madison grinned with excitement from Meng's side, clapping her hands together to cheer Toph on.

"Good luck!" she cried.

Toph savored the moment of silence, tossing out the first chord of her song to test her trusted guitar.

She sucked in a deep breath as the chord's tone vibrated through the air. She stilled the strings, cleared her throat, and began.

"~Picture yourself in a boat on a river~with tangerine trees, and marmalade skys~"

The words flowed out from her throat like water in a hot spring, her fingers like pixies dancing upon the fanciful flowers in this strange land she spoke of.

"~Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly~The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes~"

* * *

[To: Haru]  
[The drama llamas settled down, so things are a lot better. You?]  
[Sent: 2:11pm]

[From: Haru]  
[its cool over here man. sorry bro. lol girls. amirite?]  
[Sent: 2:12pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Haru]  
[You most certainly are right, my good man. LOLs, indeed.]  
[Sent: 2:12pm]

"What are _you_ doing over there?" wondered Katara from across the living room while Jane and Aang played a video game on the television. She was on the couch, Jane to her side and Aang on the opposite end. Sokka was lazily perched on their dad's recliner near Aang.

"Nothin' much." Sokka closed his phone and set it on the small glass table between his chair and the sofa.

"How am I in _twelfth place_?" groaned Jane with incredulous frustration.

"Sorry," muttered Aang, steering his plastic Wii wheel to veer around a long curve in the road. "I _told_ you it was a hard course," he pointed out.

"Grrm," replied Jane with narrowed eyes, clutching her controller tightly. She was using an old Gamecube controller, refusing to "screw around" with anything otherwise.

"You've got it," encouraged Katara, rubbing her hand across Jane's knee as she noticed a lightning bolt icon appear on the screen.

The screen flashed as the sound of thunder rumbled, and the little pink mushroom girl on the top half of the screen shrunk, as did the rest of the racers - save for Jane's giant turtle-dinosaur.

"Hell yea, suck on that," Jane goaded with a grin. She plowed forward, crushing one of the AI opponents.

"Oh, _come on_ ," Sokka protested, tossing out an arm. "You just _had_ to squash poor Baby Luigi. You heartless _bitch._ "

"He had it coming."

"He's a _baby_!"

"Sokka," said Katara with surprise. "You sound so _concerned_ , I never knew you had a soft spot for children.

"How come there's not a Baby _Wa_ luigi?" whined Sokka, leaned back in the chair. "I mean, where's the love there, huh?"

"Baby _Wa_ luigi?" Aang didn't seem to find the idea too appealing. "Why would anyone want _that_?"

"Because Waluigi's-a gohnna _ween_ ," declared Sokka with the character's whiny accent.

"That dude's a creep," Jane tossed in her two cents, weaving around the long and winding turn Aang had been steering around earlier.

"Says the girl playing as the freaking _turtle-monster_!"

"Damn straight. Bowser kicks ass."

"Meh," came Aang, popping his wheel to perform a trick off of a jump.

"I think Bowser's just misunderstood," Katara observed with a level of solemnity that threw her brother off.

"Misunder _stood_?" Sokka scratched the top of one socked foot with the toenails of the other. "The guy's life is so pathetic that he keeps kidnapping the same damn princess over and over again."

"And she's not even the best princess, anyway," Aang added, steadying his wheel for a straightaway.

"Oh, _really_?" Katara raised a brow, entirely curious. "Then who, exactly, is the best princess?"

"Like, _ever_?" Sokka sought clarification. "Princess Jasmine. God. So gorgeous."

"If we're talking Disney princesses, Rapunzel was pretty awesome in Tangled," Aang tossed in. "Especially at the end, when her hair was all-"  
"Wait, what?" Katara puffed out a laugh through her nostrils. "No, like...in Mario...World..."

"Oh. Princess Rosalina."  
"...Rosalina."

Katara giggled at the unified answer.

"That so?"

"Who's that?" Jane grumbled, dissatisfied with 8th place while Aang sat comfortably in 1st.

Katara hazarded a guess, snapping her fingers. "Oh, is she the other blond?"

"Yea."  
"Yep."

"Oh. She _is_ pretty," Katara conceded with a gentle nod.

" _Ha!_ Eat dust, bastard..."

"See?" Katara tapped Jane's arm with the back of her wrist as the counter moved to read [7th]. "You're catching up."

"Don't mess me up."

"Oh...Sorry."

"What's so great about Bowser, anyway?" Sokka was still hung up on this idea.

"He's _bad-ass_ ," defended Jane. "Look at him! He's got claws, and scales, and...and _horns,_ and fucking _spikes on his shell._ He's a dinosaur-turtle that breathes fire!"

" _Ohhhhh,_ I get it," came Sokka's wily tease as he noticed a connection, observing the ruffled mane of hair on the beast's head. "He's a _ginger,_ like _you._ "

"What?"

"Oh! _Ha!_ " Aang caught on, casually deflecting an incoming enemy's shell with a banana peel.

"Hee, I never thought of that." Katara scratched her hand through Jane's bright hair on the back of her head. Jane didn't seem to react, but this was somewhat expected. Her dull eyes seemed pretty focused on the competition unfolding. For someone who didn't play video games very much, whenever she picked them up, Jane seemed to get highly competitive. Katara found it endearing. It reminded her of her brother. Ironically, however, Jane seemed to curse a lot less while playing games than Sokka did.

"Bowser's just...Gah." Sokka shrugged it off.

"If Toph were here, she'd back me up," professed Jane.

"If Toph were here, she'd say you should be playing as _Dry_ Bowser," Aang corrected.

"Whaaa?" Sokka muttered.

"He's like Bowser only a fucking _skeleton_ ," Jane explained. "Good point, Aang."

"Uh... _huh_. I guess that's pretty cool. But Bowser's all big and fat and slow. He's like, the worst villain ever. A chubby man in overalls beats him every time, and he just keeps fooling himself into thinking he's so bad."

"Bowser's a good guy deep down, he's just lonely," Katara decided. "Cut him some slack, Sokka. Besides, Waluigi's just a total creeper."

" _I know_!" came Sokka's gleeful confirmation. "He's so disturbing and messed up!"

"Fifth," said Jane, focused on the race.

"All right! Go, go, go!"

"So tell me, Aang," prodded Sokka. "Why do you always play as Toad?"

"Because. He's cool."

"He sounds like a frog."

"Aw, hey!" Katara whimpered. "Toad's really _cute_..."

"Still sounds like a frog."

Aang amended Sokka's statement. "You mean, he sounds like a _toad?_ "

" _Ohhhhh._ I...get it. Is _that_ why all those guys sound all...-?" Sokka cleared his throat and impersonated the quirky voice of the character. " **HeY, wAhOo, YiPpEe! i'M tHe BeSt!** " Another cough and he was back to normal, snarky Sokka. "Yea, _that's_ not dumb at all."

"You play as _Waluigi_ ," Katara grumbled. "He's the most annoying, like... _creepy creeper_ ever."

"Yea," Sokka spat. "And I embrace that. I don't go around trying to say he's _awesome_ or _cool_. He's a friggin' _psycho._ That's interesting. Toad's just annoying."

"Oh my _shit_ ," Jane gasped with delight, oblivious of the current debate. "I just turned into a _giant bullet!_ "

Katara rolled her head back and laughed, acknowledging that Jane had never previously paid much attention when this game had been played in her presence.

"Oh, wow," said Aang. "You're in third place!"

As they hit the final stretch, Aang sighed, for he could detect something coming. His kart exploded in a ball of blue flame moments before the finish line. A flurry of shouts and cheers rang out as Jane fought for first with a computer-controlled driver.

"You got this, Jane!" Aang joined in, holding down the acceleration button but fixing his eyes on the second player half of the screen.

The whistle sounded as Jane crossed the finish line, having eked out a victory. The group erupted into an explosion of energy and congratulations were handed out.

"First place, bitches!" Jane growled with a toothy grin, pointing up an index finger. Katara, all too amused by what a big deal such a seemingly small thing seemed to be, gave Jane a pat on the back, while Aang delivered her a high five.

"Eh, way to go, Freckle-Face."

"So, Sokka," Jane threatened. "You wanna put all that Bowser smack-talk onto the track, or what?"

* * *

"So I remind you of this chick?" Toph murmured, unsure as to whether to be pleased or disgruntled.

"Yea, totally. Even plays the same instruments as you."

 _Click. Click. Tattatat. Tap-tap._ Meng's fingers were navigating the foggy seas of the Internet to show Toph the work of this musician.

"Ah, here we go. Lemme just pull up something you might like...Oh! Here..."

"What was her name, again?"

"Christina Perri."

"What, like that dumb 'you're hot and you're cold, in and you're out,' and all that stuff...?"

"Pssshh. No, no, Tophie. That's _Katy_ Perry. This is Christina. She's...very different."

Toph's ears were tickled by the clicking of a guitar pick against taut strings and the gentle squeal of fingers sliding across frets.

["~I'm so tired~I haven't slept a wink~I'm so-oo tired~My mind is on the brink~"]

"Oh my _God_ ," Toph gasped. "That's a Beatles song..."

Instant respect points. Anyone who would know a lesser-sung Beatles song and could actually play it? They instantly deserved a listen from her. As she observed the girl's singing, she appreciated the soul behind each strum, each syllable.

["~I wonder~Should I get up~and fix myself a drink?~No, no, no...~"]

"Like her?"

"Shh, shh," Toph shushed her cousin, snuggling down onto her stomach, nestling her head into her pillow.

"Heehee, OK..." Toph could feel the bed's mattress shift slightly as her cousin settled in beside her. Listening to one song became two. Two become four. Four became eight. Meng decided to look up the most recent song.

"Ah, here we go. November 24th - she just put this up the other day."

"What is it?"

"She's been putting up these recordings of live performances she did in a studio. So this one is...-" _Click._ "This one's her most famous song so far. For sure."

"Huh...So what is it?"

"Just listen," Meng teased. "This one's just her on a piano."

"Mm."

["~I know I can't take one more step toward you~'Cause all that's waiting is regret~"]

As the song began, Toph recognized it - bits and pieces. She knew she had heard this at some point recently, but only in passing. That was an edited version, though, and this was a live, one-girl-show recording. The lyrics themselves were daunting and melancholy, but it wasn't the words as much as the rawness in the girl's voice that drew Toph in. Her words were tired, scratchy at times. Flawed. The kind of imperfection that came from long sessions of singing, from singing when your throat was tired but you just couldn't stop. The girl sounded dulled and worn, but she pressed on through this piece with determination, a certain kind of energy oozing out through the physical deterioration.

["~Don't ya know I'm not your ghost anymore?~You lost the love I loved the most~"]

The way the girl played and sung cut Toph to her core. The scent of the coffee shop hit her in the face. The gentle rumblings of students filled itself into her mind, the cold wooden paneling of the stage floor against her bare toes, the wooden stool beneath her...

["~I've learned to live half alive~And now you want me one more time~"]

In that moment, Toph knew, within that deep recess of her mind she would visit on those Thursday nights at the Jasmine Dragon, that this girl played with the same conviction and expression that she herself did. This musician played her music because she _felt_ it, because music was how those feelings found their way out. The execution wasn't pitch perfect - in other cases, this would normally irk Toph, especially in regards to her own performances - but with this artist, that didn't seem to matter so much. She played, she sang...the notes flowed out, the lyrics trickled amongst them. It was raw and organic, as opposed to the canned stuff she'd often grow bored of hearing on the radio.

["~And who do you think you are?~Running 'round leaving scars~Collecting your jar of hearts~and tearing love apart~"]

Her voice, her strikes against the keys...It was a bit off at times, because this girl wasn't just playing, she was climbing her own mountain.

Who was this person she sang of? Who hurt her? What did they do to her? Toph could sense the pain and anger blended in with each keystroke. She didn't know why, but someone came to mind when she heard this song: Janey Jane. Toph didn't think she could correlate with the lyrics that Perri spoke, but something deep in her gut told her: _Jane knows this pain._

Was this how others felt when they heard Toph play those songs at open-mic night? Was this what Madison and Meng were talking about when they vaguely described the way she played? Her mind hit a roadblock as the song went on: did she like that idea, or hate it? She couldn't decide. If her music was leaving a genuine impact - beyond the technical sounds being put out - that was great. But if people could hear right through her, then she was taking her heart out of its cozy shell and exposing it. This idea didn't sit well, so she decided to ignore it for the time being and appreciate the rest of the song. Her heart jumped inside her chest. The Beatles were her heroes, but she was beginning to wonder if maybe there was something behind this Perri girl she could get behind.

After it had finished, the clicking and clacking of keyboard and mouse startled her from her relaxed state of absorption.

"Can you see why that's her most famous song so far?" Meng affirmed.

"Y-yea...that was...pretty neat. So how did she get famous?"

"Uh, I think someone heard her song and put it on, like, a TV show or something."

"Oh, really?"

"Yea. It's crazy how people can become famous overnight these days, ya know? Like that Bieber kid."

" _Blech._ "

"Just because _you_ don't like him doesn't mean he's not famous." _Click._ "He's super cute, anyway." _Clickaclik._ "Oh, hey! Your videos are done exporting. We can get these on YouTube for ya now!"

"Oh! Totally. Let's do it."

"What's your login?"

"Huh? Oh. Um, don't really have one."

"Hee, sorry. Guess that makes sense...We need to make one for you, then."

"'Kay."

"What should we make the name?"

"Hm..." Toph scratched her hand through her hair, contemplating a decision. "The Blind Bandit," she decided with confidence.

"Ooh. Sounds cool." _Tattataptap._ "Why that one?"

"I dunno. I think I should probably promote the whole...being blind thing, though."

"To like...encourage people."

"Huh?"

"Well, 'cuz...Sometimes when people have handicaps like that, I would...I'd think it'd be cool to have role models who can do awesome stuff even though they have that same problem."

"Oh. Yeeeeea. Somethin' like that. I guess."

"Hee. You didn't think about that _at all,_ did you? You just want people to go, 'OH MY GOD, that girl is blind and plays music, that's so awesome.'"

"Heh."

"Hmmm..." _Clackaclataptap._ "Already taken...Maybe if we add some x's in there...?" _Tappatapclattat._ "There we go! All right, so let's go and set this up..."

"And then, like, the 'Bandit' part because I'm a bitch and will steal your heart with my music. Or some crap."

"Huh?"

"Maybe if I become famous that can be my stage name. Got a nice ring to it."

"Whatever you say, Tophie..." Meng, while amused by the banter, seemed occupied with getting things arranged. "Name: Toph Beifong. Hm. What do you want to say about yourself?"

"What, like...a description?"

"Yea. 'About Me.' What should we put there?"

"Hmph." Toph paused to reflect, then spouted out words that her cousin typed out. "I'm Toph. I'm blind. I rock. I will cut your face off with my awesome."

"Whaa...?"

"Yea. That's what we'll put there."

"Sounds like _you,_ anyway..." More typing. Typing typing. Toph wanted to hear how her videos turned out, already, enough with all the typing.

"Let's _upload dat shit!_ "

"Uhhh...You're doing it again."

"The 'totally freaking you out' thing?"

"Yea."

"My bad."

"Haha, it's OK."

* * *

"Oh, wow, this is so good!" squealed Katara, eyes fixated on the computer screen as they watched their friend perform from her bedroom.

["~Lucy in the sky with diamonds~Lucy in the sky with diamonds~"]

"Don't you think?" Katara nudged Aang with her elbow, adoring his pink cheeks and shy smile, his eyes locked on the moving image.

["~Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain~where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies~"]

"That's great," acknowledged Sokka. "It's cool that her cousin's helping her out with that.

"We're tryin' to listen," grumbled Jane.

"Sorry!" whispered Sokka.

["~Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers~That grow so incredibly high~"]

* * *

["Holy shit, Toph - you just started this channel _today?_ "]

" _Yea._ Why?"

The red-head on the computer screen huffed out an incredulous breath.

["You've got, like...five videos up already!"]

"Yea, we've been working at it all day."

"Yep, Tophie's been doing great!" piped Meng from behind.

["Oh, is that your cousin?"] wondered a girl's voice from out of view.

"Hi~!" Meng sang out, waving her arm.

["Er...H-hey..."] A lanky arm was raised and wobbled to and fro.

["Oh, did you get connected to Toph?"]  
["Is she there?"]  
["Did you tell her how _amazing_ her videos are?"]

"Ha, hey, guys!"

["Hey!"]  
["Hi, Toph!"]  
["How are ya, Taters?"]

"I'm doing all right, guys. So is my stuff _amazing,_ or what?"

["Or _what!_ "]

"Shut up, Snoozles..."

["They're really great, Toph. I'm so glad you're looking into this."] The unknown girl's voice again.

"You're gonna help me when I get back to school, right, Katara?" Ah, so this was Toph's roommate.

["Of course! Y-yea! I'd love to!"]

["Maybe we could record some band stuff together?"] suggested the grouchy-looking red-head. So that was Jane, then.

"Ummmmmaybe..."

["...Or _not_..."] Now she looked slightly more grouchy.

["It's really good stuff, Taters, keep it up."] The boy with big ears and wide eyes piqued Meng's interest as he found his way into the frame, cutting off the tension. ["Just don't overdo it."]

"Overdoing it's my style, Twinkle-Toes." And that was infamous 'boyfriend' they had talked at length about. He really was pretty cute - Meng could see why Toph liked him.

["Heh, y-yea, I know. I'm worried you might get exhausted, is all."] What a little sweetie. ["Are your parents proud that you're trying to branch out with this stuff?"]

"I haven't shown 'em yet, soooo...-"

There was an awkward pause. Meng could observe a raised orange brow on the girl - that _was_ a girl, right? The adorable boy sighed and bobbed his head. Even when he was disappointed he was the cutest thing.

"Tonight!" Toph insisted in a rush. "Promise!" Another odd silence. Meng didn't know what to make of it, so she quietly endured her discomfort from behind her cousin on the bed.

["You _still_ haven't talked with them?"] Katara's face appeared behind the couch, popping up between Aang and Jane. Meng admired her wide nose and tanned skin, her long, bushy hair...Meng found herself distracted by envy. Why couldn't she have easily managed hair like that?

"Guys, can we _not_ talk about this right now?" Toph asked the question with some politeness but it was clear to everyone that she was sore about it.

["Sorry, Toph,"] said Aang. ["We're worried, that's all."]

"Yea, yea...I get it..."

["Ya know what you should do a cover of?"] A boy whose face bore similarities to Katara's squeezed in beside her. ["Jizzed in my Pants."]

"No."

["Maybe...I'm on a Boat."]

"No."

["...How ab-?"]

"No."

["Well, _fine,_ just do your Beatles covers, then."]

"No."

["I hate you so much."]

"No."

["Aang, make her stop."]

"No."

["You broke it, Sokka,"] joked Jane.

"Janey Jane~"

["What?"]

"You feeling better?"

["I'm OK..."]

"I miss you~"

["Heh..."] A tiny smile on that freckled face. ["You, too, Dead-Eyes."]

["Hey, what about me? You don't miss _me_?"]

"No."

["Are you just gonna say 'no' to everything I say now?"]

"No."

["Damn you to hell in a handbasket."]

"Also, also, _also..._! I miss you, too, Sweetness."

["I miss _you,_ Roommate."]

"I _super_ miss Twinkle-Toes."

["Love you, Taters."]

"So someone make sure to tell him that."

["I'm right _here..._ "]

"Also tell him that I love him."

["So you miss everyone else, but you don't miss _me._ "]

"No."

[" _So mean!_ "]

["Ah, are you guys doing that...video conference thing...?"] A man's voice, distant.

["Hey, Dad! Yea, we're talking with Katara's roommate."]

"No."

[" _Urgh._ "]

["Hello, Toph!"]

"Hello, Mr. Sokka-and-Katara's-Dad!"

["Haha. Well, I hate to break up the chat, everyone, but the pizza guy's here."]

Everyone started shuffling out of frame.  
["Oh, man, I'm starving!"]  
"No."  
["Sweet."]  
["I'm pretty hungry, too, actually..."]

Only Aang remained.

["Don't go making out with my computer screen, Aang!"] threatened the raspy-voiced girl. Aang's face went pink and he chuckled. Such a little cutie.

["OK, so we're eating dinner now."]

"'Kay."

["Tell your cousin we're glad she's around for you."] Meng smiled from the background and nodded her head to the boy. ["Let us know if you get any more videos done, and how things go with your parents."]

"I will."

["It'll be _fine_ , OK?"]

"Yea..." Toph obviously didn't share her boyfriend's confidence.

["All right. Well...Talk to you later, Taters."]

"Love ya, Babe."

["You did it again,"] he said with a sly smirk.

"I know," she muttered warmly.

["OK. Love you, too. Bye."]

"Bye~"

The video chat closed with a _bwop_ , and Toph rolled onto her back, taking in a deep breath.

"God," she sighed out. "Mom and Dad are _not_ gonna listen to me."

"Your parents love you, Lady Beifong," piped Madison from the edge of the room. She was sewing together the holes in Toph's torn jeans. "They're trying to encourage you to grow into a respectable adult."

"So they're threatening to take away my tuition?" Toph snapped back, her head pointed up at the ceiling of her covered bed space. "I can just _feel_ the love."

"I-I apologize, Toph. It's not my place to speak. Forgive me."

"No, Madison, it's quite all right," Toph insisted with a tint of plastic formality, rolling back onto her tummy and groping for her laptop's lid. She closed it shut and propped her head over the pillow she'd been using during the chat. "Please, tell me what you think."

Meng cautiously watched Madison bite her lip, drumming her fingers together before continuing her sewing. She felt a bit bad for Madison - the pale-skinned girl seemed like a gentle soul caught in this familial war.

"I...feel that your parents could be handling the situation in a healthier way," she admitted. "But...-"

"But?"

"W-well, forgive me, Toph, but I feel that _you_ could be handling things better, as well..."

Toph took the criticism with a sigh.

"Yea," lamented Toph. "I dunno..." She huffed, blowing her bangs around as she often did when feeling contemplative.

"Your parents are _still_ funding your education," Madison clarified. "From time to time, they express that they feel it's...perhaps a waste."

"Hmph."

"Again, I do not mean any disrespect, but they _are_ your parents, and they _have_ been paying for your tuition...I was personally offended when you decided you were not going to come for Thanksgiving."

"Made me kinda sad, too," Meng tossed in. "You're my favorite cousin...And I never get to see you these days.

"Oh," Toph mumbled, the after-effect of a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry guys...I didn't really... _think_ about that, I was pretty pissed off..."

"Mm-hm." Meng crossed her arms, considering the hurtful notion that Toph hadn't thought about her or the rest of the family - that Toph only cared about herself.

"Yet you keep avoiding them," Madison curtly pointed out. "They have been wanting to speak with you since you arrived, to resolve these issues, but decided that they would wait until you were ready."

"Yea..."

"Do you understand how much that hurts them?"

"Huh?"

"Feeling as if their own daughter, whom they have tried to give everything to, doesn't respect them?"

Toph buried her face into her pillow. Meng couldn't tell what was going on in her stubborn cousin's head, but Madison lectured on, her true feelings seeping out through the polite mask she normally wore.

"You spend their money, you treat them as if they are horrible people, when they merely misunderstand you. They worry for your well-being, they fear you will be hurt out there on your own."

"I can take care of myself just fine!" Toph insisted, raising her head. "That's _why_ I'm at college! To prove I can do that! And-and...I'm not _on_ my own, I have some people..."

"Yet it's _their_ money that pays for your well-being."

"Urgh." Toph punched the side of her pillow. "I fuckin' _know that_ ," she growled. "You think I'm happy about that? You think I _want_ that?"

"What if you didn't need that?" Madison coyly suggested. "What if you could pay for your own education?"

"What do you mean?" Curiosity gripped Toph.

"As your personal assistant," Madison slyly informed, "I'm aware of your personal finances."

"OK...?"

"You have funds saved from money set aside to build interest when you were a child. You have a separate account that has been relatively untouched for years in your name...Enough to pay for the duration of your tuition, based on my estimates."

"Your estimates?"

"When your father mentioned the conditions of this visit earlier this week, I...was curious." Madison shrugged, finishing the stitching on a backpocket and shuffling the pants around. "Perhaps you can bargain with your parents - suggest that you pay for your education out of your savings in exchange for more personal freedom, perhaps?"

"Hm." Toph was eerily quiet for a few moments. Meng could practically see the gears grinding in Toph's skull.

"Maybe not a bad idea," Meng gave her own opinion. "You _are_ a legal adult."

"You should show me what you're talking about, Madison," Toph concluded, pushing herself off the side of the bed.

"Of course."

"What are ya thinkin', Tophie?"

"I'm thinkin' that I need to talk with my parents tonight and get this over with."

* * *

 


	34. Moody

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 34 - Moody_

* * *

\- Friday, November 25th, 2010 -

Toph forced the lump in her throat down with a hard swallow as she stepped onward, her feet shoved into tight shoes. Madison and some other servants had tidied her hair into a tight, round bun and suited her into one of the formal dresses she'd wear for family affairs. To Toph, all of these dresses seemed the same: stiff, binding, uncomfortable. The walk to her parent's chambers was long and distressing. Madison led her by the hand, while Meng clasped the other one for encouragement.

A single thought kept pounding at Toph's skull from the inside, aching to be let out: _I don't want to be here._

Over and over the idea consumed Toph for the duration of the journey across the mansion. It was eventually joined by regret, anger, and fear. By the time they had arrived, she had to take a slow breath just to calm her body, her heart pounding from the inflated emotions. Aggravation with herself for feeling these things in the first place set in.

"Tophie...Are you...OK?" Meng muttered from her left. "Your hand's shaking..."

"Oh." Toph quickly unclipped her tightened fingers from both girl's hands and locked them together before her waist. "Nervous."

"It's fine, Lady Toph," Madison's ever-assuring voice claimed. "Be calm."

"Trying..."

"Take the time you need." Madison's dexterous, calloused hand rubbed Toph's bare shoulder gently.

Toph breathed. That was all she focused on for a few moments. Taking air in and releasing it - nothing more. Moments passed - maybe a minute or two. When the trembling in her hands had ceased and her heart no longer thundered, she lifted her head.

"I'm ready."

She could hear the sound of the heavy wooden doors being shoved open as Meng grunted from their heft, and Madison led her through.

"Master and Madame Beifong, your daughter is here," Madison announced.

"Thank you." The sound of Toph's father stung like icy water. "You may go, Madison."

"Yes, Sir."

Uneasiness was rapidly settling into Toph's stomach again as the sound of Madison's familiar footsteps disappeared behind her and the doors closed. The room was warm and dry, but the presence of her distraught parents prevented Toph from being at ease. She recognized the smell of this room - it was kind of a lounge area beside her parents' bedroom. This always seemed to be the room they'd call her to whenever they needed to talk with her about something serious. The familiar scent of cigars wrinkled her nose, instantly setting her off a bit. The smell was unpleasant to start, but inherently reminded her of all of the other times she'd been here to be scolded at or argued with.

"Come forward, Dear," her mother requested. She obliged, boldly moving forward with larger strides that she'd normally partake without use of her cane. Her parents didn't like her using her cane - it meant she was trying to rely on herself to get around, and there simply wasn't a need for that. No need to even risk hurting herself.

"Are you enjoying time with your cousin?"

"Yes, Mother," Toph quaintly informed. "We've been spending time working on my music."

"Oh, splendid. That sort of hobby really does take quite a lot of work, doesn't it?"

"It...it's not my hobby, Mother. It's what I want to do for a _career_."

"Yes, yes, of course." And there it was, the 'That's nice, Dear' tone. That dismissive way her mother would put her down that drove Toph insane.

"And have you decided what it is you wish to _do_ with that career, Toph?" Father's more careful tone immediately pressed its weights on her brain.

"I-I'm still working that stuff out," she admitted. "But cousin Meng is assisting me in finding ways to promote my work."

"So you wish to perform?" Father sounded blatantly skeptical.

"I believe she does, Dear."

"And how, precisely, do you intend to manage that manner of lifestyle with your condition?"

Toph contained her irritation behind the well-worn mask of courtesy.

"Every musician has a team of assistants," she explained simply.

"Hm." Argh. That obnoxious habit of his. He'd just 'hm' his way out of consideration. "What of the Beifong family business?"

"Wh...-? Mom, Dad..." Toph huffed, her locked hands tightening. "We've already _talked_ about all of this..."

"Yes, and we assumed you were just being rash, Toph. You're truly going to ignore all of the hard work your family has put into building this company?" Now Mother was getting worked up.

"I'm not _ignoring_ it, it's just not what I want to _do_ with-"  
"You _want_ to shirk your responsibilities and be a musician."

" _Yes,_ Dad, I want to be a musician!"

"You aren't capable of supporting yourself without-"  
"I've been supporting myself just _fine_ , Dad!"

"Don't interrupt your Father, Toph."

"...He interrupted _me_ first."

Toph furrowed her brows in defiance, squirming in her dress during the moment of thick silence.

"How much longer will you keep wasting your life with this fantasy?"

"Pardon?" Toph did her best to contain her rage at the way his question had been phrased.

"Spending your time on this incredulous idea that you will spend your life playing music."

"I _love_ playing music," professed Toph, attempting to garner their sympathy. "And I'm really _good_ at it!"

"For someone with your condition, certainly," conceded her Father.

_You just can't fucking_ admit it _when I can do anything on my own, can you?_

"With all due respect, Father, I didn't come here to talk about my work."

"Is that so? It seems to be what is most important to you."

"It... _is_ very important to me, but there are other things, too."

"Like this boy at school."

" _Yes_ , that boy at school."

"And these other students who pull you away from your academics."

"My friends..."

"Your _college_ friends."

"Yes. But you guys are important, too," she insisted, cutting in before her dad could assume any more. She could see where this train was headed.

"So important that you will go days without returning our calls."

"I-I'm a college student! I'm...extremely busy, and-"  
"Busy with your _music._ And wasting time on mediocre activities with these friends you have."

"You can't expect me to be working _constantly,_ everyone needs some time-"  
"We can't expect to ever hear back from you, either."

"Could you stop _interrupting me?_ " Toph demanded. There was a pause before her father slammed his fist against his chair's arm.

_Fwump!_

"Perhaps at this questionable university your peers don't respect their parents, but in this home you will _not_ speak back to your Father. You are a Beifong lady, and you will act like one within this estate."

His words hammered at her, her face warm and her chest heavy as she took deep breaths, her heartbeat eratic. She didn't say a word, deflecting his anger as best she could.

"We've given you nearly three semesters now to enjoy this phase of irresponsibility, but we won't tolerate it any longer."

"A _phase?_ You think this is a _phase?_ It's who I _am,_ Dad." Toph grasped at the headdress holding her hair in a bun and yanked it out, tossing it to the marble floor as her hair fell over her shoulders in a mess. She let it be, proceeding with her assault. "Growing up in this house? Pretending to be this polite, helpless little girl? _That_ was a phase, Dad!"

"It sounds as if this university is enforcing rebellious behavior, Toph," observed her Mother with some disdain.

"It's enforcing me to be _myself_ for once! I get to make my own decisions! Spend time with who I _want_ to. People help me because I _ask_ them to, because they _want_ to, not because it's their _job_ or that they _pity_ me."

"I see," muttered her mom. "Spend time with who you _want_ to..."

"Ah," chimed in her father. "So as soon as you have freedom - as soon as you're no longer living with us - then we become a burden. We're something to be _avoided_."

"I-I didn't _say_ that," Toph attempted to recover, pushing fallen hair behind her shoulders.

"These friends at school whom you've known hardly a year - suddenly they are more important than your family," concluded Father.

"You would spend your holiday with _them_ before us," Mother reminded.

The pain in their voices stung like sunburn, making her hesitant to say anything in reply.

They were guilt-tripping her. That was their game. They had done it before, when she had first tried to get into SRU. Yes, that was all this was. Just another ploy to get her to do what they wanted instead of what _she_ wanted. Obviously. And she was letting them succeed, so what kind of idiot did that make her?

She swallowed her regret and choked out an answer.

" _They_ don't act like everything I do is a mistake! _They_ believe in me and let me do things my own way."

"They're your _peers,_ of course they're going to do that! How will they know what is right or wrong any better than you?"

"You make it sound like I'm still a _kid_."

"You certainly don't yet act like an adult. You've spent two days now pretending as if your own parents don't exist. Even after we've been paying for your education."

"Just gonna keep on _waving_ that over my head? You practically blackmailed me to make me come here!"

"Toph, your father has to work very hard to maintain his business!"

Toph crossed her arms and bobbed her head, far from interested in this lecture over again.

"Yes, I _know._ "

"If you don't want to respect our wishes, and you feel so confident about handling matters without our help, maybe that's what you should do. Is that what you want?" Mother sounded rather disappointed.

"Maybe that's what I _will_ do..."

"And how are you going to manage that?" Father was full of doubt, like always.

"With the savings I have in my own name," came Toph's bold reply.

No response to that one.

"I've gone over it, and there's more than enough there to pay for the rest of my tuition," Toph explained matter-of-factly. "So if it offends you so much where you feel like your money's being _wasted_ on your daughter doing what she _loves,_ then fine. I'll handle it."

"You sound quite serious about this," mumbled her Dad.

"Yes, I _am_ ," she solemnly confirmed. "I'm sick of being treated like I can't _do_ anything! You guys are always bothering me and trying to make me do what _you_ want instead of letting me do what _I_ want. I don't _care_ what you guys think!"

"I see..."

"And I feel like I actually have _real_ friends at SRU, instead of all of this fake _bullshit_ I have to put up with here! I finally have a boyfriend I actually _love,_ and you guys don't even care about _meeting_ him!"

"We certainly _do_ want to meet him," Father corrected. "But this was a family holiday and he is not family."

"Why does it seem like _no one_ I will ever be with will be _family_ to you, Dad? Huh? I feel like _I'm_ not family!"

"Calm down, Toph," her mother attempted to settle things.

"Don't tell me what to be _calm_ about! I'm done with all this pretend shit, like we're some happy little family...And nothing I do is fucking good enough for you guys! I'm fucking _blind_ and I can play music for people! Doesn't that seem _special_ to you? In _any_ way at all? You act like it's a curse, like I should be _avoiding_ it, like it's a waste of time. You know what people at school tell me? I'm a fucking _miracle._ That's what they tell me."

"That's what they tell you?" muttered Father with a sigh.

"Yes!" _Sort of. Sometimes. I'm sure some one has told me that at some point..._ "This is something I need to do with my life! Why won't you fucking _understand_ that?"

"Toph," her mother pleaded. "Could you please not use that language?"

"Oh, and I'm not even allowed to _talk_ my own way, either, right? Every time I'm around you guys I need to...fucking _dress up_ and put on a smile and pretend like everything's all rainbows and shit, just to-"  
"Toph, you're upsetting your mother..."  
"-make you guys keep deluding yourselves into thinking our lives are picture-fucking-perfect."

Toph could hear her mother beginning to sob. She huffed with irritation, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And then whenever I try to stand up for myself you pull this guilt-tripping crap to force me back into my corner and be a good little girl again."

"You _are_ a girl," Father cut in. "You're acting like a childish hellion."

" _Good!_ Fucking good!" Toph thrashed her arms out, letting hair fall across her face as she shouted. "Raise some hell! Stir some shit! If that's what it takes to break outta this damned cage, then that's what I'll do!"

"Where is this coming from?" moaned Mother between bouts of tears. "We raised you to know better than to-"  
"You've raised me like I'm mentally retarded just because I can't _see!_ "

"We've raised you to be a Beifong woman, not a _rock star_."

"I'll be whoever the hell I want!"

Toph's heart was slamming against her ribs, her head spinning. She felt as if she had opened the floodgates that had been storing all of this anger. She didn't care if it hurt their feelings. They were going to hear her out, and then she'd be done with it and they could just deal with it.

"I've felt this way for a long while," she continued, trying to calm herself. "All the time, you're always treating me like I'm helpless. Instead of _supporting_ me in what I want to do, you _discourage_ it!"

"You're young!" explained Father. "You're full of...aspirations. Ideas. But you have to face the reality that you are handicapped - that there are some obstructions that you cannot overcome."

" _Wow,_ thanks for the pep-talk, Dad!"

"You have obligations to this family! We aren't able to live this lifestyle because we chase dreams, Toph."

"I don't _care_ about this lifestyle!"

"Then I suppose you won't care when you longer have it."

"I _suppose_ I won't!"

"This isn't a wise decision, Toph."

"But it's _my_ decision, Dad."

"And it's not what is best for you!"

Toph pressed her fingertips into her temples with impatience as her mother followed through.

"Toph...my daughter. You are _blind,_ my dear. You _need_ others to help you, to take care of you. With this attitude you have, I'm afraid that-"  
"I don't _need_ anyone! Christ! Are you even _listening_ to me?"

"I've had enough," Father spat. "Your ungrateful words, your irresponsible choices, your lack of consideration...I am finished hearing this."

"Fine! I'm sick of talking about it!"

"Then I suppose this discussion is over."

"'Bout fuckin' time!"

This was great. She had them all flustered and upset, and there was nothing they could do about it. She could finally make a break from this whole situation. No obligations to this family she never cared for. No responsibility to this work her father was trying to force on her. She could go out and make her own life without needig to worry about them. The idea was calming.

"Was that all?" her father inquired.

"I dun _no_ , Dad, you tell _me_ ," Toph barked back. "Anything else you need to say about how I can't do anything for myself?"

Toph relished the silence: a victory. Freedom. Soon enough she could do whatever she wanted.

"Great," she called out with snark. "I guess I'll just go back to what I was doing, and soon enough you won't have to worry yourselves about me." Toph spun around and headed for the double doors with bold strides that eventually wore down to inching steps as she slowly reached her arms out.

"Toph."

"What, Mom?" She groped her hands across one of the door handles and tightened her fingers around the cold metal bar.

"We don't understand why you're acting this way..."

"You _never_ have understood me," Toph sighed with some melodrama. They wanted to rub guilt in her face? She could do it right back.

"We just don't want to see you get hurt. You're our daughter."

"You're a part of this family," her Dad added. "Even if you refuse to act like one..."

Toph snorted out air through her nose.

"I've _never_ been a part of this family."

"Perhaps if you didn't insist on removing yourself from it so much, things wouldn't seem that way."

"I remove myself because everyone treats me like I'm helpless and...and can't take care of myself."

"That's because you _can't_ take care of yourself, Toph."

Her teeth grinding together, Toph ripped the door open, bumping it on her toes in her hurry.

"I _can._ I don't need you guys anymore. I can carry my own weight."

Toph stood, hand holding the door open, back to her parents. Her heartbeat had settled, her emotions had stormed out, and now all that remained was cold determination.

"I'll prove it."

* * *

\- Saturday, November 26th, 2010 -

"No, I haven't heard back from her yet..." Aang closed his phone and dropped it onto the coffee table with doubt. "I hope everything's OK..."

"No point in worrying," Jane decided flatly. "Not like you can do anything about it."

"I guess."

"OK, seriously?" Jane glared at the television screen. "I'm gettin' sick of seeing this guy's dumb face on pause. His eye is freakin' me the hell out..."

Aang glanced up from his drawing pad to observe the actor's face frozen in mid-speech, his eyes looking in different directions, one enlarged and set in a mechanical monocle. Aang chuckled at the odd expression before going back to his doodle - a wide-eyed creature with enormous ears and webbed skin in the shape of wings growing out of his arms.

"You're drawing that stupid little monkey-thing _again?_ " sighed Sokka from behind the couch as he snuck into the living room.

"Lemur-Bat," Aang corrected. "And he's not stupid. He has a _name._ "

"Oh- _ho,_ ex _cuse_ me." Sokka plopped himself down on the recliner, a thick ham and bacon sandwich in his hand. "What makes that critter so special? He's dumb." He took a large bite of his meaty meal.

"Sokka, stop picking on Momo," Katara scolded as she entered, carrying a pair of plates. "He's really cute."

"See? Katara remembered his name...He's like my mascot."

"You're such a freakin' dweeb, Twinkle-Toes," Jane picked, rubbing her knuckle on his head as she flashed him a mischievous grin.

"Hey, hey," he laughed. "You're gonna mess me up..." Aang gently nudged her arm off and flipped his pencil around to erase an accidental mark he'd just made. Katara set the two plates down on the coffee table before the two and whirled back around to the kitchen.

"Sorry, guys. Something came up at work and Dad has to stay late, so I tried to make some dinner. There's still some leftovers if you guys want, but I made sandwiches."

"What's in this?" Jane wondered, quizzically oggling the food.

"It's a turkey sandwich, Jane," Katara replied with a raised voice from the kitchen. "With some salad dressing, the way you like it."

When had Jane told Katara that was her favorite? She couldn't even remember - but Katara sure seemed to. Jane immediately scooped up the wheat bread and chowed down without any further objection.

"What's mine, then?" Aang asked with some worry.

"Oh." Katara came back in, carrying her own food. "That's peanut butter and jelly. I wasn't sure what else to make you, since you...don't eat meat."

"Oh, cool." Aang set his partway finished work on the couch's arm to his right and eagerly scarfed down his sugary snack. "Ffankff, Kuhtawha."

"You're welcome," giggled Katara as she set herself down on the left side of the couch next to Jane.

"Katara," Sokka piped in, having just finished devouring his own food. "How many more of these do we have to watch?"

"This is the fourth one, Sokka, so we have two more after this. And then we can see the new one in the theater."

" _Geeeeez,_ " he groaned. "Can't we just skip 'em and go see the one that's out?"

"No!" Katara was adamant. "Jane hasn't seen them yet!"

"Yea, Sokka," Jane joined in on the bashing. "You made me sit through the Lord of the Rings movies, now Katara gets to make me sit through the Harry Potter ones."

"Pff." Sokka kicked back his recliner and scratched his stomach. "There were only _three_ of those..."

"Stop your whining." Katara found her way to the remote. "Everybody ready?"

"Mm."  
"Yep."  
"Bleh."

["How do we sort out the _liars?_ "]

"Somethin' is way off with this guy," muttered Jane carefully between bites of her sandwich, observing the crazed man on the screen with the freakish eyeball.

["Another, another. Up, up. C'mon."]

"Neville's such a little sweetie," cooed Katara in regards to the timid boy raising his hand.

["Longbottom, is it? Up. Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for Herbology."]

"Hee." She seemed quite amused by his awkward expression.

["Th-there's the, um...the Cruciatus Curse."]

"Mmfh." Jane nodded, her cheeks puffed.

["Correct! Correct! Come, come. Particularly nasty..."]

"He's such a little dork," Katara observed with a smile.

"Yea, just like Aang," Sokka picked, pointing out a lazy toe at his roommate. Aang frowned with some disdain, his eyes glued to his page.

["The torture curse."]

"Oh, no," Jane groaned. "He's not gonna-"  
[" _Crucio!_ "]

The squeaking from the spider's pain made Jane pout as she watched it writhe in agony.

"Poor Neville," Katara lamented like one would to a puppy, recalling the character's backstory and why the sight of the spell upset him so.

"I'm not like Neville," Aang grumbled.

"Oh, quit pouting _,_ " Katara eased. "You don't know his whole story yet..."

["Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him? _Stop it!_ "]

"Fuckin' bastard," hissed Jane. "What did that spider ever do to _you_? Huh?"

"Didn't realize you were so defensive of spiders." Katara scratched Jane's back with affection.

"People act like bugs are lesser creatures. Pisses me off."

["Perhaps _you'd_ like to give us the last curse, Miss Granger?"]

"Since when did you like bugs so much?" Katara mumbled. Jane pointed a finger at her chest.

"Biology major?"

"Right..."

["No?"]

"Looks like Hermione feels your pain, Jane," Aang mused, nodding a head to the teary-eyed girl in the film.

[" _Avada Kedavra!_ "] There was a flash, and the spider squealed once more before it lay motionless.

"Shit, did he _kill it_?" Jane whispered. "What a bitch!"

Aang and Katara chuckled at Jane's overreaction.

["The Killing Curse. Only one wizard is known to have survived it. And he's sitting in this room..."]

"Whoa, wait!" Jane thrust out her palms. "Why is he staring at Harry like that? There's a reason. I know it."

Katara administered a facepalm to herself, toothy grin showing through as she paused the film again.

" _Gawd!_ " bemoaned Sokka in jest. "Maybe if you paid more attention instead of talking, you would _know_ , eh?"

"Whatever! This seemed important," Jane defended.

"Did you forget?" Katara began the lesson.

"Forget what?"

"How Harry got his lightning scar. On his head?" Katara poked Jane's forehead playfully.

"Ummm..."

"When he was a baby, he got hit by the Killing Curse when Lord Voldem-"  
" **He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"** Sokka cut in. Katara shot him a glare before continuing.  
"...When The _Dark Lord_ came to kill his family. His mother protected him with her love, so he only got a scar instead of getting killed."

"Oh." Jane scratched her hair thoughtfully. "'Kay. Yea, I remember now."

"That's what they're talking about."

"Does Neville really like spiders, or something?" Jane wondered out of nowhere.

"W-well...I mean, maybe?" Katara shrugged. "His parents were tortured by that spell, when Neville was a baby. They went... _crazy_ because of it...Neville's never really had his parents around because of it."

" _Oh._ " Jane scratched her cheek, unsure of how to respond to the morbid idea.

Katara cast a cursory glance to Aang, whose hardened, insulted expression had softened. She couldn't help but wonder what was on his mind, but knew it had to do with the correlation to the character's history.

"There's somethin' 'bout that 'Arry Pot-eh chap wot makes 'im spessohl," Jane mocked, oblivious of the tension behind her.

Katara shook her head, attempting to contain her amusement, and went to turn the movie back on.

"Somethin' wot makes _you_ special, too, Jane," she teased. "Not sure it's such a good thing in your case..."

_"Hey."_

* * *

Azula lifted a grouchy finger to topple her black king chess piece. She stared at it, her eyes narrowed in frustration.

"You win again, Uncle," she huffed, tapping an impatient finger against her arm.

"Best three out of five?" Iroh offered.

"That's quite all right," murmured his niece with a sigh.

"You are _surrendering?_ " gasped Iroh. He slapped his knee and barked out a laugh. "This must be a _first,_ Azula."

"There's a first time for everything, Iroh."

"Indeed there is. Such as...the first time a woman has led the Kurosawa business. Mm?"

Azula smirked as she watched her uncle's wide, strong fingers carefully place his chess pieces back in their proper slots in his intricate chess case.

"I hear she's doing _quite_ a fantastic job," Azula observed facetiously.

"That is good news." Iroh set his case on the kitchen table and waddled over to the tea kettle on his stove. He took a pair of mugs off of his long rack that ran the length of the countertop's wall, and filled them both with steaming tea.

"It hasn't been easy cleaning up the political _nonsense_ the previous CEO left behind..."

"I am certain that she will manage." Iroh set the mugs on the table. The one he placed before his niece had a cartoony T-rex and the word 'RAWR' printed beside it. Azula's eyelids drifted down halfway as she recollected the past. Uncle had kept the mug around just for her - she had loved dinosaurs as a child. Her mind wandered back to a memory of a rainy afternoon when she had come to visit. She had caught a cold playing outside with her cousin, and Iroh had served them tea with cookies Auntie had made.

She was stirred to the present, her hands wrapped around the mug, as her Uncle leaned over to pour some honey on, mixing it in with a spoon.

"After all," he mused, "I hear those Kurosawas are quite a determined bunch. Very ambitious. You know?"

"So they say..." Azula sniffed in the familiar aroma that wafted up from her ceramic mug.

"Is something the matter, Niece?" Iroh dropped the spoon into the sink and returned the small honey jug to its home on the countertop. Azula perked her eyes wide open and propped the mug up.

"Of course not." She took a sip, letting the warm liquid slide down her throat. "I'm fine."

"I am happy to see you and your brother getting along," Iroh observed.

"When Zuko isn't sitting atop his moral high ground and administers some respect to his older sister, we get along swimmingly."

"Moral high ground, you say?" Iroh repeated with a coy raised brow.

"Oh, _really,_ Uncle," Azula huffed, averting her eyes to her tea, her long fingers still wrapped around the mug, warming her palms. "I have earned it. I am accepting our family's burden while he is still playing dress up as president at school."

"Who is disrespecting _who_ , Azula?"

"Zuko is disrespecting our family with his desires to pursue a career that's disconnected from us."

"Don't you think you are taking this a _little_ personally, Niece?"

"Of _course_ I'm taking it personally! He is my _brother._ "

"And he loves you very much."

"Is that what he tells you?" Azula came back with a snippy retort.

"Do not be a fool. It is unbecoming of you. You are too keen to play ignorant, my Niece."

Azula drank more tea, hunched over in her seat.

" _Zuko_ is the one who treats me like...I am some _insane_ person."

"What do you mean?"

"For instance!" Azula raised an index finger. "He's taken to using nicknames such as...God _Zula_."

"Waha!" Iroh burst out. He immediately silenced himself upon noticing the fire in Azula's eyes. "That is...endearing," he defended. "You have your own names for _him_ that I imagine he does not always appreciate."

"That... _is_ true." Azula sighed. 'ZuZu' and 'Dum-Dum' didn't exactly have stellar connotations, did they?

"You and your brother are very different people, Azula."

"Truly."

"I know for a fact that Zuko is very concerned about you."

Azula's mouth curved downward slightly in a small grimace of doubt.

"I suppose..."

"And I know that his well-being is important to you."

"He _is_ my brother. He's a Kurosawa. I won't sit idly by and let him not live up to his namesake."

"Of course. But you two have a troubled past." Iroh intook some of his tea with a loud slurping sound. "But enduring pain is what makes us stronger people, Azula. Take, for example, the way muscles in the body work. They-"  
"When you use them to their limits, they strain and tear, only to grow back together stronger than before. I understand."

Iroh slapped his knee with the familiar "Whaha!" as Azula smirked.

"No need to run me through your gauntlet of metaphors, Uncle," Azula assured. "I'm perfectly capable of comprehending what you mean." She glanced at his amused expression and shrugged. "What?"

"You are sharp-minded, headstrong, and confident, Azula. All things your brother would benefit to develop. But there are some things he possesses that you would do well to take in return."

"Such _as_?" Azula cocked a curious brow.

"Humility."

As Azula absorbed the word with a deep sigh, Zuko entered the front door, a bag of groceries in hand. He entered the kitchen and getting straight to work putting food in its proper place. He glanced at them both, off-put by the gentle silence.

"So...Who won?"

* * *

["The Boy Who Lived. How _lies_ have fed your legend, Harry!"]

"Huh?"

"I think...I think she's asleep, Katara..." Aang poked out a timid finger to Jane, who was motionless aside from some shallow, raspy breathing.

["Shall I reveal what really happened thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge-"]  
Katara stopped the film, craning her neck over to see Jane's face.

Drool was dribbling out from her lips. She was curled on her side, her head nestled in Katara's lap, one arm hanging off the front of the couch. Her feet were pressed against Aang's hip, who was studying another drawing he had whipped up during the course of the movie. Katara noticed that Sokka, too, was sleeping in the recliner, his snores more apparent.

"Heh." Katara turned the movie off and stretched out her arms. "It _is_ getting pretty late, isn't it?"

Aang shrugged, tucking his pencil in his ear as he dropped his pad on the coffee table as he stood up.

"Guess you'll have to finish them tomorrow," he grunted, reaching his arms up and scratching his head as he wandered to the bathroom.

Katara observed the DVD's screensaver for a moment, enjoying the quiet of the dark living room. She ran her hand across Jane's hair, intrigued by how greasy it had gotten so quickly since they'd arrived. Jane was stirred awake by the gesture and rolled over, kicking her legs out groggily and yawning wide as she rolled onto her back.

"Ready for bed?"

"Grrmmmm..." Bleary olive eyes stared up with confusion.

" _Someone's_ feeling snuggly tonight," teased Katara. Jane frowned in response, her freckles suddenly shrouded in red as she lifted her head up from the lap it had been resting in.

"Shit," she groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Mm sorry..."

"It's fine, Hun. We'll rewatch what you missed tomorrow. Off to bed."

"You my damned mother?" chuckled Jane, a hand still held up to her head. "Ah, shi- _tuh_..." She grimaced, her teeth grit.

"Headache?"

"Yeh," huffed Jane. "Fuckin' nightmares aren't helping..."

Katara rose from the couch and headed for the kitchen, continuing her conversation across the countertop island that separated the two rooms.

"When Aang gets out of the bathroom, I'll get you something for your head, OK, Hun?"

"Mm."

"Maybe you shouldn't sleep on the couch tonight?"

"Huh?"

"You can sleep in my bed tonight. If you want."

"I-I dunno, Kat...I don't want to make you sleep on the couch."

"No, it's fine, there's enough room, we could both sleep up there."

Jane felt her stomach lurch at the idea, her cheeks flooding with heat.

"I mean, I didn't know if you'd be comfortable with that," Katara quickly added, turning on the sink and filling a glass of water. "If not, I'm really fine sleeping on the couch. I just don't think it's good for you to...-"

"Th-that's fine," Jane piped up. "It's OK. Yea. We can do that. Thanks..." She shrugged, hunched over the couch as Katara re-entered, handing her a glass. "Just don't want anything to be awkward."

"What would be awkward about it? Sokka and Aang don't seem to mind," Katara observed, referring to how Sokka and Aang had been sharing Sokka's (rather messy) bed during their stay. "But I know you're more...-" She patted Jane's shoulder as she sat down. "-...sensitive to that kind of thing. Especially with that nightmare you keep having. Whatever you want, Jane. I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

The flushing sound of Aang finishing in the bathroom relieved Jane of the tension she was grappling in the moment. She couldn't think of the last time she had shared a bed space with anyone beside Johnny. She often needed that space to be _hers,_ not shared by anyone. Even in her time dating Jet, she had never actually _slept_ in the same bed as him. It simply didn't settle well with her.

"Good night, guys," Aang muttered as he walked by, casting a glance at the snoring Sokka as he snuck upstairs.

Katara went to retrieve some pain reliever from the bathroom, leaving Jane to contemplate her situation, reminded of her recent loss and topsy turvy mental state.

As Jane received the pills and swallowed, gulping down the entire glass of water, Katara reiterated, "Whatever works, Hun."

"I-I couldn't make you sleep on your couch," Jane offered.

Katara shook her head with that look that Jane was getting used to. The 'Oh, Jane, you're starting to sound like a considerate human being' look. Jane was growing to appreciate that look, whoever it came from, but especially Katara, who seemed specifically invested in the goal of helping Jane act more 'polite' or 'courteous.' In return, Jane wanted to believe she was helping Katara kick back a bit and not get too worked up over everything.

Jane followed up her previous by conceding, "But I don't think it's doing my back much good to sleep on the couch...You're probably right."

"Let's head up to bed, then. Besides, you seem to be so _cuddly_ tonight." A raised brow. "Wouldn't want to leave poor Jane all by herself..."

" _Pfff!_ " Jane wiped her wet lip with an annoyed glance. She was quite aware of how unlike her that act in question had been, and Katara rubbing it in her face was only maintaining her self-awareness. An intentionally sarcastic "What _ever,_ " was all she could counter with. She noticed the boy in the recliner, laid back, mouth agape. "But what about-...?"

Katara smiled, holding back a giggle, and grabbed a blanket from the head of the couch, draping it with care over Sokka's sprawled body.

"There. He'll be fine."

Jane shrugged but followed Katara upstairs, acknowledging her potential awkwardness matched with a sense of relief. It was terribly difficult to feel at home _anywhere_ at the moment, especially sleeping in the same bed as another person - someone who wasn't Johnny. The idea clung to Jane's mind like a leech, sucking away at her comfort. Why did such a thing even bother her so much? It was quite the frustration.

"You coming?" Katara whispered from halfway up the stairs.

"Yep," Jane nodded, tip toeing behind.

After reaching Katara's bedroom, Jane scooped up her pajamas and retreated back to the bathroom downstairs to change. Just because they were going to share a bed for a couple days didn't mean she was just going to change in front of her friend. It felt too awkward. A moment of respite in the bathroom gave Jane some peace of mind to consider the entire situation. She felt childish, making a big deal of something that her mind told her shouldn't be.

When she'd returned, Katara was already in bed, having changed into a pair of shorts and a white tanktop. She shifted herself to the side of the bed to make room for the red-head, who nervously slid under the same sheets, careful not to touch Katara's body. The uneasiness rapidly set in, and Jane rolled onto her side, back to her bed mate. Her insides churned, her stomach oddly empty.

"You OK?" Katara probed from behind. In that moment, Jane regretted having even explained her history to her friend. It was a double-edged sword. Because Katara knew about her past, Katara helped keep her comfortable. On the other hand, her efforts also served to remind Jane of the very reasons she could be uncomfortable.

"Mm," Jane shrugged. "I'm fine."

"OK. Good night, Jane. Sleep well."

At least Katara was always trying.

"Night..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The Harry Potter films are property of Warner Bros. The main scene referenced: http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBFkA9mAlX4


	35. Back Again

\- Saturday, November 27th, 2010 -

The morning rays peeked in through Katara's bedroom shades, tickling at her eyes. Her right shoulder was heavy, pinned down. The weight, as it turned out, happened to be a fuzzy orange ball, attached to a skinny, breathing stick of a girl. Katara laughed through her nostrils, wary of moving and causing Jane to wake. When had that happened? Katara had been joking about the 'cuddly' thing, and Jane had seemed rather uneasy about physical contact the night before. Katara worried that Jane was having some attachment issues in dealing with being rejected by Johnny, which might explain why she seemed to be more enthusiastic about being with the group than she generally had been previously.

Katara slowly squirmed, managing to free her arm from Jane's weight, the head then nestling itself into the pillow. Jane groaned and shuffled a bit, leaving Katara with some space to slide off the bed, her friend unharmed and still resting. After a waking yawn, Katara popped on her penguin slippers, beloved relics from high school that she continued to keep around, and trudged her way downstairs.

The smell of bacon and eggs titilated her senses as she tip-toed. Hakoda was in the kitchen, playing an oldies music station while he cooked. Katara observed him staring out of the kitchen's window as an upbeat tune drifted through the morning air.

["~He rocks in the treetops all day long~hoppin' and a-boppin' and singin' his song~"]

Katara immediately recognized the piece and smiled warmly as she drew near, observing Hakoda humming along to the tune.

["~All the little birdies on Jaybird Street~Love to hear the Robin go 'Tweet-Tweet-Tweet'~"]

She jumped right into the chorus, catching her father off guard.

"~Rockin' Robin~"  
["~Tweet~Tweet-Tweet~"]  
"~Rockin' Robin~"  
["~Tweet~Twiddly-deet~"]

Hakoda whirled around and laughed as Katara reached out her arms to him. They connected fingers with one hand and grabbed one another's hips with the other, wildly rocking to and fro in rhythm, accenting the song with affectionate laughter.

"~Blow Rockin' Robin, 'cause we're really gonna rock tonight~"

They twirled around in the narrow kitchen, both bursting out a chuckle when Hakoda's elbow brushed against the active frying pan's handle. They sung the next verse together, recalling days of old.

"~Every little swallow, every chick-a-dee~Every little bird in the tall oak tree~"

Hakoda let his daughter go, smoothly spinning round to tend to the eggs scrambling as they maintained their vocals.

"~The wise old owl, the big black crow~flapping their wings saying 'go Bird, go'~"

"~Rockin' Robin~"  
["~Tweet~Tweet-Tweet~"]  
"~Rockin' Robin~"  
["~Tweet~Twiddly-deet~"]  
"~Blow Rockin' Robin, 'cause we're really gonna rock tonight~"

The tune carried on, and Katara took in a deep sniff.

"Aw, smells _great_ , Dad."

"Hungry, eh?"

"Yea."

"Sorry there hasn't been much besides leftover turkey lately."

"It's OK!"

"I'm making you guys a big breakfast to make up for it."

"You didn't really have to do that..." Katara teased. Hakoda turned to her, his lip curving upward.

"I _didn't_ ," he coyly acknowledged. "But I _wanted_ to." He slapped Katara's arm lovingly, proceeding with his work.

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Katara."

"Mind getting some plates for me?"

"Sure thing." Katara scooted to the cabinet and counted out five plates, dropping the stack off on the island countertop beside her father.

"Everyone enjoying themselves?" Hakoda wondered. "How were the movies last night? Going to see that seventh one today, eh?"

"Yea! It looks _amazing_ ," squeaked Katara with a hop. "But then we'll have to wait a few months until the last one..."

"The last one? I thought that _was_ the last one..."

"No, they split up the seventh book into two movies."

"Haha! Of course. Why pass up extra money?"

"Heh...Yea, I guess. There's also just a _lot_ of stuff going on. It would've been too long to squeeze it all in. But it's really neat - they get to tell a longer, more involved story that way, you know?"

"At least when Sokka was crazy about Lord of the Rings he only had three movies to worry about."

Katara rolled her eyes, hands on her hips, recalling Sokka having the same complaint earlier. They really were father and son.

"Either way," Hakoda pressed on, "I'm sure you'll have a good time." He propped a batch of scrambled eggs onto a plate.

"Definitely."

"You guys are going to be heading out early tomorrow, eh?" Hakoda cracked a fresh egg on the frying pan's edge, splitting it open, the contents oozing out and sizzling on impact.

"Yea," Katara remembered, somewhat daunted by the idea. "I guess we'll have to...Huh?"

"Another all-day trip. I hope it's been worth it to see your old man." He added another egg to the pan.

"Of course."

"At least I won't have to wait so long to see you again."

"Yea. Christmas! Less than a month." At least _that_ idea was relieving, in a way. "Hopefully we can bring Toph along next time so you can meet her, too. She's a riot."

"I can only imagine...Her boyfriend seems like quite a little gentleman. Especially if he puts up with how crazy your roommate sounds."

"Hee. Aang's such a little sweetheart." Katara whirled the island counter and sat upon a stool at the living room's edge, directly across from her dad as he flipped bacon strips. "I think he's a good influence on her."

"What about your other friend?"

"Hm?"

"She seems pretty troubled. Very distant."

"Oh. Jane..."

"I can see why you're friends, though..."

"What do you mean?"

"You have a heart for people like that, Katara." Hakoda glanced up from his preparation to catch a confused expression from his daughter. "People who are so broken they've lost track of who they are anymore. You can see how the pieces are supposed to fit together...even when they can't see it themselves."

"Hm..." Katara pushed bed hair bangs behind her ears as she considered his words. "Thanks..."

"Don't lose that."

"Lose it?"

"Some people get lost in ditches, and you're the type who will go out of your way to pull them out when no one else will. Don't let them pull you _in_ , Katara."

"Jane's...not like that, Dad. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not saying she is," Hakoda clarified. "But I _have_ seen you get hurt in the past, and I wish you'd...be more careful."

"O-OK..." Memories from a failed social life in high school struck Katara's heart like an arrow. She had been a bit of an outcast in those days, longing for the fresh start that college promised. Even then, her freshman year had been a rather confusing, oddly lonely affair where her brother had been her only pillar of consistent support.

"People aren't always what they seem, Katara. But you _are,_ Kiddo. You are _exactly_ how you seem. And that is a very beautiful thing. You can't judge a book by it's cover, and you're always an open book. I'd hate to see you lose that."

Katara simply nodded, absorbing the idea in. As she contemplated its meaning and consequences, she couldn't help but wonder if being an 'always open book' - someone who was constantly reaching out - was such a good thing. Then again, it was precisely that quality that had drawn her to befriend a certain dorky little art major freshman more than a year prior.

"Good morning, Aang!" Hakoda greeted, slapping bacon strips onto the pile he had amassed on a mat of paper towels beside the stovetop.

"Morning," yawned Aang, dragging his feet into the living room from the stairwell. He was wearing his white newsboy hat, cocking slightly at an angle over his forehead. He paused, partway through the room, and stared at the blanket-covered lump on the recliner that was a sleeping Sokka. Shaking his head and scratching his ear, he slumped into the stool at Katara's side.

Katara grinned at his gloomily groggy demeanor and grabbed the brim of his hat, tipping it over his face. His reply was simply to remain motionless while Katara snickered, only to undo her act to reveal facetiously unamused eyes.

"I've got some muffins baking for you, Aang, since I figured you wouldn't be much for bacon or eggs."

"Mmmm." Aang nodded, glancing back over at Sokka.

"Hey, Sokka," Katara called. " _Sokka._ "

"Son, you'd better wake up soon if you want any bacon before it's all gone."

"rRrRrMmMmmmMmRrrR..." The blanket shuffled slightly, then stopped.

"All _right,_ well...your loss, Sokka."

"GrRrmMpHhMbLe..."

"You sleep well, Aang?" inquired Katara sweetly, dismissing her brother.

"Mm-hm."

"Have you heard back from Toph?"

Aang shook his head, rubbing sand from his eyes.

" _Huh_ ," mused Katara, leaning her cheek on a palm. "That's weird. I'd think she'd have told you right away..."

"Me, too. Musta gone badly..."

Katara shrugged at his despondent expression. She very much wanted to offer hope, but couldn't do so with an honest smile. Toph hadn't sounded like she was going to approach the matter very positively in the first place.

"What's that, now?" Hakoda probed.

"Oh..." Katara turned to face Hakoda with a sigh. "We're worried Toph might've had a falling out with her parents."

" _Ah._ I certainly hope that's not the case."

"I hope not either, but...-" Katara shook her head, facing Aang again. "This _is_ Toph we're talking about."

"I thought we liked Toph...?" Hakoda seemed confused.

"We _love_ Toph," Katara insisted. "She's just...I dunno, she's been acting kind of abrasive lately."

"W-well...we've _all_ been in a bad mood. At least, before vacation," defended Aang.

"That's true," Katara conceded. "But you don't have to _live_ with her, Aang."

"That is _also_ true," admitted Aang with a nervous shrug.

"Based on what I've heard about the situation, it sounds like she's been under a lot of pressure," Hakoda contributed.

"Yea, definitely," agreed Katara, attempting to lessen the implications she had put into the air. "I know she's going through a lot, but I'm worried that she kind of asks for all this trouble."

The two men exchanged wary glances, mutually and silently deciding to leave the matter to rest at that. No sense trying to worm into a disagreement between women, they internally concluded.

"Well...Breakfast is nearly done," announced Hakoda. "Is Jane still asleep?"

"I'll go wake her up," offered Katara, heading upstairs.

"So, Aang..." Hakoda prodded at the last batch of eggs. "Is Katara holding up all right?"

"Wha...?"

"She seems more stressed than usual," Hakoda explained.

"I dunno...Those girls, they seem like they've been cranky a _lot_ lately."

Sokka's voice at last called out from under his blanket in a moan.

"DrAmA lLaMaS..."

Hakoda blinked at the wriggling lump on the recliner, bewildered.

"Yea," sighed Aang. "They're always making a fuss with each other. It's getting kind of frustrating."

"Heh." Hakoda shook his head. "That's just their way, fellas."

"What are you supposed to _do_ when they just keep complaining and finding more problems?" Aang scratched his hair lazily.

"NoOoOoOtHiNg," booed Sokka, finally popping his head out from the blanket, his hair in frizzed tangles. "It never sStAaAhHpPsSs..."

"Maybe they're just really stressed out?" Aang theorized. "Maybe we should be trying to help them somehow...?"

"Honestly, Aang, what I think...-" Hakoda turned off the stove and stuck on an oven mit. "-...is that it might be best to let them take care of these things on their own."

"Really?"

Hakoda nodded, popping open the stove door and carefully pulling out a pan of muffins. The scent of cornbread and strawberries gushed out from the kitchen.

"They don't seem to have any problems with _you,_ right?"

"No, I don't _think_ so..."

"Then why trouble yourself over it?"

"I dunno...I don't like seeing them all grouchy and annoyed with each other."

"They're _women,_ Aang," growled Sokka, trudging toward the countertop and plopping himself in the stool Katara had been using. He stared down the plate of bacon with a glint in his eye. "They don't _want_ to solve their problems. They _do_ want to be all grochy and annoyed with each other. Their problems will sort themselves out, so we're both better off just staying out of it in the meantime. Don't need them getting mad at _us,_ right?"

"Hm..." Aang scratched his nose, tickled by the wonderful smell of his breakfast overpowering the meat and eggs. Sokka reached his arm over and snuck a piece of bacon, to which no one said anything.

"Yea," came Katara from the stairs. "It'll be done any minute here."

"OK. I'll...be down in a sec..."

"Huh?"

"Gonna change."

"Whats-a matter, Freckle-Face?" Sokka cried out with a pinch of snark. "I _like_ your cute little bumblebee pajamas. They are _sooo preh- **shuth**!_ "

"Shut up, ass!"

"Heheh..."

Katara leaned her head over the stair rail to shoot Sokka a dagger glare, and he replied with a smug wink.

"So..." Aang sighed, shaking his head. "You were just saying about making them _not_ be mad at you...?"

"Hey." Sokka reached for another piece of bacon, answering Aang's question in a quiet mutter. "If they just think I'm a smart-ass chauvinist jokester, there's no room for me to be involved in actual _drama._ If they think I don't give a crap, I'm clean of any of that nonsense. The second bullcrap comes up, I just get ignored."

Aang lifted a finger to counter this remark, feeling sure there was some better answer to the situation, but words failed him as the truth to Sokka's theory sunk in.

" _What_ was that?" Katara sharply inquired from the stairs. She sounded less annoyed and more amused.

"Girls are stupid!" Sokka answered.

"Of course," Katara acknowledged, sarcastically tossing her arms up as she hit the first floor. While approaching, she pointed an accusing finger at her brother. "You," she blurted in a whisper. "Jane didn't sleep well last night." She plucked a piece of fried meat from his fingers before hit reached his mouth. "Lay off." She chewed it right before his eyes with a sly smile.

"'Kay," Sokka agreed calmly. "But lay off my _meat_ , Sister."

"Jane didn't sleep well?" Aang prodded with a dash of concern.

Katara nodded, shoving Sokka on the shoulder.

"Yea, she's had a headache and was tossing around a lot. Now get outta my seat." Another push at her brother, who begrudgingly slid out of Katara's spot and into the third and final stool to Katara's left.

"What's the plan for today?" asked Hakoda, passing plate of food out.

"We have to finish watching the rest of the movies," Katara declared. "Then we can finally go see the new one."

"Ugh."

"No one's _making_ you watch them, Sokka."

"Son." Hakoda nodded his head up as he set a plate with extra bacon in front of his boy. "How about I take you out for a while during their little marathon?"

Sokka's eyes perked open, his cheeks already packed with food before Hakoda had even finished his sentence.

"Mm-hm!" He nodded eagerly, his mouth too full for words.

"There. See?" Katara cocked her head to her brother as she drizzled ketchup onto her eggs. "Go have some fun with Dad, get out of our hair for a while."

Sokka swallowed and agreed with his sibling. "Win-win."

The conversation lulled for a few moments as the group ate their food, the sounds of a brass band accenting their meal.

"Hey." Jane strolled over, hands in her jean pockets, a gray sweater on.

"Oh." Aang hopped from his seat, half-eaten muffin in his hands. "Here. Take my seat."

Jane accepted his offer with a mutter of "Thanks," only to dish out another seconds later when Hakoda set her breakfast before her.

"Freckles has her manners down pat," Sokka teased. Katara kicked him in the shin with her slippered foot. "Ow."

"Ketchup on your eggs?" Jane mumbled, turning her head at Katara's plate.

"What's wrong with _that?_ It's good."

"Bleh."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"No, but...-"

"Try it."

Jane sighed, curious eyes glancing up from the plate of yellow and red mush to Katara's taunting grin.

"OK, OK..." She rolled her eyes, leaning her forehead against her hand as she let Katara pour an ample serving of tomato paste across her scrambled food, stirring it up thoroughly. Aang chowed down on a fresh muffin while Jane gave the mixture a taste. "Mm." Her orange brows lifted.

"See? It's good, right?"

Jane coughed on the vinegary taste and nodded, pounding her chest as she swallowed, enduring a bout of laughter.

"Sorry, was that a bit much?"

"Nah." Jane shook her fork and took another bite, more careful with her portion.

"Guess it's kind of an acquired taste, huh?"

Jane gawked for a moment at Katara's grin as the girl plowed through her own food at nearly the same speed her brother would move. She caught herself staring and broke her eyes away just as Katara turned to face her.

"It's one of those things that catches you by surprise, right?" Katara observed. "You think you'd hate it but it's actually good. Like pickles and peanut butter."

Sokka carelessly added in his own two cents: "Or ramen and taco sauce."

Jane cringed at both thoughts, barely catching a disgusted look on Aang's face, as well.

"Err..." Jane stabbed another forkful of reddened eggs. "Guess I gotta...give stuff a try before I judge, right?"

* * *

\- Sunday, November 28th, 2010 -

Toph plucked at her strings aimlessly, letting her fingers take the notes wherever they saw fit, sliding along the frets with no direction in mind.

"Soooo..." Meng poked her head through Toph's large bedroom window, brushing a curtain aside. She admired the white field below, stretching out to snow-laden trees in the distance. "Just another hour or so 'til ya go home...huh?"

"Yep..."

"Kinda freeing."

"Yea."

"I saw your parents this morning. They...still seemed pretty upset."

"Good for _them_..." Toph's words rang dry and dull.

The layer of apathy was off-putting to Meng. Ever since the argument Toph had seemed a bit more snippy, even lashing out a bit at Madison the next morning for trying to help with her hair. She had apologized after the fact, but had still insisted on caring for her own hygiene. Meng didn't understand what the cause of of this change of behavior, but had a feeling it had less to do with Mr. and Mrs. Beifong and more to do with Toph.

Meng bit her lip with her buck teeth.

"Errrr...Didja maybe want to work on another video before you go?"

"Nah..." Toph continued to strum absent-mindedly.

"OK. Maybe do somethin' together while we wait?"

More guitar string fiddling, but no response.

"Since...ya know...I-I dunno when we're gonna see each other again?" At this point, Meng was struggling to contain her disappointment in Toph's change of attitude. All of a sudden, after her conflict with her parents, it was as if all the headway they had made over the past few days didn't mean anything anymore.

"We will," Toph calmly assured. Those two words brightened Meng's spirits, at least a bit.

"OK. Good. Maybe I can come visit you at school some time."

"Mm."

"And...like...We've got each other's phone numbers now, and stuff..."

"Yea."

"Should be no problem staying in touch."

"Sure."

Meng narrowed her eyes at Toph's entirely placid demeanor. She contemplated a way to open her cousin up a bit.

"Hey..." She approached Toph, scooping up a hairbrush from the vanity beside the bed. She plopped herself beside the guitar-plucking girl. "Would you mind brushing my hair?"

"Huh?"

"I wanna look decent when my mom comes to get me, ya know? Madison seems busy getting things ready for you to leave, so..."

"Oh..." Toph's confused smirk delighted Meng. Better than the icy complexion she'd been wearing all morning. "Uhh...Yea. Sure." Toph set her guitar to the side, leaning it against a pillow.

Meng gently placed the brush in Toph's extended hand, turning her back to her cousin and untying her hair. She cringed as she felt it jump out in many directions. Toph's stubby fingers grasped at the tangled mess, eventually beginning to brush at it. Meng's body tightened from the pinching that was entailed in the process.

"You OK?" Toph muttered, pausing.

"It's a mess. Keep going."

 _Rrrrmmm.  
_ A phone vibrated from behind their little brushing session.

"That's yours, Tophie."

_Rrrrmmm._

"You gonna pick it up?" grunted Meng, flinching as her hair was briskly tugged by the brush.

"Nah..."

_Rrrrmmm._

"What if it's important?"

"They'll leave a message."

_Rrrrmmm._

"What if it's your boyfriend?"

_Rrrrmmm._

"Are you ignoring him?"

_Rrrrmmm._

"Toph?"

The buzzing stopped while the hair maintenance continued.

"Tophie, have you still not talked with Aang about what happened with your parents?"

"No."

"How...come?"

A hummed out 'I don't know' trickled forth from Toph's nose. Meng acknowledged that Toph had been receiving texts and calls that had gone unanswered for a couple of days now. She was tempted to try calling them herself, but concluded it was not her place. Still, it raised concern.

"Just don't feel like talkin' about it," was Toph's simplistic answer. "No point."

"Right..." Meng scratched an itch on her knee, the fierce tugging on her hair becoming increasingly irritable as Toph's no-doubt pent-up frustrations found their way out all over Meng's head. " _Urk._ Ummmm..." Meng carefully reached back and stilled her cousin's hands. "Little rough there," she explained. Toph gave pause before continuing at a more gentle pace. "That's better. Thanks."

As Meng's psychotic hairdo found some sanity, a silence hung over the duo. Meng found herself distraught, considering that Toph's reverted attitude was only a sign that her change of pace that week had been merely a fluke and nothing more. Then, an idea hit her.

"Hey..."

"Mm?"

"When you're done with my hair, how about...we record one last song before you leave?"

Meng patiently waited through some hair strokes for her answer.

"Sure."

"Cool."

Toph set the brush down, running her hands through Meng's frizzy mass.

"You've got weird hair, Cousin."

"Thanks...?"

"Heh. I'm glad you've been around this week."

"Me, too, Tophie. I...kinda wish we had gotten to know each other before."

"Yea..."

"But like I said: I'll totally come visit you. For real."

"Awesome."

Meng tackled Toph with a hug, catching the blind girl by surprise. In the first instant, Toph flinched, but relaxed once she realized what was happening, reciprocating the gesture.

"I hope everything works out for you, Tophie."

"Mm."

"I'll go get the camera ready and we can do another recording before you go. Sound good?"

"'Kay."

* * *

"Aren't you gonna try calling her about it, Aang?"

"Why? So I can get blown off again?"

Katara grimaced slightly at the irritation in his voice from the backseat of the Kesuk car. It was somewhat unexpected and unlike him. She took up the role that he normally filled himself in an effort to pacify him.

"M-Maybe she's just been busy..."

"Maybe..." The word was forced out, clearly not believed.

"Or she's just ignoring us," Jane tossed out with nonchalance.

"Here. Right here." Sokka, from the passenger's seat, pointed out a gas station to the right for Katara to park at, tactfully dismissing the topic at once. After they had settled into he lot, Katara went about prepping the car for gas pumping while the other three filed out.

"Sis, you want me to pick you up something?" Sokka inquired.

"No, I'll just wait until later. I'm still full from breakfast."

"Gotcha." Sokka whirled around, slapping his arms across Aang and Jane's shoulders and squeezing them both as they headed for the gas station's front door. "Onward, to our quest," he muttered with satisfaction, puffing out a cloud of vapor into the chilly November air. Jane squirmed out from under his grasp and Aang slapped him on the back in return as they broke off, filing into the store's glass door. The tinkling of its bell greeted them, and they split up, each seeking their own snacks.

"Whoooo-aahhht?" cried a flabberghasted Aang, staring at the potato chip sections.

"Huh?" Jane, a small bottle of orange juice in hand, rounded the aisle's corner and observed with her friend.

" _Ketchup_ flavored chips?" Aang gagged out. "That's just...disturbing." Indeed, he was staring down miniature bed bags of Lays' branded with the title 'Ketchup.' Jane was intrigued.

"Like pickles and peanut butter," she thoughtfully muttered under her breath. She reached out and grabbed a bag. "I'll give 'em a try," she announced casually, much to Aang's surprise.

"Oh, yea. I forget," mumbled Sokka, cocking his head at their confused reactions. "They don't sell that kind in the US."

"Weird." Aang shook his head at Jane's sly smirk. "Never knew they existed."

"I'm sure they're fine, Twinkle-Toes," Jane teased, waving the bag in his face as he retrieved a Wunderbar.

"You guys set?"

"Yep."  
"All good."

They checked out and headed back to the car, Sokka triumphantly shouting, "There and _back again_!" for seemingly no good reason.

Jane noticed Katara's despondent sapphire eyes as she screwed the gas cap back onto the car's side, her expression dialing up as she caught their eyes. They all piled in and headed out of the gas station, highway bound.

Aang excitedly explained to Katara how he had not been aware of ketchup chips while Jane appreciated their flavor - not quite as odd as she had expected initially.

"Back to the States with us now, then!" decried Sokka with a British accent. "Off! Off yeh go!" Katara raised a brow, a smile cracking through the dull mask.

"How much longer until _you_ get to drive and I get to be a pain in _your_ ass?"

Sokka brushed off her comment, opting to fuss through their CD case and pop in a disc.

"What are you doing?" Katara demanded.

"There and _back again!_ " he repeated himself with glee as the disc started up.

["~The Greatest Adventure is what lies ahead~Today and tomorrow are yet to be said~"]

"What in the _fuck_ is this?" Jane sighed at the plinking guitar and warbly singing.

"Dear Lord," Katara huffed. "Why, Sokka? Really?"

["~The chances, the changes are all yours to make~The mold of your life is in your hands to break~"]

"Why does this sound familiar?" Aang muttered from behind Sokka, tapping his chin.

"Because we watched this together last spring."

["~The Greatest Adventure is there if you're bold~Let go of the moment that life makes you hold~"]

"Oh...Uhhh...What _is_ it, then?"

"The Hobbit." Sokka pointed out an informing finger. "From seventy-seven, baby."

" _Ohhh,_ yea." Aang recalled the animated picture.

["~To measure the meaning can make you delay~It's time you stop thinking and wasting-"]  
[ _Click._ ]

"Hey!"

"No. I'm driving right now, Sokka. We can listen to your stuff when _you_ are driving."

"Hmph. You drive a hard bargain."

"I'm not bargaining."

"You drive a hard blackmail."

"Wh-? I'm not _blackmailing._ "

"You drive a hard-"  
"I _drive_ a _car_ right now, so, just...let me do that, OK?"

"All right, all right...Yeesh."

"Sorry," Katara put in. "You know how I get when I'm driving..."

"Seventy-Seven?" Jane muttered in inquiry in an attempt to cut Katara's tension.

"Yea, the Hobbit cartoon. Back in the day."

"Huh? I thought there were just the three books and then they made 'em into movies?"

"Oh, SmellerJane. You simpleton fool."

"Don't _call_ me that..."

"Oh, SmellerJane. You...poor, misinformed-"  
"You _know_ what I meant."

"C'mon, Freckle-Face. Keep eatin' those chips and put a smile on that face."

"Yea, yea..." Jane finished up her bag while Sokka played with his phone and Katara channel surfed the radio.

_Rrrrmmmm._

Aang inspected his phone, eager for a potential call from Toph at last.

Nope. Only a text message.

[From: Sokka]  
[Think I'm overdoing it a bit? =P ]  
[Sent: 9:12am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[your always overdoing it man]  
[Sent: 9:12am]

"Still nothin'?" Jane quietly inquired from Aang's left. He shook is head with a sigh and closed his phone, eyes glazing over with worry. Jane tapped him on the arm. "Hey," she whispered while Katara and Sokka debated over a radio channel. "It's _my_ job to be cranky and pessimistic. It doesn't look good on you. Quit it." A bashful smile found its way onto Aang's face and Jane smirked. "Thatta boy."

"-just _have_ to bother me, over and over. You just can't _not_ do it, can you?"

"I'm your brother, Katara. It's my sworn duty to antagonize you."

"Could you _not_ do that for a while?"

"Sounds like someone's got a case of the Grumpies."

"God..."

" _Gwum-peeeez._ " Sokka leaned across the seat and his sister nudged his face away with her elbow.

" _Sokka!_ Seriously! Cut it out."

"Christ, Sokka," Jane growled. "You're pissing her off. Stop it."

Sokka shrugged, leaning his head against the window as Katara went back to adjusting the radio.

[From: Sokka]  
[Yea. Think I overdid it. ;P ]  
[Sent: 9:14am]

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoIDDwTcPQM - The Greatest Adventure


	36. Forceful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny thing -- this chapter was originally posted in April of 2011, long before Legend of Korra started airing, and yet look at the first bit of dialogue she has. I had never anticipated that she would end up developing into a core cast member, but as the story went on that was definitely what happened. It seems like I captured a core element of her character arc inadvertently in that coincidental first line.

\- Monday, November 29th, 2010 -

The bar was quiet, nearly empty on this Monday evening. His face was warm but he wanted more. He tapped the counter.

"Oy," bemoaned the bartender. "'Nother round? What's got yoose so wound up, eh, Longshot?" He grabbed the shot glass and filled it with care, eyeing his leader suspiciously as he slid the tiny glass back. Longshot's brows popped up and back down, and Sneers sighed. "I hear ya, Boyo. Times are nutso."

Longshot slammed the shot down his throat, coughing from the burn and pounding his chest.

"If I didn' know any bettah, I'd t'ink yoose was still 'ung up on a girl."

The corner of Johnny's mouth twitched as he stared, bleary-eyed, at the countertop below him.

"'Course, I know bettah den dat," Sneers facetiously added. "No woman's wort' dat kind o' trouble, am I right? Speakin' of, any word on how Cherry's doin'?"

Longshot nodded his head slowly with a gentle toss of the hand.

"Ah, so she's all right, den. Pretty banged up, she was. Good t'ing you wasn't 'ere dat night. Woulda been some hell."

"It'll come," Johnny sighed, fingers pinching his throbbing temples.

"Yoose know, Johnny..." Sneers turned up the volume on the TV at the end of the counter for the lone customer sitting at its edge. "Witchoo bein' so...not troubled by Smelly an' all, and very much troubled wit' dis Rhino problem...might be a good idea to see if she's int'rested in enlistin' again, huh? I ain't nevah seen such work wit' a knife. Da girl's a bonafied ahr-teest."

Johnny acknowledged Sneers' claim with a single nod.

"How's 'bout we get dat talent back up in 'ere, huh? She looked pretty broken up 'bout...ehm...dat, uh...break up. Could be just da t'ing to kindle dose fires, Longshot. Love on da battlefield, n' all dat. Yoose know what I'm talkin' about."

Longshot offered no response at all - not even any facial twitches.

"Just a t'ought, Johnny. Dose whackjobs she's runnin' wit' nowadays is makin' her soft. Nevah liked dat one girl - Jet's ex, I mean. Always rubbed me da wrong way. And look what she did to da poor guy. She's gonna ruin ol' Smelly, too. Just yoose watch. Dat girl's trouble."

Johnny sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Yoose t'ink I'm kiddin'," observed Sneers. "It's crazies like dat girl what makes people go all squishy."

Sneers was treated to a raised eyebrow from his leader.

"Ahhmmm...Meant, eh...like...She's all lollipops n' unicorns. Real pussy-like. I can jus' see it in Smelly's eyes, Johnny. She's goin' pussy on us. It's all dat one girl's fault. Puh." Sneers tossed up his arms. "But whadda I know, doh, right? Like I says: no woman's wort' dat kind o' trouble."

Johnny tapped his finger against the bar beside his glass, signalling his desire for more.

"This one is."

\- Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 -

"I've got it, Twinkles." Toph set her plastic cup on the dispenser's drain, sliding her fingers across the brail print over the buttons. She aligned the cup with her desired choice and pressed the button down. As it dispensed her juice, she huffed out, "See? Under control."

"O-OK...You want me to, uhh...help carry your-?"  
"No, Twinkle-Toes! I'm fine. OK?"

Toph set her plastic cup onto her tray and grabbed its edges with care, lifting it off the counter.

"Let's go," she announced with brisk determination.

Aang was perplexed as Toph marched right past him, heading out to the cafeteria floor. Aang followed her to where she had stopped, mere steps out.

"Um...So where are we sitting?" she wondered.

Aang cautiously grabbed her arm, easing her to follow him as he led her to the nearest table, where Katara, Sokka, and Suki sat. He noticed some of Toph's dark grape juice had splashed out of the cup and onto her tray, but dared not verbalize this.

"Hey, guys!" chirped Katara.

Aang waved to her with some reluctance while Toph set her tray down, sliding into the booth.

"Hi, Toph," greeted Suki - this being their first encounter since being back at school. Toph replied with a simple hum.

As Aang sat down beside her, a single bowl in hand, Katara shot him a concerned glance.

"So what's up with you guys today?" Sokka asked, his plate empty save for a couple of chunks of pizza crust.

"I've been getting a lot of practice done," Toph immediately replied, scooping up some mac and cheese. "Lot more work to do, though."

"There always is," agreed Suki, shuffling her salad around.

Aang shrugged, chewing into his vegetable sandwich - a concoction Sokka believed to be against the laws of nature.

"Speaking of..." Suki motioned her fork to Katara. "You should get in touch with Jane - we should all go through our set list this week. I'm going to try and get us a show somewhere soon."

Aang could swear he heard Toph, food in her mouth, huff through her nostrils while Katara agreed.

"Sure, that sounds great. Maybe Wednesday night?"

"That'd be good, Katara."

"Does that work for you, Toph?"

"I guess."

"All right. Yea, Suki, I'll find out if that works with Jane and get back to you."

"Great."

"That'd be sweet," Sokka chimed in. "You ladies have only had the one performance so far, right?"

"Mm-hm." Suki scooped up leafy greens and tucked them between her lips.

"You guys were so awesome," complimented Aang.

"We were OK," Toph muttered in dismissal.

"We've been practicing ever since," was Katara's optimistic approach. "If we keep at it, we'll sound better the next time we're out there."

Aang feared another negative reaction from Toph but was relieved when Sokka contributed, taking away any opportunity.

"Exactly. It's a process - you just keep at it."

"Speaking of," groaned Suki, "I have some calculus homework due tomorrow that I still haven't finished. And you...-" She stabbed his pectoral with an accusing finger. "-...have a research paper to do."

"Ehhhh..." Sokka's eyes spun around in their sockets. "It's not due until Friday."

"And you'd better start it now or else it'll turn out like garbage," Suki suggested.

"Just because you're right doesn't mean I have to agree with you," Sokka defied, kissing her on the cheek. "Let's head out, then." Chairs shuffled and trays were scooped up. "Have a good night, guys."

"Later." Aang tipped his head.  
"Study hard, Sokka." Katara waved.

Toph fed herself another spoonful of mac and cheese.

"Uh...S-so, Toph," Katara mumbled, her fingers drumming along the table's surface. "Been spending a lotta time in the music building, I guess?"

"Yep."

"That going well?"

"Sure is."

"When's the big recital?"

"Dunno. Forgot."

"Oh. Well...I can't wait to hear it."

"I can't wait to get it over with."

"Heh...Y-yea, I bet."

Aang was thrown off by their imbalanced interaction. Katara must have been, as well, as she shifted her attention, biting her lip.

"And...that reminds me, Aang...Don't you have some stuff going up in the gallery soon?"

"I'm not sure," Aang confessed. "I'm gonna submit a couple of pieces to the show going on, but...we'll see if anything gets in."

"Oh. Right." Katara nodded quickly, the loops of hair on her head bobbing around. They were pretty adorable and suddenly hard to not notice. Aang couldn't recall the last time she had worn her hair that way, as it had been a while, but decided in that moment that they looked quite appropriate on her. "I'm sure you'll get something in," Katara assured. "Your stuff's really good."

"Thanks."

"It probably is," Toph grumbled. "But my opinion wouldn't do ya much good, would it?"

"Hey..." Aang slid his hand over her thigh and rubbed his palm across it. "I'm sorry, Taters."

"Don't be," Toph calmly insisted. "I'm not."

She patted the top of his wrist and eased his hand off of her, much to Aang's dismay. As she filled herself with more food, Aang followed suit, noticing Katara's empty plate. He met her eyes and she flashed him a look that read, 'What's going on?' Without really intending to, Aang's distraught eyes replied, 'I have no idea.'

"Um...I guess I should be going, too," murmured Katara, lifting herself from the table. "I've got a lot of reading, but...Toph, we should take a break tonight when you get back, don't you think? We haven't been able to spend time together since before break."

"We'll see."

Toph's nonchalant tone pricked at Katara's spirit - Aang could detect it in those sapphire eyes of hers. And here he had thought the two of them had been doing fine and it was just him Toph was acting weird toward.

"Y-yea, that sounds good, then," Katara managed. "I'll, um...See you later, guys."

Aang offered Katara a sympathetic wave, and she nodded in return, hurrying off. The couple spent a few minutes in silence focused on their meal.

"So...I'm guessing you're heading to the music building after this," theorized Aang.

"Yea. I was wanting to spend some time with you, actually."

"Oh...?"

"Yea. I'll take you to my practice room and show you the stuff I've been working on."

"Sure. All right." Perhaps some time together could help shed some light on what was going on.

Aang's heart was pounding in his chest, Toph's mischievous grin gleaming at him. She had him pinned on the floor against the wall in the corner of her tiny practice room, beside the piano. She was bent on her knees in the space between his spread legs, his hands latched around her waist. Their chests were pressed together, lips joined. As they kissed, Toph ran her hands from Aang's neck to his head, tossing off his newsboy cap when it interfered. Aang slid his fingertips around Toph's tanktop straps, massaging her bare shoulders.

Toph shifted her approach, kissing his neck and groping at his wrists. As she moved from his neck to his ears, she planted his palms against her bosoms before gripping his hips, leaning her weight to the side and in effect toppling the two of them to the ground. As Toph wrapped her legs around Aang's, he feared that his heart would burst from his ribcage, her abdomen beginning to grind against his own. His own abdomen, in turn, seemed to involuntarily reciprocate the gesture.

Aang's body was at once highly aroused and somewhat nauseous. By the time Toph had initiated french kissing on top of all of this, he couldn't bear the stimulation of it all, pulling his mouth away and removing his hands from her body. He lamented watching Toph's sneaky, satisfied smile wither into an impatient frown.

"What?" Toph growled with some irritation.

"Sorry," sighed Aang. "I'm...I dunno. I guess I'm not in the mindset for this..."

He flinched as Toph grabbed at his tingling nether region.

"Part of you begs to differ," was the sly counter Aang was given. This was entirely accurate, and Aang's blood still rushed through his body at the sensation of her proximity.

"I'm just not comfortable with...with doing that sort of thing today..." Aang wiped his hair back over his head, rubbing saliva from his ear lobe.

With a huff, Toph pushed her bangs from her face and sat up, thoroughly displeased.

"It's not like it's anything we haven't done before," she grumbled.

"I-I know..." Aang scrambled to sit back up, his back against the wall again. "But today you're just being kind of...-" He trailed off with a shrug she couldn't see.

"Spit it out," Toph insisted.

"K-kind of forceful," Aang completed his thought, dismayed when Toph's head sagged with an incredulous sigh. "I'm sorry," he added with haste. "I...W-we can still...do stuff, just, uh...mmmmaybe not stuff like that. Today, I mean."

"Whatever."

Toph crawled over to her piano bench and sat herself into it, tugging a displaced bra strap back into its proper allignment. She sat up straight, hands neatly folded in her lap, poised to begin playing.

"Uhh...Did...What did you want to...-?" Aang fumbled for some kind of resolution to re-establish comfort.

"I need to practice," Toph stated clearly and with some cold disappointment.

"Oh...Right. Yea, that'd be nice to listen to."

"No. I need to practice alone." Aang tried to study her profile to get a read on what was going on. She was certainly annoyed with him, though he didn't feel he was in the wrong.

"Huh?"

"I practice better when I'm alone."

"I-I'll be quiet, I won't say anyth-"  
"Doesn't matter."

Aang paused, staring at her with furrowed brows, frustrated with her on/off demeanor that day.

"I thought you wanted to take me here so I could hear you practice," Aang pointed out, shoving his hat on. Toph didn't acknowledge this statement as Aang rose to his feet. "You didn't want to practice your music at all, did you?" Aang pieced her motive together, again getting no response. "You coulda just said so in the first place," he grumbled. "You know how I don't like just...just suddenly doing that kind of thing. If you just tell me that's what you want to do, at least then I-"  
"Kinda can't practice with you flappin' your mouth," Toph briskly dismissed him.

"So that's it, then?" Aang tossed his arms out. "You're just gonna kick me out 'cuz I'm not in the mood for..."

"You're never in the fuckin' mood, Aang. How do you know if you like something when you never try it?"

"It's not so easy for me!" Aang defended.

"Nothing is, is it?"

"Wh-?" Aang was appalled at her stinging words.

"Everything's gotta be all nice and clean and simple or else it's too much for you to handle."

"You're obviously all cranky about stuff with your parents," concluded Aang, deciding right there that this conversation wasn't worth continuing at this rate. "I know things didn't go well, Toph. Not that you'll tell me about it."

"Maybe 'cuz it's none of your business."

"How is that none of my...-?" Aang wanted to explode at her with his pent up aggrevation but took a deep breath, clutching his hat tightly, and calmed himself. "Why won't you just talk with me about everything?"

"You're wasting my time. I have to work on my music."

"OK. Fine." Aang begrudgingly pulled on his winter jacket, a poofy white coat. He glared at the back of Toph's head as he tugged up the zipper. "I put your walking stick by th-"  
"I know where it is."

Shaking his head, Aang dug one hand deep in his coat pocket and opened the sound-proof door with the other.

"Good night."

"Bye."

\- Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 -

Sprawled across his bed, Aang diligently read through his art history textbook, phone at his side. It had taken all afternoon, but he finally got a response back to a message he had sent earlier. The girl in question was one he had met through Facebook, noticing the comments she'd periodically leave for Katara and Sokka. As it turned out, she was a family relation - an older cousin who lived in Toronto. The two had been exchanging Facebook quips for a month or so by now, and had recently exchanged numbers.

[From: Korra]  
[ugh that sucks, man. sounds like she needs a punch in the face. anyway, i wish i coulda come to visit you guys over break.]  
[Sent: 5:46pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[yea its too bad. :( maybe next time? sokka says he wants us to come again for xmas. if we do you can meet my gf too. maybe she'll be in a better mood. :P ]  
[Sent: 5:47pm]

[From: Korra]  
[my cousin says a lotta stuff, so i guess we'll see. how's uncle hakoda, btw?]  
[Sent: 5:48pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[he seemed like he was ok. hes great. really like him.]  
[Sent: 5:48pm]

[From: Korra]  
[right? he's awesome. he seems lonely these days so that's cool he had company.]  
[Sent: 5:49pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[well i gotta go to work now but good hearin from ya.]  
[Sent: 5:53pm]

[From: Korra]  
[peace out aang!]  
[Sent: 5:55pm]

Aang was having trouble getting a good read on the girl. He felt like he hardly knew a thing about her, really, but was intrigued to learn more. So far, the Kesuks had a perfect track record for being people he liked, after all: three for three. Maybe this would make four for four?

After getting situated at his job managing the refreshment desk at the school's gym, Aang picked up on his reading, only to be greeted after a few minutes by a sweaty Haru who had just finished a session of simulated rock climbing, his hair pulled back in a ponytail. Aang couldn't help but grin at the mustache that had been gradually forming itself on his fello dorm mate's face.

"Hey, Leekpai, what's goin' on?"

"Hey." Aang closed his thick book and set it aside, focusing attention on the customer before him. "What can I get ya?"

"Like you gotta ask," joked Haru.

"Peanut M&M's, then..." Aang had already reached back for the yellow bag as he had asked the question in anticipation of the answer. After calculating the simple sale, Aang gave a "There ya go," but Haru lingered, tearing open his bag.

"So, Aang. Dude. Katara's been tellin' me your girlfriend's been actin' weird."

"She did?"

"Yea, man. Yea. What's goin' on there?"

"Oh, it...It's complicated."

"Ha. Always is." He popped some candy into his mouth.

"Toph's dealing with some family stuff, and then on top of that there's the end of semester, and...-" Aang waved his hand. "-...everything. Just a lot going on."

"Is she, like, pissed off at Kat or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"The way Katara told me, it sounded like Toph's being a total 'B.'" Another round of M&M's clattered from Haru's hand into his mouth.

"Oh. No, no...I don't think it has to do with Katara. She's acting like that to everybody."

"Mm." Crunching on his snack, Haru contemplated the situation.

"I wish I knew what the issue was," Aang lamented with a shrug. "She's starting to really get on my nerves..."

"Wow. That takes a lot," Haru observed.

A melancholy smirk wandered onto Aang's face and he nodded, cracking open his textbook.

"I guess. Yea."

"All right. Well...Just thought I'd check in on ya, Dude."

"Thanks, Haru."

"Seriously, man."

"Huh?" Aang looked up from his page. Haru shot him a solemn expresion, complimented by an equally serious tone.

"You look totally stressed and stuff. Try to take it easy, Bro."

"I will."

"Later!"

"Yup."

Some time passed during his evening shift, an after he had wrapped up his reading he moved onto web browsing, occupying his time with a physics-based, puzzle web-browser game.

"Hey, Aang!"

Aang glanced up to see Suki bundled in a winter coat smiling back at him.

"Hi, Suki..."

"Everything OK?"

Aang sighed to himself. Second person in a row now who seemed concerned just by looking at him. Did he really seem that out of it?

"Yea, I'm good. Tired."

"Stressed?"

"Oh yea."

"Sorry to hear it."

"It's OK."

Another student stepped up to the counter, and Suki and her exchanged greeting smiles.

"Could I get a Kit-Kat please?" the blonde politely requested.

"Sure."

Aang completed the transaction as Suki inquired about his girlfriend.

"So is Toph doing OK? We're supposed to be practicing tonight and I haven't gotten confirmation that she's actually going to show."

"Have a good day," Aang nodded to the customer, waving her off, before redirecting his focus to Suki. "Uhh..." He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "Got me, Suki. I don't know. Honestly."

"That busy, huh?" She lifted a brow, the other furrowing in that same concerned way everyone's seemed to have been that day.

"Yea. Totally."

"She seemed...kind of off yesterday. Or was that just me?"

"Oh, no. It wasn't just you."

"What's going on? Sokka said she's going through some family problems...?"

"Basically," Aang shrugged. "She's being real quiet about it. Even I don't know the deal."

"Wow. Weird." Suki shook her head. "Sorry, Aang. I'm sure things will work out, though. Toph seems like the kind of person who just needs some time with this kind of thing."

"Yea. You're probably right..."

"Well...Good luck with your schoolwork, then. I hope you can get something in that art show! I'm sure I'll see you around."

"Definitely. Thanks. Have fun at practice tonight."

More time sailed by, more customers were served, and toward the end of his shift, Aang's attention moved to his Facebook page, only to notice a new request: Meng Beifong.

[Meng Beifong December 1st at 6:34pm]  
[HEY! it's toph's cousin from the vid chat! how's everythin going? i hope toph's ok. even tho she been mad w/her parents i bet it's still hard to just leave like that you know? now she's on her own n stuff so you better take good care of her!]  
[Confirm]

Aang puffed out a discouraged sigh, his chin in his palm, while he considered the ramifications of Meng's message. It made sense of her change of attitude and served to solidify his guess that Toph had shown some animosity. The whole "now she's on her own" bit didn't sound too positive, either.

[To: Meng Beifong]  
[Hi Meng! Yea I remember you. Thank you SO MUCH for helping Toph setup her music on the internet! That was great. And I'm glad that she had you looking out for her last week. Shes acting pretty down lately. I guess things with her parents didn't go well huh? :( Hopefully she'll be feelin better soon...It's very crazy right now. Anyway. Thanks again!]  
[Send]

"Damn. Looks like I came at just the right time."

Aang was startled by Sokka's words. Unaware of his arrival, Aang blinked rapidly, regaining his bearings. Sokka's head was covered by a winter hat with the House of Aqua's logo printed on it.

"Your shift is over any minute, right, Pal?" he checked.

"Oh. Yea. Yep, just a couple minutes."

"You look beat, man. What's goin' on?"

"Got a lot on my mind..."

"Like a certain finicky disabled person?"

Aang smirked at Sokka's blunt insensivity shrouded in humor.

"Yea, something like that."

Aang shut his laptop and stuck it in its bag, closing up shop as Sokka and he continued their discourse.

"What'd she do this time?"

"She's...being difficult lately."

"Even to you, huh?"

"Even to me."

"Hmph." Sokka shook his head, arms crossed as Aang locked up the desk's grate. "Ya know, Bud, sometimes a guy has to stick up for himself."

"Pardon?" Aang popped his winter coat on.

"It sounds like you're lettin' Dead-Eyes walk all over ya. With a girl like her, you gotta get some backbone, Aang. She pushes you? You gotta push her back."

"But...but I don't...push...really..."

"Maybe she wants you to learn?"

"Uhh...I dunno..." Aang adjusted his shoulder strap as he signed out on the wall-mounted punch-clock.

Sokka slapped an arm over Aang and let them out the entrance.

"Ya know what? Don't even worry about it right now. It's Man Time."

"I don't think my stomach can take that spicy nacho cheese stuff again tonight, Sokka..."

"Pff. Oy...But no worries, friend. We're gonna sit down, just us guys, and play some Gears of War."

"Blech. I hate that game. It's pointlessly gruesome."

"Not pointlessly grue-..." Sokka's snap defense was met with an unconvinced glance as they shuffled through the gently falling snow. "OK. Nevermind. Maybe this won't be Man Time so much as...Gentleman Time?"

"Haha. Sure."

"Get some Camomile Tea going? Bake some biscuits and talk about our emotions while watching Eat, Pray, Love?"

"Just because I am in touch with my sensitive side doesn't necessarily mean I like...-"

Now Aang was getting the funny look, to which he huffed begrudgingly.

"Yea, OK. I probably would like any of those things...Shut up."

"We can do whatever you want, Bro. I'm just joshin' ya."

"Let's play some Wii Sports Resort. That oughtta be nice and relaxing, right?"

"Err...Shhuuure, Aang. Whatever floats your boat, Pal."

"What?"

"Nothin'!"

"It's got Frisbee Golf~"

"...Are you for real?"

"..."

"C'mon, Aang. That's bogus. You're yankin' my chain."

Aang coughed, still wordless.

"They do have Frisbess Golf, don't they?"

"I didn't stutter," Aang cast out mock arrogance.

"OHMAIGAWD Aang, why did you not tell me this earlier?"

"I'm pretty sure liking Frisbee Golf should cost you some Macho Points."

"I will gladly take such a penalty!"

\- Thursday, December 2nd, 2010 -

The sweeping vista overcame him, the lush jungle far below enriching to the eyes. The mystic temple that resided on the cliff's edge was blurry and out of focus in the distance. Aang stared at it with concentration, trying to make out the details. Once he figured those out, he could actually paint them in.

Aang was slumped before his unfinished piece of art, which had been untouched for five minutes now, his eyes glazed over in thought. His fingers were crusted in green and blue hues, dry remnants of a rainbow plastered to his white House of Aero shirt.

"Concentrating really hard on that piece?" The words were slow but with a sharpness - like a rusted knife.

Aang glanced over to his side to see Mai, dressed in a baggy, paint-smattered T-shirt with a picture of a menacing-looking raven printed on its front. She was dabbing her brush at an abstract piece full of reds and grays. At a glance it looked almost like a volcano rim, but the more Aang inspected it the less sure he became.

"Oh. Heh. Hi, Mai."

"You don't look so well, Aang..." The normally dry humor in her voice dropped for a moment as Mai dipped her brush into a tiny puddle of gray before pressing it against her canvas methodically. "What's going on?"

"Girlfriend problems."

"I figured as much."

Aang let a tiny frown slip at her words, frustrated with everyone seeming to notice his mood and butt into it. Mai, however, didn't ask for further clarification like most everyone else was. In a way, this actually threw Aang off and he felt compelled to explain.

"Uh...Yea, so...She's been ignoring me a lot since break..."

"Must be something difficult going on."

"For sure. I think she may have broken off from her family over vacation."

"Hm." Mai's tongue popped from her lips slightly as she examined her work. "Sounds serious."

"And she won't even talk with me about it!"

"Could just be busy. You try calling her?"

"I have been trying to call her, she's just ignoring me..."

"Hmph. Sounds like she's being a bit of a tool. And it sounds like you are pretty upset about it."

"Well, yea. She's hiding stuff from me, and just being a...a big jerk." Aang finally prodded at his painting again, picking up work on the temple's base.

"Wow," noted Mai with a sarcastic smirk. "Such language, Aang."

A few seconds of busy silence passed, the sounds of brushes padding on canvas comforting their ears.

"Hey, Mai," Aang called out, turning to her. Her back was turned as she had traversed the room to dump out her rinsing water. The word {Nevermore} was displayed in a scratchy font on the back of her shirt. She filled her container with some fresh water. "What do you do when you and your boyfriend have problems? Does he try hiding stuff from you?"

"He does," Mai admitted. "I think he does it because he doen't want me to worry, though."

"But it makes you worry more."

"Sometimes," Mai smiled at his prediction. "Yea."

"I don't think that's why Toph is doing it, though."

"She might need some space. Probably has a lot on her mind."

"That doesn't make it OK for her to just blow me off like that, though."

"It doesn't excuse it, but it might be the reason."

"Yea..."

"It's the end of the semester - everyone's pretty busy. My advice is that you should probably just focus on your work. Not like you can do anything else about it right now."

"I know..."

"I'll tell you what, Aang: why don't you meet with me and Zuko this weekend? We could get some coffee, maybe spend some time together...Just take a break from things. And you could get to know him a bit. I feel like you two would get along."

"Uh...OK. Sure. Is Zuko going to be OK with that?"

Mai shrugged, swishing her brush through her rinsing water.

"He'll need a break himself. I'll make him be OK with it," she coyly decided. "How does Saturday afternoon sound?"

"Yea, that'll work."

"Two PM?"

"Sounds good."

Aang gave Mai an appreciative smile for her concern. She was more of a colleague than a friend, but he appreciated her dry humor and decisive opinions. Getting to know her boyfriend better would be nice. Maybe he'd be someone Aang could get along with - it seemed like he was surrounded by women these days, which probably wasn't helping increase his "Macho Points," as Sokka would say. According to Sokka, Toph had more "Macho Points" than her boyfriend did.

"That's how I always deal with crazy people," Mai pointed out, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What's that?"

"I focus my energy somewhere else until they get the 'crazy' out of their systems."

"Oh. Right."

"When life gives you lemons...get out from under the lemon tree."

"Find an apple tree, or something?"

"Exactly."

\- Friday, December 3rd, 2010 -

"I've been here tons of times, Sugar-Queen, I'm pretty sure I can go to the bathroom on my own."

"Y-yea, I...I know, I was just...-" Before Katara could explain herself, Toph was already wandering away, nearly intersecting a waitress who carefully steered around her. Katara snorted bitterly, crossing her arms across her chest.

Aang fidgeted with his white cap before finally removing it and stuffing it beside his coat in the booth, his head warm.

"What died and crawled up her ass?" Jane grumbled, nodding her head to the hall Toph had found her way into.

"Whatever it was," Sokka theorized, "I think that it was necromanced into a zombie and is crawling its way back out." Sokka's joke was met with perplexed expressions, to which he wrote off his reception with a shrug, munching on some bacon-wrapped chicken.

"Yea," Jane muttered awkwardly. "So, I'm gonna get that picture out of my head now. But seriously, what's her problem?" Jane directed the question at Aang, as if he knew - which was reasonable to assume.

"She didn't even show up for practice this week like she said she would," Suki tossed in her two cents from beside Sokka.

"And she keeps avoiding me," Katara snapped. "I'm just trying to help her out like I always do, and she acts like I'm being some creeper."

"Uh, er, yeeaa!" Sokka fumbled out with mock indignance. "She is totally...uhh...crampin' my style."

"Shut up, Sokka," Katara growled. "This isn't a joke. Something is wrong with her."

Aang felt his intestines knotting up as everyone's prying eyes glued to him.

"Wh-why is everyone acting like I know?" he balked. "She's doing the same stuff to me, too!"

Katara offered a sympathetic, "Sorry, Aang..." but remained frustrated with the situation.

"Hey, ya know, I've got an idea," said Sokka. "How about we get over ourselves and just enjoy our dinner, huh?"

"Why don't you tell Miss Pissy-Pants to do that, then?" Jane countered, rolling her eyes. "She's the one giving everyone shit."

"Oh, I see," Katara snipped. "We just pretend like it's OK for her to act like that, then. And it'll just magically go away."

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you don't even care. You'll just turn it into another freakin' joke."

"I'm trying to lighten the mood here, Sis."

"Yea, well...-"

"Come on, everyone," eased Aang nervously. "Toph's having a bad week, we're all getting grumpy with finals coming up...And-and the weather is all cold and affecting our moods, and-"  
"Aang. Bud."

Jane's bony hand patted him on the back from his right.

"I know she's your girlfriend and all - she's great and all that. We all love her and shit. But you can come up with all the damn excuses you want, and it doesn't change the fact that she's being a bitch. Even to you, Aang. You don't deserve that. I sure as fuck don't deserve it," she said with a facetious grin. "I dunno if everyone else is with me here, but I'll try and play dumb tonight. But you need to figure this shit out, 'cuz I'm done. I don't need this right now. I don't think any of us do, and that includes her."

"If she keeps acting this way, Aang, I'm going to do something," Katara cautioned.

"Keep me out of it," Sokka warned. "You girls want to have a PMS party? Don't invite me."

"Hey," grumbled Suki. "I didn't even say anything, I just don't appreciate her attitude..."

"OK, guys, I get it," Aang insisted, noticing Toph exiting the bathroom down the hall. "I'm sorry. I'll talk with her about it, but...let's drop it for right now. OK?" He was grateful for the shrugs and nods he received in reply as Toph bumped into a stray seat.

"Shit," she uttered, right beside a family a table away. Gruffly shoving the chair aside, she pressed on, finding her way to the group's booth and shoving her way in besides Aang. Everyone had gotten down to eating, leaving Toph with a curious expression. "Why's everyone so quiet?"

"Guess we're hungry," Aang decided. Toph didn't seem to buy this but she sighed - somewhat loudly - and went about stuffing a crab cake into her face. Crisis averted.

The music hall approached, but Aang was planning to divert direction to the right, hoping to head up to his dorm instead.

"So, um...Why don't we go up to Aero?"

"Why would we do that?" Toph wondered, her demeanor shrouded in skepticism.

"W-well, Sokka's going out to see a movie with Suki tonight, and...I-I just thought that maybe we could...-"

"What?" Her grip on his hand tightened, her voice subtly intent and interested.

"You know..."

"Cuddle, or something?"

"Y-yea, like...like that."

"We're on the way to the Music Building. Why don't we just go there? I need to practice more tonight, anyway."

"I...I was...It'd just be kind of nicer if we had a bedroom to ourselves, and...-"

"What does that matter?" The interest from before had wilted to reveal irritation.

"I'd be more comfortable if we just went up to Aero to do that sort of thing..."

"Oh. Right. Wouldn't wanna get your rainbows tied up in a bunch, would we, Twinkle-Toes?"

Aang got the impression she was being maliciously sarcastic as opposed to just poking fun at him.

"Then we'd have to dick around for an hour before we could actually dick around, right?"

Yea. Definitely malicious.

"H-hey, calm down...You don't have to go...announcing it."

"Right. Like no one on campus does anything naughty."

"OK, just listen." He squeezed her hand. "We've been busy all week. I'm kind of in the mood to spend time with my girlfriend..." He ran his hand across her head, which was noticeably messy and unkempt compared to normal. "I thought you would be, too."

"I'm in the mood to actually do stuff, not Twinkle-Toe around." Ouch. That one stung a bit.

"OK, sure. I-I am, too..."

"No, you're not."

"What? Of course I am."

"Whatever. If you actually want to have some fun, then just come up to my practice room."

"But...But I don't really like it...there. It's uncomfortable, and...-" Aang's head was filling to burst at this point, the complaints and advice from his friends all piling up.

"Then I guess you aren't actually in the mood, like I said."

"How can you say that?" Aang burst out, screeching to a stop. "You're beautiful! I love you! I want to...do...that sorta stuff...I really do!" Aang's face was burning, and he was hopeful no one was overhearing their conversation. He reigned his voice back in. "But it's not so easy for me to just jump right in like it is for you, and I'm sick of you trying to make me feel guilty about it!"

Toph stood in irate silence, enduring his words, facing ahead, her lips propped out slightly.

"You told me that you would be patient. And I have been trying really hard to...to go forward here. But every time I take one step forward, Toph, you push me. Try to make me take two steps when I'm only ready for one. I can't do that. OK?"

Toph wiped her nose and sniffed, leading Aang to worry if perhaps he was being too harsh. He walked up to her and inspected her face - dry as a bone, other han a runny nose from the winter's chill.

"Do you get what I'm saying?" he checked, placing a hand on her padded shoulder.

"I guess," Toph muttered half-heartedly. She broke off from Aang's grasp, walking forward, tapping her walking stick along the damp, salted walkway.

"Toph?" Aang kept up her pace. "Do you want to talk about this? I don't know what's going on in your head..."

"I have work I need to do, Aang," she spat. "I don't have time to piss around right now. Don't you have work you need to do, or something?"

"I-I'm pretty much caught up, so-"  
"Well, good for you! Some of us have to put extra time into our work..."

"Toph, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

"I know you had a falling out with your parents...What happened?"

"Oh, you know, huh? Snooping in my business?"

"Your cousin told me about it on Facebook."

"Ugh. Fuckin'...-"  
"It's not like she gossipped or something, Toph. She probably assumed I already knew because I'm your boyfriend and that you'd actually, I dunno, tell me about it?"

"I don't get why all of you need to be prying into my fuckin' personal life, Aang! Quit it!"

"Are you-...?" Aang was staggered by her irrational defensiveness. "Listen to yourself! We're your friends. And I'm supposed to be the person you go to when bad stuff happens...We're supposed to be able to trust each other."

"Yea? Well...-"

"Well, what?"

"Just...Drop it, Aang! Damn..."

Aang's steps slowed to a stop, and he watched Toph proceed onward, seemingly apathetic to his presence. His mind whirled with anger and confusion until she finally disappeared into the music building up ahead. A couple of students had passed him by during this time, but a third student had come to a stop beside him.

"Whoa...What's up, Aang?" Jane's raspy voice peppered him with concern, catching him off guard.

Aang blinked at her, his vision blurred. He wiped the thick tears from his face in embarrassment and Jane chuckled with sympathy.

"What are ya doin' out here, ya idiot?"

"I was...-" He coughed. "Just, um...headin' back to the dorm."

"Aaaaand...you stopped partway?" Jane wasn't being fooled.

"I think Toph and I had another fight...Maybe?"

"Oh, boy," sighed Jane. She stuck her arm around his shoulder and nudged him along. "C'mon. I'll take ya back to your dorm."

The two of them walked in silence for a few moments, then hit a right at the intersection before the music hall, bound for Aero.

"What are you guys fighting about?" Jane wondered with casual curiosity.

"We're...having some difficulty with the whole...-" Aang poked his index fingers together awkwardly and Jane smirked.

"Ah. That. God damnit, Toph," she mumbled, shaking her head. "I've told her she needs to be patient."

"Right? We've been making progress but I need to go one step at a time. I don't think it's so much to ask..."

"It's not," Jane agreed, patting his shoulder, her arm still around him as they walked. "Your space is your space, and she needs to respect that. She should come in when you let her, not when she feels like barging in..."

"Mm..." Aang nodded.

"Don't you let her force her way in. I know how she is..."

"Heh..."

"What?"

"Katara says the same thing," Aang explained with a light laugh.

"Yea? Well, she's right. You've gotta look out for yourself, Bud." She worked her wrist under his hood and noogied her knuckles against his skull. "Or people will walk all over ya."

Aang grinned at her teasing and squirmed out of her grip.

"I'd prefer to not be walked all over..."

"Then you gotta keep your guard up, man..."

"I'd prefer...to not do that, either..." Aang sighed, trying to sort out his messed up hair.

"All I'm saying is that you seem to let people shit on you." Jane's olive eyes started at his gray ones. "And people as awesome as you shouldn't get shit on..." The red-head glared at Aang with comically wide eyes given the dark bags that hung underneath them. "Ever."

"Thanks, Jane..."

"Lookin' out for a brother, that's all."

"Taking your own advice, though, right?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, like...the Freedom Fighters. You're not...letting them bother you anymore, right?"

"Oh..." Jane scratched at a pimple on her forehead just to give her hand something to do. "Nah. Told 'em all to piss off..."

"Even Johnny?"

"Kinda..."

"It's not easy, huh?"

"Pff. Those guys are tools. Glad I'm done with 'em."

"Even Johnny?"

"That's...more complicated, but...he made his choice."

"Yea. He did."

"I've just been...trying to forget about...all of that. For right now, anyway."

"You still have feelings for him?"

Jane cleared her throat, sticking her hands into her winter vest's pockets with a huff of vapor into the cold air.

"Yea...He's the one who did the breaking, but...I think there's more to it."

"When life gives you lemons...you get out from under the lemon tree."

"Hmph." Jane showed him a raised brow. "Cute."

"Find an apple tree."

"Ha."

"Maybe Johnny just needs time?"

"I dunno. I shouldn't even...give a fuck right now."

"I know how you feel...My friends have been telling me that I should work on things I can actually do something about right now while I'm waiting for Toph to...well...turn around. I guess."

"Sounds like good advice."

"If I said Sokka was one of the people that told me that, would you still agree?"

"Sounds like horrible advice. Don't listen to that guy."

A pair of snickers preceded a thoughtful moment of tranquility in the dark winter evening, the walkway accented by periodic street lamps.

"But it's advice you've already been following," pointed out Aang matter-of-factly.

"Hm?"

"The Freedom Fighters are the lemon tree, and...we've been the apple tree. For you, I mean."

Aang saw a warm smile find its way onto Jane's face in the dim lighting.

"Heh. Yea, pretty much...I still would like a little bit of lemon, though...Ya know?"

"Yea..." Aang sniffed, rubbing snot from his cold nose. Aero was getting close, and the silhouette of a familiar figure drew near, earmuffs stuck on hehead.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Katara greeted, pleasantly surprised.

"Hey."  
"'Sup?"

"Wow, I'm glad I ran into you, Aang. I was just looking for you..."

"Oh?"

"Did you get my text?"

"Oh. Uh...No, I left my phone at the dorm."

"Oh! Haha...I was just trying to see if people wanted to go catch a movie tonight. It's Friday, and everything."

"Sorry, Kat," Jane said with a shrug. "Like I said, I've gotta take care of some stuff..."

"Yea, no problem. I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow." Katara nodded her head back to Aero. "I just stopped by, and Sokka said he needs to finish a paper..."

"The one that was due today?" Aang theorized with amusement. "The one Suki told him to start back on Tuesday?"

"That's the one!" She grinned, rolling her eyes at her brother's folley. "What about Toph? You think she might be interested in going out? Maybe she's...-" Katara bobbed her head nervously. "I dunno, in a better mood?"

"Uhh...No. I'm not thinking so," Aang groaned, hands on his hips. He avoided Katara's ever-observant gaze.

"Oh. Sounds like you two had another...disagreement, huh?" Katara seemed to get the picture, anyway, though. "A-all right. Well, we can...-" She shrugged, her eyes bouncing from Jane to Aang. "I mean, we could still go. If you want."

"Sure." Aang nodded, lifting his palms up briefly in passing. "I could use a break. It's been a long day." Some time off of campus to forget about his problems, and some time to ask a good friend for advice: he couldn't really turn that down.

"All right." Jane nodded. She arced her arm to Aang, and when he accepted her hand shake she pulled him in for a tight, brief hug. "Take care, Bro."

"Hey, you, too."

They broke off, and Jane offered Katara a sheepish shrug.

"So...I guess I'll catch you tomorrow, then."

"Sure. I'll let you know when I'm ready for lunch."

"'Kay. So, eh...Night, then, guys."

"Good night."  
"Night, Jane."

"So I'm just at my wit's end, and I'm trying to get her to open up to me, you know? I mean, say something, just...let me know what the deal is. And she's just...completely blowing me off. Seriously, I try to meet you at a middle ground, and you're gonna try and pull me over onto your side? Why? It's not good enough for you? What do you want from me?"

"Right..."

Katara courteously nodded, focused on driving but paying heed to every word, waiting for the storm that was Aang's frustration to subside.

"I don't think I'm asking for too much here. And she's just being such a jerk to everyone. It's like...It's like she's reverting back to how she was when we met her. You know?"

"Mm."

"Obviously something changed over break but...but that's no reason to start acting like such a...such a...-"

"A bitch?"

Aang stared at Katara with wide, startled eyes.

"Wh-! I just...She is," Katara defended her choice of words in a flustered rush, her cheeks pink. "I mean, I'm sorry, Aang, but...She is not on my good side right now. And hearing what you're telling me just...It doesn't surprise me."

"Yea..."

"And she wants to try to pretend like she's just too busy to give anyone the light of day. She totally stood us up Wednesday night for band practice. And it's been almost a week now, right? And every single day I try to spend some time with her she just blows me off. And then she's treating you like this, too? You know, if she really cared, she would make some time to at least talk with you about what her problem is..." Katara's tone was spiking with ferocity, her hands tightly gripped around the wheel. "She could maybe stop acting so stuck up while she's at it, too..."

"What should I do?" Aang asked simply, hoping to twist Katara's abnormally negative mind track toward a more positive direction.

"I don't freakin' know..." Katara flicked her head, bouncing her bang braids out of her line of sight. Aang couldn't help in that moment but wonder if he could convince her to give Toph those little hair loopies...when things were sorted out, anyway. "Honestly, Aang, I'd say you should just leave her alone for a while."

"Really?" That had not been the optimistic response he had been expecting.

"She obviously doesn't want anythig to do with anyone right now, so...I say give her what she wants. She can deal with her little temper tantrum by herself since that's what she wants, and when she's gotten over herself, I'm sure she'll let us know."

"Hm...You really don't think there's anything else I could do?"

"Aang," Katara sighed with sympathy. "Believe me, I wish we could help her. You know me. I'm...always trying to stay on top of everything. To...to fix stuff..."

"You're a fixer, all right."

"Exactly," she lamented, adjusted her hands as she steered the vehicle off to the Wayward exit.

"It's not a bad thing, Katara. If it weren't for you doing that, I mean...think of where Jane would be right now."

"Mm..." Katara nodded gently, a bashful and reflective expression emerging. "But with Toph, it's like...She doesn't want anyone to help her fix things. And I mean, that...that's fine, that's great that she's so independent, but...if it gets her acting like this? Then it becomes a problem. There's nothing you can do to help it. You can only open the door - they have to walk through it. You know?"

"Right." Aang stared out at the night lights of the town's streets as they cruised through. "It feels like I'm opening the door and she's, like...slamming it back in my face."

"I'm sorry, Aang..."

"Not your fault."

"I wish I could help."

"You are, Katara. Thanks. I'm sure Toph and I will get this...whole mess...sorted."

"OK..."

"With this going on this week, it's helped me realize how many people are there for me," Aang reflected. "Each in their own ways. And you...You've always been there, Katara. Right from the start when I got here. You even got Sokka to warm up to me when he wrote me off as an annoying freshman. And now he's one of my best friends. And even Toph: you got us together in the first place. And you convinced Sokka to give Suki another chance. And now Jane, too - I never would've thought we'd be friends, but...I dunno, since you got her to spend time with us, she's warmed up to me a lot. You're like...-" Aang melded his hands together. "-...the glue that holds the Fearsome Fivesome together."

"You really think?" Katara's face flushed from the compliments.

"Definitely! You're our...Canadian Eskimo Glue." Katara chuckled at the title he bestowed. "Our big sister. You're always there. For me, for everyone."

"Heh..." Katara shrugged, a gracious grin on her face. "Y-yea, of course I'm here for you guys...And I always will be, Hun."

"As long as we have our Canadian Eskimo Glue, we'll be fine."

"You bet we'll be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main idea I'm trying to illustrate here is that while this Aang doesn't bend elements, in a funny way he "bends" people. He can use all of the elements in the show, but here, he can seem to get along with all different types of people. He may not be the center of the universe, but everyone around him cares about him a lot.


	37. Nonsense

\- Saturday, December 4th, 2010 -

Mai's rusty voice came out clear through the Jasmine Dragon's sound system, her eyes glued to her page as she read aloud at a crawling, thoughtful pace.

"The Black Rose grows.  
It grows straight.  
It will not wait,  
And it shows."

Aang took a sip of his tea and nodded his head slowly, soaking in his friend's poetry as best he could.

"Wilted petals.  
Dagger thorns.  
No water will it take.  
No halo, no horns,  
Only its soil, its soul,  
Burned ash, Black."

"Doesn't seem like a very cheery poem," Aang facetiously whispered to his neighbor, who chuckled.

"That's Mai for you," Zuko replied with a smirk as Mai took a sip of water from her bottle.

"The blue, bright sun  
Gives it light.  
The gray rains come  
And give it much fright."

"I can't say I'm surprised, really," Aang acknowledged. "Seems like her."

"Yet from the same ash comes  
Another flower,  
A different tower,  
Its Red petals shine."

"She used to be pretty private about it," Zuko explained, smiling at her words. "But I got her to be open with her writing."

"The Red and the Black,  
Their roots both trace back  
Down to the same source:  
Remorse."

Mai gave pause, glancing up at the audience – to Zuko, specifically, a glint in her eyes, her skin paler than usual under the bright light above.

"Petals of pride  
Will wither and die.  
Then we'll begin  
Clipping thorns of sin.  
And at last, maybe then  
Will the Roses take water  
Within."

Her piece concluded, she gave a curt nod, eliciting a smattering of gentle applause as she gracefully took her leave of the stage.

"That was neat," complimented Aang. "I'm not really big into poetry, but...it seemed cool."

"Thanks," Mai accepted, slurping some strawberry smoothie through a straw from the plastic cup she had left at the table.

"So what does it mean?"

Mai blinked at Aang's curious face, her eyes shifting to Zuko, who gave an amused brow, clearly in the know.

"Uhh...It's...-" Mai shrugged, sucking more juice as she contemplated. "It's about a couple of old friends of mine."

"Ah. Well...It sounds like your friends have...some kind of... _something..._ to sort out. Huh?"

"Heh. You could say that..."

"So, I do art-" Aang nodded to Mai. "-and you do art and _poetry_..." He nudged his paper cup to Zuko and took a sip. "But what about you, Zuko?"

"Huh?"

"He means your hobbies," Mai clarified gently, patting Zuko's shoulder with her slender fingers.

Zuko nodded, rubbing his palm along his defined jawline nervously.

"W-well...I guess you could say I like...er..."

"You like board games," Mai pointed out.

"Oh, hm. Yea. The classics: Chess, Backgammon, Chinese Checkers, Go..."

"Go? Go where?"

"Just 'Go.' You've never heard of it?"

Aang shook his head and gazed into his empty cup for a brief moment.

"Ah. Mmmaybe I could teach you some time."

"Totally."

"I've gotten Zuko into some drama shows, too," Mai tossed out casually.

"Oh, really?"

"Yea, this past month I've been showing him this one – it's _really_ good – called Dexter."

"Dexter? Like...Dexter's Lab?"

"Pff! Not _exactly_ ," Mai snickered, glanced at Zuko, who seemed equally amused.

"Yeea," Zuko slowly agreed. "It's about a serial killer."

Aang's face contorted with discomfort.

"A serial killer who kills _killers_ ," Mai was quick to amend. Aang's expression worsened and she attempted once more. "OK, I guess that sounds bad, but...it's a good show."

"Uh- _huh_."

"This coming from the girl who loves Edgar Allen Poe and Alfred Hitchcock," added Zuko, kissing her on the temple. She shrugged in compliance.

"I'm a Goth – I won't hide it."

"You shouldn't," Aang agreed. "I'm just...not so sure that sorta stuff is my thing."

"Do you play any sports?" Zuko wondered, seeking some kind of common ground for the sake of socialization – Mai had expressed that Zuko needed more friends in his life, specifically males, so Zuko was at least going to show some effort about it.

"Uh, I ran in Track back in High School," Aang noted. "Think I'll probably try out this spring."

"What about golf?"

"Golf?"

"I think it's the most boring sport there is," Mai put in her two cents, "but Zuko can't get enough of it."

"It's all about patience and precision," Zuko defended.

"I've never played it," Aang replied to Zuko's earlier question. "My roommate is into it, though...I _think._ "

"Really?"

"He likes golf video games, and...I _definitely_ have caught him watching it a few times on TV," Aang recollected.

"When the weather's nicer out, I should take you guys out golfing."

"Sokka would _love_ that."

"Great. Let's do that in the spring some time."

"Sure."

_Rrrmmm._

[From: Katara]  
[Where are you?]  
[Sent: 8:37pm]

"Maybe you can get Uncle Iroh to come along, too," Mai suggested.

"Oh, _yea,_ that sounds like a good idea. He hasn't been getting out much lately..."

[To: Katara]  
[im with friends. everything ok?]  
[Sent: 8:37pm]

"Sorry..." Aang apologized, setting his phone down on the table.

"It's fine," Mai assured. "I don't discriminate against cell phones."

"Heh." Zuko sighed and Mai nudged him playfully.

"I'm used to being with someone who's on call at all times..."

_Rrrmmm._

All three glanced at Aang's phone as the screen lit up: [ **1 New Txt** ]

Aang bit his lip and Mai and Zuko laughed.

"Go ahead," Zuko insisted. "Could be important."

"Thanks," said Aang with embarrassment as he checked it.

[From: Katara]  
[Toph and Jane are having a freaking cat fight and I don't know what to do...]  
[Sent: 8:38pm]

Aang took a deep sigh and bobbed his head down, running his hand through his hair.

"What's up?" Mai checked with a hint of concern.

"More drama," Aang grumbled, trying to decide how to approach the situation.

"Your girlfriend, huh?"

"She's causing trouble again."

Mai cleared up Zuko's confusion by briefly explaining: "Aang's girlfriend is being a tool."

"Ah...That's...er...no fun...?"

"Heh. _No,_ it's not..." Aang drummed his finger on the table carefully.

"It's not _your_ fault she's giving other people trouble," Mai advised. "You can't go cleaning up all of her messes."

"Mai's right."

"Yea," whimpered Aang in admittance. "Guess so..."

[To: Katara]  
[sorry. that sucks. you should stay outta it.]  
[Sent: 8:40pm]

[From: Katara]  
[I just wish they'd take it out of our room...]  
[Sent: 8:40pm]

Aang was tempted to ask for details – Katara's initial question was implication enough that she wanted his help - but opted to take his acquaintances' advice and stay out of it.

[To: Katara]  
[they can be stubborn. just go out. see sokka maybe?]  
[Sent: 8:41pm]

Aang powered his phone down and stuck it in his pocket.

"Done with that stuff tonight," he sheepishly announced.

"Cool." Zuko smacked his palms on the table. "Anyone up for some Chinese Checkers?"

* * *

\- Sunday, December 5th, 2010 -

"Katara?"

_Tattatatatattappaptiptaptap. Click._

" _Katara._ "

_Click. Clikka-click._

Toph could hear the muffled sound of whatever idiotic pop music her roommate was listening to today and groaned – quite loudly – before brusquely jabbing her finger forth, colliding with a bony surface that felt to her like a shoulder bone.

"Ow!" _Skuff._ " _What?_ " Katara snipped.

"Christ, maybe if you didn't have to listen to your God damned music so loud you'd _hear_ me."

Katara let out a tired sigh.

"What do you want?" she cut to the chase.

Toph reached her hands up to the back of the her head.

"I can't get this fuckin' thing to hold my bangs up," she explained begrudgingly, waving a hair clip before her, bangs flopped across her eyes.

"Maybe if you washed your hair a little more often, it'd be easier to manage."

"Maybe if my roommate _helped_ me like she usually does, I'd do that."

"Yea? Maybe if _my_ roommate wasn't being such a jerk, I might help..."

"That's _real_ sweet, Sugar-Queen. Ignore the blind person, leave them to fend for themselves."

" _Please._ Don't even, Toph. Just don't." _Whap._ That sound was Katara slapping her palms on her legs, a familiar noise when she argued. "Whatever happened to 'I don't need your help,' huh?"

"I _don't_ need your help, I was just _asking_ for it..."

"Oh, _really?_ I'm sorry, I don't recall hearing you ' _ask'_ for _anything..._ "

"Whatever," Toph dismissed, chucking the hair clip to the floor.

"I'm trying to work on a paper, Toph – the one I couldn't do last night because _you_ had to start an argument with Jane."

"Oh, yea. Yea. Because Freckles _never_ starts fights _herself,_ or anything..."

" _Toph._ Seriously. Can you just leave me alone? I need to get this _done._ It's due tomorrow."

"I don't get what's so fuckin' hard about helping me with a damned hair clip."

" _You're_ the one who's had a stick up her ass," Katara countered. Wow, pretty blunt for old Sweetness. She had to have been pretty ticked. "And telling me how you 'can pull your own weight,' and whatever...I'm just giving you what you want."

"This is 'cuz I haven't been spending any time with you. That's it, isn't it? Pff. You're so fuckin' needy..."

_Tappataptaptiptiptappataptap._

"That's what I thought..." Toph blew out a gust of breath that tossed her bangs around. She grumpily grabbed the strands and tried tucking them behind an ear, but they drooped back down, tickling her face. She couldn't stand this – the back and forth between her and Katara. They'd been like this ever since Thanksgiving break ended, and it was only getting worse. In a brief moment of reflection Toph could see how she had asked for this treatment, but she wasn't going to apologize. Katara would come around and play the syrupy-sweet nice girl sooner or later and try to make amends. She always did. It was...just taking a lot longer than usual this time.

Toph fumbled over her bed, collapsing into her messy sheets. She groped out a hand, feeling the presence of her iPod, and considered for a moment just diving into its ocean of sound, not worrying about practicing her pieces today, and forgetting about the world. A few moments of thought gave way to inner guilt until discipline gut checked her: _You need to practice._

She forced herself back up, her thick hair in tangles, and found her winter boots at the base of her bed. Their furry insides were soothing, and she worked them on. _Zzzrrriiipp. Zzzrrriiipp._ She reached over to the post at the foot of her bed and retrieved her winter coat, sliding into its cozy fabrics. She pulled out the wool mittens in the coat's pockets and covered her hands. These luxuries were reminders of the life she was trying to leave behind, and yet she knew she needed them to go outside. It was maddeningly frustrating.

Rising to her feet, Toph grabbed her walking cane and rushed out the door. In her haste she slammed it behind her without meaning to, but it was— _ **WHAM!**_ Toph jumped from the shock, bumping her shoulder into the wall beside her. It had been the door to her right – the one across the hall from her room – being shoved shut. Toph puffed out another groan in response to what was no-doubt Jane having an attitude after her initial door slamming.

_Clack. Creee..._

"Hey!" Echoed a voice down the hall – one Toph knew, but not by name. "Keep it down! We're trying to study, here!"  
 _Creee...Clack._

" _Ugh..._ " Toph draped her fur-edged hood over her head, checked to make sure her instrument locker key was in her pocket, and trudged down the stairs.

* * *

"Come _on,_ he was _wide open!_ " She slammed her fist onto the countertop, her drop in the verbal bucket being the loudest as everyone around her joined the outcry, all eyes on the massive flatscreen above the bar. She sighed, palm sliding down her face, and turned to the nearest customer, a pudgy mustached man.

"Seriously: I coach high-schoolers who know better than to mess that up," she complained. The man laughed and nodded his head. She was pretty sure he was the father of one of the kids in question, hence the remark.

"Korra!" cried a regular from down the way. "Stop fussin' over that game and give a man his drink, would ya?" The man waved his empty metal mug at her with a playful but impatient demeanor.

"Yea, yea," Korra quelled, grabbing his cup and setting it below the tap he'd started out on.

Korra was a lean, somewhat muscular young woman with the trademark tan skin and bulbous nose that ran in the Kesuk family, with stone-cold sapphire eyes to match.

She topped it off and passed it back to the customer. "There ya are..." She wiped sweat from her brow – it was pretty stuffy in the bar tonight, an abnormally full crowd for a Sunday, but that meant good business. A buzzer followed flurry of gasps and cheers drew her attention back to the TV, where hockey players were celebrating a win.

"Awww, for real?" Korra groaned. She turned back to the customer she'd just served. "See what ya did, Bert? Made me miss that."

"Haha, there she is, slacking off, as always, eh, Bato?"

"You said it, Hakoda. Just like old times..."

Two very familiar men took their seats together a few stools down, both staring at Korra with amused expressions. She frowned at them, hands folded across her chest, but her smirk gave her away.

"Uncle and Uncle," she greeted. "Thorns in my side – just like old times..."

"How are things going, Niece?" asked Uncle Hakoda, the only of the two who was actually a blood relation.

"Still causing trouble?" taunted Bato, Hakoda's best friend. The two were so close that Bato may as well have been his brother. He, too, was a darker-skinned man with a scraggly beard rife with grayed hairs amidst the dark brown.

"Fuck yea," Korra quipped back with snark. "What brings you two geezers out to Toronto, eh?"

"Did you-?" Bato turned to Hakoda with mocking appall. " _Geezers?_ Ouch."

"We hardly deserved that, don't you think?"

"Yea, yea, simmer down. Don't get your Depends in a bunch..." Korra grinned wide, pulling out a pair of mugs from the shelf.

"And _again_ ," Bato cried, hands up. "She's brutal."

"Like father like daughter," Hakoda mused.

"What're you two grumpy old men havin' tonight?" Korra inquired.

"Whatever's on tap," Hakoda eased, casting out an arm.

"I'll have mine on the rocks," Bato declared.

Hakoda pointed a thumb to his partner in crime. "I'll have what _he's_ having."

The two chuckled at each other, leaving Korra to wonder if they had already stopped by a different establishment prior to their trip here on her turf. She filled their drinks up, dropping ice in, and firmly placed them down on the counter.

"Drink up, fellas."

"Don't mind if I do."  
"Down the hatch."

The two men knocked their tin mugs together and both took large gulps, breathing out with satisfaction as they simultaneously slammed the mugs back down.

"We decided to come hit the city to get our Christmas shopping down nice and early," Hakoda explained. "Thought we'd stop by and say 'hi' to some family while we were in town."

"Stop by and _hassle_ me, more like it," came a sarcastic Korra. "And who's the designated driver, then?"

"The wife," Bato replied, taking another sip. "She's off to go get _me_ something at the moment, didn't want me along. Ruin the surprise, and all."

"Ah."

"Ya know, we got _you_ somethin', too," Hakoda divulged. "Because you're actually going to _be there_ this time. Isn't that right?"

"Heh, well _...Ya_ know... _-"_ Korra shrugged, taken aback by the suddenness of the topic.

"It's been three years since you've been to a Kesuk Christmas," Hakoda pointed out, narrowing his eyes at her. "And it's not like there's a man in your life holding you back."

"Pff. Speakin' of, what's the deal _there,_ eh?" Bato picked. "Sharp young woman like you with no man under her thumb? Seems like a waste."

"That supposed to be a compliment?" Korra retorted. The two stared at her with raised brows, clearly expecting a proper reply. She shook her head and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You two know the deal," she grumbled, hunching over the counter. She glared at them and spoke with self-loathing under her breath. "It's like ya said: just like old times. Everything I touch turns to shit." She slapped her fist down, then poked her index down twice as she concluded. "Always has, always will."

"Hey, hey, now," Hakoda eased, setting down his mug. She was still leaned over the bar, and he pressed his palm over her bicep. "With an attitude like that, everything-..." Korra shrugged him off, uprighting herself.

"I'm not _your_ damned kid, Hakoda. Don't go lecturing _me._ " The two Kesuks locked eyes for a moment of tension while the hockey game continued in the background.

"Fair enough," Hakoda eased, taking a swig while Korra was called off to serve a group of women at he bar's edge.

"I swear," Bato muttered, "her fuse gets shorter every time we see her."

"You might be right," conceded Hakoda with a sigh.

"Maybe she's dealing with a mid-life crisis," Bato theorized.

"She's not old enough for one of those, Pal." Hakoda slapped his friend on the back.

"Eh?"

"She's twenty-seven, Bato."

"Pff. _I_ had a mid-life crisis when I was twenty- _five._ "

"And you've stayed that way ever since."

"Damned right, I have." Bato grinned and raised his metal mug, knocking it with his neighbor's.

* * *

\- Monday, December 6th, 2010 -

_Durrmm. Durrmm._ _**Durrmm.** _ _Durrmm._ **Durrmm. Durrmm.** _**Durrmm.** _

Jane strummed at her bass carelessly, creating a random string of deep notes. She glared at the sheet music in her lap, her mind too tired to even bother. She'd fucked things up pretty good at the last practice – then again, missing a guitarist probably didn't help things, either.

Suki had managed to get them into a Christmas gig toward the end of the month, just before the end of the semester. They would be performing a few songs as part of a multi-band setlist, but they were a long ways away from even handling just the three songs on their plate properly. She had only just managed to skim through her readings for Tuesday and had wanted to try and polish things up before she got too tired. It seemed she'd underestimated how fatigued she was feeling tonight, unable to focus.

For ten minutes, Jane had been struggling to ignore her cell phone. She'd seen it go off: [ **1 New Voicemail.** ] She had no idea who it had been, but it was bothering her. Setting her instrument back into its case, she stuffed it under her bed and whipped out the phone, calling up her voicemail.

[ _Beep._ ]  
["Oy, Smelly. Iss Sneers."] Jane groaned. This couldn't be good. ["Lissen up, hey. We's got a problem goin' on, and yoose jus' da dame what can fix it up. Ain't exactly been cooperatin' wit' us lately, but we's gonna let dat pass if yoose wisen up an' stop playin' make-pretend witchoose little gang o' chinks."] _Chinks?_ Jane was ticked at the misguided remark, apparently a knock at how her friends were entirely non-Caucasian. ["We both know yoose can't run away forever from da mess you made, Smelly. If yoose need incentive, ya oughta know dat Longshot 'ere wants to see yoose."] Johnny wanted to see her? After days of not returning her calls, acting like she never existed, _this_ was his way of telling her he wanted to see her? What a cowardly asswipe. ["So if dat sounds like-"]  
[ _Click._ ]

And yet she couldn't drop the matter. She had shut off the voicemail immediately at the thought, speed-dialing Johnny's number immediately. Her heart pounded as she waited for four ring-backs, until a crackling indicated that the phone had been answered.

"Johnny?"

["..."]

"It's Jane..." She was suddenly aching for _anything_ from him. Just the sound of his voice would be enough.

["..."]

"I _know_ you're there - you answered." She couldn't stand being back in this land where he gave her the silent treatment. That nonsense was for everyone _else._ She was special, she wasn't supposed to deal with that.

["..."]

"I just got Sneers' message. You...wanted to see me?"

 _For fuck's sake, say_ something.

["Yea..."]

A nervous laugh sputtered out from Jane at his solemn tone.

"So...So, uh...Is now a good time?"

["Tomorrow."]

"Yea. Yea! That...works, too. When?"

["Eight. Come to my dorm room."]

"Tch. Uh, yea. Sure thing."

[ _Click._ ]

She took a deep breath, still holding the phone up to her her own desperation, she set the phone aside on her desk and fell to her pillow, letting her heart-rate slow back down.

And then it hit her: something was going on with the Freedom Fighters. What 'mess' had Sneers been referring to? That could've been a few things, really...Logic dictated that it must've had something to do with the Rough Rhinos and the circumstances surrounding Jet's death. That meant a pretty sticky situation for Smellerbee, and Jane wanted nothing to do with it – but couldn't let go of Johnny. If getting him back and pulling him out of the gang's politics meant wearing the Smellerbee mask again, she was willing to do it.

* * *

\- Tuesday, December 7th, 2010 -

"Uhhhh," Katara's voice wavered as she stood before the TV, pointing the white remote straight down to the floor with two hands. "How do I-...? Is this-...? Am I doing this right?" she whimpered, slowly waving the device forward and back, watching her character on screen mimic her motions, a golf club in hand.

"Yea, yea. You got it," Aang assured. "Now you just have to follow the directions." Katara blinked at him with wide eyes. "On the screen," he added. She turned her head back and nodded. She took a swing haphazardly, her character whiffing a shot and not hitting the golf ball.

"Bahaha...It helps when you _hit_ it."

"Shut up, Sokka," Katara giggled with embarrassment, gripping the controller tightly and repositioning herself.

"You have to press...-" Aang began, trailing off when he saw her figuring it out on her own. "Just be careful with it, 'cuz it's...-" Katara took a swing, sending the ball careening through the air. It arced wildly to the left, landing in the rough, eliciting her to grimace. "-...really sensitive," Aang finished his thought, exchanging humored expressions with his friend. He rose from his seat on the couch and gave her a pat on the shoulder, taking the Wii remote from her hands.

"It's OK," Aang insisted as Katara plopped down beside her brother in Aero's basement rec room. During this busy time of ramping up for finals, they'd decided to keep things low-key and in an out-of-the-way place. "Now, watch..." He took a practice swing. "See the bar over there?"

"Uh-huh..."

"See, if you swing too hard...-" Aang waled out a hard swing, and the bar overflowed, wobbling to and fro. "-...you get too much spin. That's what happened. But if you do it just right...-" He took a couple more practice swings, getting his bar near to the brim before hitting the ball, following-through with the remote.

[" **Great shot!** "]

"Yea. See?"

"Oh. I get it," Katara concluded as Sokka and Aang changed positions. "I wasn't paying attention before..."

"Heh, that's a first for you, right?" Jane picked, entering the room and leaning over the spine of the couch behind them.

"Where we you?" Katara wondered. "We started golf without you."

"Nah, it's cool," she tossed her hand. "I just had to go to the bathroom. I liked the sword stuff better, anyways," she referred to their previous session a bit earlier.

"For _real?_ I hit that thing _perfect_ ," growled Sokka as his ball collided with an intercepting tree's branches, landing in the rough beside its trunk.

"Take a seat," Katara offered, scooting into Aang and tapping the now open space.

Jane stared for a moment of hesitation, scratching her cheek briefly, and shrugged.

"Er, I-...What time is it?"

Aang whipped out his cell phone and replied, "Seven forty."

"Ah, yea..." Jane nodded, her eyes wandering off. "Actually, I need to be somewhere at eight..."

"Oh. You do?"

"Yea, Kat. I've got, like, some co-op project I need to meet someone for. For class."

"Crap. I _hate_ those," Sokka grumbled, handing Katara the remote. "I never get good partners. They always slack off."

"Pff. Tell me about it," Jane sighed, burying her face into the couch's back.

"Speaking of...-" Sokka muttered to himself, tapping his chin.

"OK, well...good luck," Katara bid to Jane. "We'll still be here for a little while if you want to hang out later tonight."

"Mm-hm. Catch you guys later."

"Bye!"  
"Peace."  
"Later!"

As Jane disappeared and Katara readied her second shot, Sokka smacked himself in the forehead.

"Ah, _crap._ "

"What?" Aang wondered.

"So she just reminded me...I let someone borrow my textbook, and I need it later tonight to get my homework done. _Frrrraaaaack._ "

"Uh...So...Just go get it," Aang chuckled.

"But that means _walking._ All the way across _campus_ ," whined his roommate.

"Sokka, with how you've been eating lately, you could use some exercise," Katara advised with a swing.

"Hardy har."

[" **Nice on!** "]

"How did you do that?" cried her brother in dismay as her ball rolled onto the green. She shrugged n response, seemingly surprised by her own performance. Sokka tightened the laces on his loafers and pushed himself to his feet. "Damn, what was that stuff you had me drink earlier?" he mumbled to Aang, stretching out with a yawn.

"Arnold Palmer," Aang replied. "The Half Iced Tea, Half Lemonade stuff."

"Man," Sokka groaned, leaning back, arms still out. "Remind me next time about how that stuff makes me need to take a piss _real quick._ "

"Haha..."

"So you're leaving, too?" Katara checked.

"Yea, I've gotta go get that book. I'll be back in a bit, though."

"Mmkay."

* * *

Jane stared at Longshot's tired face, attempting to piece together the fragments of emotion that were slipping out and decipher what was going on. He hadn't spoken since she had arrived a couple of minutes prior. Laid back in his bed, arms folded over his lean waist, he didn't speak, but then, neither had Jane. She didn't want to talk with Longshot – she wanted to talk with Johnny.

"What's up?" she asked at last, breaking the fragile ice with a gentle nudge.

"It's about the group," Longshot muttered darkly. "They keep insisting that they want you back."

Jane could feel a lump forming in her throat. She thought she was done with all of that, but reflecting on everything that happened, she'd known it wouldn't be quite so simple.

"Why?" she demanded in a quiet tone, hunched over in Johnny's desk chair.

"Because you know things they don't. Things Jet trusted you with."

"So?"

"The Fighters are in some dire straights with the Rhinos. Seems like it has to do with the night Jet died."

Jane's heart skipped a beat as flashes from that evening and the circumstances surrounding it came to mind – things she had chose to forget about.

"I don't-..." She shrugged, giving Longshot her best poker face. "I've got no fuckin' clue, Johnny. I just did what I was told."

"Pretty soon, things are going to come down hard," Longshot explained.

"Fuck 'em!" Jane growled. "Don't care. I don't get why _you_ do."

He took a slow, deep breath, and his face changed. The stoicism gave way to something else: to Johnny.

"It's my responsibility," Johnny echoed his sentiment from a while back. "Some of the Freedom Fighters are innocent kids who just don't know what they're doing. I can't let them get hurt because of what Jet has done."

Jane absorbed the raw intensity in his expression as he conveyed this to her, and suddenly things clicked into place. The Freedom Fighters were more important to him than she was, because he needed to protect them – at least, he thought he did.

"So I'm guessing there's no talking you outta this," Jane realized, running a finger against her eyebrow.

"They need me, Jane. The Freedom Fighters need Longshot." He bumped into her knee with his foot lazily. "And they need _you._ They need Smellerbee."

"I don't think so," Jane disagreed, shaking her head.

"If we can end all of this crap," Johnny suggested, "we can leave it all behind us."

That certainly gave her pause. Something to consider: coming back to the FF just to disintegrate it. Maybe then she and Johnny could be together again. But something else was nagging at her – something she kept trying to hide from herself. Just as it reared its head within her thoughts, Johnny spoke again.

"Just think about it," Johnny eased her. "I don't need an answer right now. But we'll need on soon. If you can help us with this mess...you can be in good standing with the Fighters again."

"Mm," Jane nodded, her eyes glazed and unfocused.

"It'd be win-win for everyone."

"I'll think about it," Jane dismissed the matter. She gave pause before getting up from the chair and pushing it under the desk. This felt entirely incorrect: in Johnny's room, with him laying on his bed, not able to touch him, not able to be kissed on the shoulder. And yet that nagging feeling hit her again. She threw the idea away. Johnny had made his decision to break things off. He hadn't _needed_ to do that in his patriotic march toward salvation.

"I'll walk you out," Johnny insisted, slipping on a pair of sneakers and following her, much to her chagrin. Again, the awkward tension plagued her, only serving to further remind her of the other, conflicting set of thoughts that went against the feelings she clearly still had for this boy.

She was so occupied with this mental storm that she almost failed to notice a familiar young man leaning against a doorway, a textbook tucked under his arm.

"I _know,_ his last test was such a _bitch._ Urgh."

" _Shit,_ " Jane whispered under her breath, carefully weaving around the distracted Sokka. What was he doing here, in Ignis House? Wasn't this against some... _code_ of his, or something? Entering enemy territory? He was talking with another student – a classmate, it seemed.

"No, I hear ya, man. Well, listen, good luck to ya, glad I help ya out, and...-"

Damnit. They must have been spotted.

"-...I'll see ya at class tomorrow."

_Shit-shit-shit-shit..._

"Jane? _Johnny?_ "

Jane whirled around, trying to muster a surprised look. " _Ohhh,_ hey. Sokka. Uhhh...Hey."

"Hey..." He stared at her with a suspicious glance, then shifted narrowed eyes over to Johnny. "Aren't you two broken up?" he wondered aloud with a blunt disregard for sensitivity.

They both nodded hurriedly, Jane putting more emphasis into her gesture.

"I was just...-" She fumbled with her hands, not making left or right of how to react.

"Co-op project," Sokka completed her thought, shaking his head slowly with a smirk. "Aahhhh, Freckle-Face. That, uh...-" He waggled his index at her. "-...That was witty. Real cute. _Co-op._ I get it."

"Sokka, it's not what you think..."

"It's not? 'Cuz what I'm thinkin' is...that you lied straight to my sister's face just a little bit ago."

Jane's face was burning up from the accusation.

"Not so sure she'd appreciate that," Sokka added. "All ya had to do was tell us you were coming to see your boyfriend, I don't get what's so hard about that."

Johnny was shaking his palm in defense.

"He's not my boy-...We're still not... _together,_ " Jane huffed out, frustrated by this fact. "I was...just needing to discuss some important stuff with him. And...stuff."

"Stuff and _stuff._ Sounds pretty important. Like...Freedom Fighter stuff?"

"Y-yea, OK?" Jane burst out, hands pressed into the sides of her head as she groaned. "It's none of your fuckin' business!"

"You're right, it's not. But you lying to my sister _is_. Are you gettin' deja vu? 'Cuz I feel like we've had this discussion already..."

"Yea, I get it..." Jane's hands fell down to her hips. "I'm sorry. OK?"

"What are you apologizing to _me_ for?"

"What do you want from me?"

"What do _I_ want? I want what Katara wants: for you to stop getting involved with these people." He sighed at Johnny's downtrodden face. "No offense, man," he shrugged. "You seem all right. But Jet? He _wasn't._ And I'm betting there's more crazy people where he came from."

"Don't fuckin' _talk_ about him like that," Jane growled, receiving an uninterested glance in response.

"Guess I had to have been there to see what a _great_ leader he was," Sokka muttered, adjusting his arm, textbook in tow. "Anyway, I'm going back to see the only other two people in this group who _aren't_ being idiots right now."

"You're not gonna tell her, are you?" Jane wondered as Sokka brushed between them.

"Uh, _yea?_ She deserves to know."

Jane rolled her eyes and quickly caught up to him, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around.

"Sokka..." she pleaded.

"Freckles...?" he came back, unamused.

"Don't tell her."

Sokka's eyelids slid down dubiously.

"Please. I don't want her worrying about me. Seriously, I'm just trying to tie up loose ends, and...and just be done with all of this shit."

"That a fact?"

"Urgh, _yes,_ it's a fact. Stop being such an... _ass._ Just listen to me."

"Just say what you're gonna say, Jane."

Olive eyes hastily swiveled to the side, and she cast a glance at Johnny, who was staring inquisitively from a distance. She clenched Sokka's shoulders, speaking quickly and quietly.

"They put Johnny in charge of the Freedom Fighters, and...some stuff's going down, and...I just want to get him out of it before the shit hits the fan. I swear, I haven't seen any of them besides him since we broke up. I just need some space to clean this up and get it behind me. _Seriously._ Katara doesn't need to be worried about this, it's _my_ mess."

Sokka, scratched at his goatee and bit his lip.

"Then you need to keep me filled in."

" _What?_ " Jane let her hands fall off his shoulders.

"Someone has to know what's going on, in case anything happens. I'll take my sister's fury if it comes down to it, and as long as you're straight with me, I'll play along. Deal?"

Jane ran her finger through her hair, pushing her bushy bangs around.

"Yea." She extended the arm and Sokka shook her hand.

"But you've gotta get this sorted before the semester ends," Sokka decided.

"Are you kidding?" hissed Jane.

"Setting a deadline is how you get stuff _done_ ," Sokka confidently proclaimed. "If you're serious, and you want to be outta this, then do it before Christmas break."

"Fff..." Jane wiped her nose and shrugged. "Whatever. Fine."

"Hey. Ginger."

"What?"

Sokka wrapped his arms around her in a short embrace that caught her off guard.

"I wanna see you get out of this nonsense, too. All right?"

"Yea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem at the start isn't quoted from anywhere, I wrote it, intending for it to be a free-verse bit from the mind of Mai.


	38. Raindrop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Someone made a 4-page comic depicting part of the last scene in this chapter. After you read, totally check that out at the end!

* * *

_What I Learned at SRU  
Chapter 38 - Raindrop_

* * *

\- Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 -

Toph was startled by the jiggling in her pocket, causing her to slip up a chord and grind to a halt. She sighed, removing her hands from the practice room piano keys and pausing as the jiggling repeated – it was a phone call.

"Hey..."

["Toph?"] Damnit, it was Suki. What did _she_ want?

"What is it?"

["It's Wednesday. I just...wanted to check to make sure you were coming to practice this time."]

"Yea, I'm coming. I can keep track of appointments, Suki."

["Toph, you didn't come _last_ time..."]

"Well, I _am_ coming _this_ time."

["O-OK, then. You don't...-"]

"Don't _what?_ "

["Nothing...It's nothing. We'll see you there, then. Seven o'clock."]

"Yep."

["OK. Well...bye, then."]

Toph hung up the phone and set it beside her hip in her seat, flexing her fingers. She reached her hands out and ran them across the pages before her, the music trickling through her fingertips from tiny bumps on the paper. After studying the sheet music's brail, she proceeded to replay the particular section she was focusing on. Uncounted minutes passed until she was playing it without fault. Satisfied, she moved onto the next portion.

This process continued for roughly another hour until she felt accomplished with her time spent and her stomach gurgled with discomfort – it was time for dinner. She trudged her way to the Avatar Campus Center, her arms weary as she pushed onward with her cane, occasionally being intercepted by snow if she veered off the path. It suddenly dawned on her just how exhausted she was and that she must be losing sleep with the inconsistent, busy schedule she was keeping. Without the daily rhythm she had grown used to Katara providing, she was slipping back into old habits from freshman year of overworking, undereating, and undersleeping.

Her phone began vibrating again and she lamented having not switched the damned thing off.

"What?" she spat out.

"H-hey, Taters..."

"Oh. Aang...What, uh...I mean, how're ya doin'?"

"Mm. I'm OK...We're...heading up for food. You want to come?"

Fateful timing. Toph figured she'd go along with it and see how things went.

"I guess..."

"All right. We're in the ACC."

"Yea. Um...-"

"What is it?"

"Could we maybe eat, like...just us?"

"Just you and me?"

"Yea..."

"Er...O-OK, yea. That's fine."

"'Kay."

Stuffing her phone back in her coat pocket, Toph took a deep breath, the air chilling her throat. She couldn't handle social contact right now. Not a group of people, anyway. They were mad at her, she was mad at them...It wouldn't lead to anything good. She was certain of that. As she approached the ACC, she could hear the crunching of footsteps in snow – a student no doubt steering clear of her path.

She finally found her way into the center, bustling with the normal activity at this time of day. She wandered into the thick of the rumblings of students. While there was plenty of breathing room, the sounds were more daunting than usual. Footsteps approached her directly, and she calmly extended her still-mittened hand to receive his. They muttered their greetings, and Aang helped her remove her winter clothes. He vanished for a moment to hang them up, leaving her to stand alone, overhearing Jane and Suki discussing details of the band's upcoming performance. Sokka would put in his two cents, and Katara would hum complacently inbetween comments.

"Hey, guys," Aang called out to them. "We're gonna go up alone."

"Oh, OK..."  
"No problem."

"Yep."

"OK."

"I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh!"  
"You'll see me _tonight._ "

"Mm."

"Yea!"

"All righty, let's go."

Aang took Toph's arm, and she followed his lead upstairs. She collected her own dinner, as did he, and they seated themselves at a small side table. The droning of the busy cafeteria floor irked her to no end, but she attempted to drown it out.

"So...How's things?" she asked, biting into a grilled cheese sandwich. She could hear him chewing and swallowing in a hurry to reply.

"Mmph. Fine. Busy."

"No _kidding._ Same here."

"Practice, practice, right?"

"Pretty much."

Another silent moment of eating passed.

"So..." Toph began. The following words rolled out effortlessly, catching her by surprise. "I split up from my family during break."

She could hear Aang eating whatever leafy thing he was eating this time and went on.

"I was tired of taking their shit. So...Now I need to spend my inheritance on my education. And whatever."

"Oh..."

"'Cuz they said that they would stop paying my way if I didn't listen to them."

"Hm."

"I'm done with them. _So_ done."

"Ah."

"Yea. That's the story."

"OK."

"Well... _Okay._ So...?"

"So what?"

"You wanted me to tell you. So I did."

"Yea."

"So...We good now?"

A disgruntled sigh floated across the table and Toph's insides churned with uncertainty. What did she have to do _next?_

"Toph...It's not so simple."

"Then let's _make_ it simple."

"You _can't_ just makeit simple..."

"What do you want, then?"

"It's just...there's more going on than just you not telling me that."

"Like what?"

"Uh...Like, ya know...the whole 'you-being-a-jerk-to-everyone' thing..."

" _That?_ I didn't start that. Everyone else decided to get on _my_ back, because-"  
"Like right now!"

Toph's lips hung open in surprise, and she listened.

"You keep trying to blame everyone else. Everyone was _fine_ before..."

"Fine? How was everyone fine? I thought everyone's been all stressed out."

"Yes, but...I think a big part of it is how you've been acting."

"How _I've_ been acting?" Toph retorted with an incredulous huff through her nose. "So fuckin' _Jaybee's_ allowed to be a bitch, but _I'm_ not?"

"She's been doing a lot better," Aang defended. "And...well, it's...-"

"What?"

"It's-...OK. Like, over break? Everyone seemed great."

"I thought everyone was being all whiny and shit."

"That was on the car ride up. But after that, everyone was good."

"So? That's what happens on break. You take a _break._ So you feel better."

"Yea, but...Even after we got back, things were fine. Until you started acting-"  
"Whoa, whoa, _wait._ "

Toph smacked her palm on the table and took a bite of her sandwich, quickly swallowing it.

"Are you tryin' to say that this is all my fault? That it, Twinkle-Toes?"

"N-no, I'm just saying that...-"

" _Well?_ "

"-...that I know you had a bad Thanksgiving, and everything, but since you've gotten back, your mood has been-"  
"So I'm not allowed to be in a bad mood after what happened?"

"I didn't _say_ that. Of course you are. But you're taking it out on all of _us._ On _me..._ "

Toph, still frowning, ate the last of her grilled cheese, an excuse to ponder his words. And here she was, acting like the defensive, PMS-stereotype she hated. The cracks were splitting open in her mind, she supposed.

"So it _is_ all my fault, then."

"Wh...-"

"Yep."

"N-no, it's the most stressful part of the semester, and you're dealing with a lot."

"Christ. You accuse me of acting like a bitch, then you go making up excuses for me."

"Huh?"

"So fuckin' flip-floppy, Twinkles. Make up your damned mind."

Why couldn't he be more decisive? All he was doing was making her more confused. Was she supposed to try and clam up and pretend like nothing was wrong? Or was she supposed to just let everything out? Was everyone on edge because of her, or more because of school? What did everyone _want,_ and why was no one talking with her about it?

"I don't-...I-I'm not sure what you're saying," Aang stumbled.

"Never mind," Toph sighed, grabbing her glass of white grape juice and chugging it down.

"I'm not, like...trying to blame you, or anything, I'm-"  
"I said 'never mind.' As in, _forget it._ "

"But...but I wanted to explain-"  
"I don't _care,_ Twinkle-Toes. I don't need to hear it right now. You're starting to act like Katara, trying to fucking _fix_ every little thing. I'm having a bad week. All right? Whatever. _My_ problem. If people don't like the way I'm acting they can piss off and leave me alone."

"Toph, your problem is _my_ problem, too. I'm supposed to be here to help you."

"How many times do I gotta...-? I don't need your help. What I _need_ is to practice my music, and apparently I need to practice some bullshit Christmas stuff I don't care about 'cuz Suki says so."

"OK, OK, I _get_ it...Geez..."

"How about instead of worrying about all of this crap we just forget about it right now. How about that?"

"Sure..." He said it with uncharacteristically irate tone that was becoming unfortunately familiar to her lately.

"Listen, Twinkles. What do you have to do tonight?"

"I've got reading to do. Lots of it."

"How 'bout we go and do our own crap, cool off, and then meet up later tonight?"

"Don't you have practice with the girls?"

"After that."

"It's...gonna be kind of late, I dunno if-..."

"Come _on._ Don't you wanna...ya _know_...-?" Her leg bounced off its toes rapidly and with impatience.

"Y-yea...I _do._ "

"I'm sure I can get Katara to go and do...something...so we can have the room to ourselves."

"OK..." Why was he still so hesitant about it? What was the problem? She'd wipe that problem right out of his voice later on.

"I'll give you a call as soon as we're done with practice."

"Yea. Sounds good..." Ah, there it was. Some relief in his voice. Maybe she could finally get through to him tonight.

* * *

"You're overdoing it, Toph," Suki pointed out. Toph could detect in her voice that she was attempting to be polite in her criticism but was in actuality quite irked. This was the third run that she'd cut off prematurely.

"What do you _mean_?" she groaned, confused.

"When we hit that part everything needs to quiet down."

"I _am_ quieting down!"

"No, but...-" Katara interjected tiredly. "Hun, it's not enough. You're still too loud."

"Ugh." _Like you know music or something._

"That's great that you're, like, improving and stuff," Suki added, clearly not as pleased with it as her words indicated, "but you're kind of taking over the song."

"It's fucking _Jingle Bell Rock._ I'm the _rock._ I'm sorry that we had to do the most cliché Christmas rock song ever." _If you guys can't keep up, that's not my problem._

"Heh," Jane laughed. "Yea, we could do that one where Santa kills everyone, instead."

" _What_?" Katara squeaked.

"Ya know, the...the one...-? With, uh...-?"

"The Weird Al one," Toph grumbled, plucking an irritated chord and drowning the conversation.

_**Schraaannngg.** _

"Umm...I don't...think that'd be such a good choice," Katara sheepishly objected. _It's called a joke, Sugar-Queen. Chill out._

"We already decided what song we're doing first," Suki matter-of-factly settled the matter.

"No, we didn't," objected Toph. " _You_ did."

"I'm also the one who got us _in._ "

"Toph, you got to pick the music last time, remember?" said Katara with a sigh.

"What ever happened to 'next time we play for _us?'_ " Toph defended.

"This _is_ for us," quipped Suki. "Everyone agreed that they were OK playing it – including _you,_ in case you forgot – and we're doing this to get our faces out there a bit more. So it _is_ for us."

 _Why the hell are_ you _in charge? You just bang your fuckin' sticks around. I know music better than all three of you combined. It's the reason I'm here at this school._

"We can shove our faces around all ya want, but if we play shitty songs and sound like ass then it's not gonna get us anywhere..."

"Oh, and I suppose you know what songs we _should_ be playing?"

"Uh, _yea?_ "

"Right. Because you're a music major."

"Makes me a _little_ more knowledgeable on the subject than any of you. Just a fact."

"So you obviously know what kinds of music people our age are listening to."

"Pff. Yea. Crap, and lots of it. Buncha pop stars spewin' out the same shit every day, and everyone's all obsessed with Lady Gaga, and-"  
"Toph, you just told me a couple of weeks ago you _like_ Lady Gaga," Katara intruded.

"She's got some good stuff, I admit it, but that doesn't make all of her millions of fans any less stupid. They like Katy Perry, too. That's unforgiveable."

"And I suppose you think everyone wants to hear 60's and 70's songs?" retorted Suki.

Toph turned her head in the direction of the voice and specifically frowned.

"Not my fault that there's so much trash on the radio these days..."

_**Durrrmmm.** _

This time it was Jane's bass cutting through the discussion.

"Seriously, guys? I didn't come here to have a fuckin' debate about what's on the radio. We're here to practice."

"Right," Katara rushed to agree. "Let's just...stop fighting and do what we came here to do."

"Fine by me."

"Whatever."

 _Why did I even accept to join this crap? I don't want to be a part of some cookie cutter girl band...I'm better than that. I could be working on my_ own _stuff right now instead of this democratic bullshit._

* * *

\- December, 2009 -

"Is that her?" Aang wondered quietly, fidgeting in his seat to try and get a look at the girl on stage in the strapless black dress.

"Yea, that's her," Katara confirmed in a whisper, checking the recital program as the girl bowed and was led to her seat at he grand piano by the assistant. Unlike the musicians before her, this girl had no sheet music. He wished he could see her face well, but it was useless – they were sitting took far away for him to make out the details, but the curved figure beneath the tight-fitting dress was pleasant enough, anyway.

"Oh, this that blind girl?" Sokka muttered, nudging Katara's left shoulder. She nodded, and Aang peered over from her right to look at the program, scanning for the right piece.

{7. Solo ––Prelude . . . . Op. 28 No. 15 Chopin}  
{Toph Beifong}

The girl sat stiffly in her seat, like a statue, but her arms flowed across the ivories like water. Gentle notes trickled across the auditorium like raindrops.

"She's blind?" Aang mumbled to Katara.

"That's what I heard."

" _Wow._ That's...impressive."

"No kidding. She probably practices every day," Katara figured.

"I _bet_ ," Aang agreed.

" _Sshh,_ " Sokka snipped. "I'm trying to indulge myself in the arts, here."

"Shut up," Katara snickered, slapping him on the leg.

Aang noticed a couple of glowering expressions from people around them and was relieved when his friends quieted. This gave him a chance to truly soak in the music.

Then deja vu struck. Numerous times, Aang had been having a dream lately where a girl, dressed in black with black hair, would play piano. Where she played always seemed hazy, as was the song. He'd try to approach, and she'd stop playing and turn and laugh at him. He could never remember the details, just a pale face and a childish girl's giggling. Something about this girl, specifically, reminded him of this dream he'd kept having. Other women had played piano this same night, but only _this_ specific girl had dredged up memories of this dream from his subconscious, a dream he'd kept forgetting whenever he woke up. He couldn't explain it, but there it was, and it nagged at him to meet this girl face-to-face when this concert was over.

* * *

\- January, 2010 -

"Hee. See, Aang?" teased Katara, stirring her shake with her straw. "You're blushing."

"I _am?_ " Aang slapped his palms against his cheeks and rubbed ferociously, as if this would somehow help.

"You _like_ her..." Katara gave him a coy wink, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Is that...-? Is it bad? Is it _obvious?_ "

"Ha. I knew it. You just owned up to it. Lucky for you, she's blind, so she can't see how red your face gets..."

"Come on, stop picking on me. Are you for real?"

"I do it out of love, Aang. You're like my kid brother. And yes, for real."

"Gee, thanks...I guess I'm lucky, 'cuz you don't treat your _other_ brother near as nice, right?"

"Heh...You deserve to be treated nice, at least. But ya know what I think, though?"

"What?"

"I think that _maybe_ this girl might like you back a bit."

"R-really?"

"Yea. Maybe..." Katara knew something. She was totally being a tease about it. Had Toph said something to her?

"Are you _sure,_ Katara? I think she finds me weird. And, like...She's all...tough and stubborn. And I'm... _not._ "

"Maybe that's the reason why: maybe you're different."

"Different? But...I don't wanna be just... _different._ "

"Well..." Katara slurped the remainder of her holy cow milkshake and shrugged. "From what she's told me, it sounds like her last couple of boyfriends she never got real serious with. It was all physical and...that was it."

"Oh..."

"Maybe she thinks you're, like...-" She stared at him with narrowed eyes, contemplating the right words. That sneaky little smile of hers. "-... _safe._ Secure. Ya know?"

"Safe?"

"Secure."

"You think I'm like that?"

"You definitely are."

"Hm..."

"You wouldn't hurt her. Or just use her, or anything like that. You're too sweet for that, Aang."

"Heh...Uh...thanks?"

"Seriously. Don't lose that, Bud."

"I, uh...I won't."

"Good. And like I said...you're probably different than other guys she's known."

"And that's...something she wants? Someone safe and secure?"

" _I_ think so, anyway."

Hm. Katara _was_ a girl. She would probably know better than he would. Probably? Yea.

"Maybe...should I...-?"

"Ask her out?"

"Y-yea. Heh. That."

"Aang, Hun...The way you two are going, she's gonna beat you to the punch."

* * *

\- October, 2010 -

["What _we_ need is a few good _taters._ "]

["What's...' _taters,'_ Precious? What's 'taters,' eh?"]

["Poh-tay-toes? Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick in a stew..."]

"Bahaha! Bam. Insta-name." Sokka slapped his fist into his opposing palm.

"Say what?" Toph grumbled.

["Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish."]

"C'mon, Aang," Sokka went on, prodding his roommate. "Taters. _Tay-terz._ It's perfect."

"He's got a point, Toph."

"Ugh. You guys are lame. Tater-Face was already bad enough."

["Even _you_ couldn't say no to that."]

"Like a promotion," Jane joked. "Dude. _Dude._ Can I be bumped up from Freckle-Face to Freckles, too?"

["Oh yes we could. Spoilin' nice fish..."]

"All in due time," said Sokka with a wink. "It must be _earned,_ Padawan."

"The fuck is a...-?" Jane muttered, scratching her ear as Sokka went back to Toph.

["Give it to us raw and w-r-r-riggling; you keep nasty chips."]

"Taters isn't near as mean as _Twinkle-Toes_ ," Sokka defended. "You're brutal with that one."

"Psh! Not my fault if poor wittoh Aangy-Wangy can't take a mean nickname."

["You're hopeless..."]

Katara sighed and grabbed the remote, clicking the mute button.

"Chh," spat out Jane. " _Wangy._ Did you just say that? Hey...Hey, Katara..." She nudged her couch neighbor with a slow elbow. "Taha. Toph...Toph just said _wangy._ "

"Umm...Heh." Katara shrugged sheepishly as Jane continued to shove her. A couple of wine-coolers and she was acting loopy. Katara had expected her to be a bit more hardened, given her reputation. Then again, she was still slowly whittling away at hers, while Jane had guzzled down two and a half in fifteen minutes. Katara patted her somewhat inebriated friend on the shoulder and eased her off. "You're missing the movie," she pointed out in a mumble as Toph and Sokka went at it.

"I can _so_ take your relentless picking," Aang proclaimed, tickling Toph on the side of her ribcage. She grinned and crushed his hand in her armpit.

"I'm just saying we should up the ante here. Kinda one-sided."

"Oh, yea, Sokka?" grunted Toph, still wrestling with Aang's arm. "Hit me with whatcha got, Meathead. I can take it."

"Dead-Eyes."

" _Ouch,_ " Toph took offense in jest. _"_ Politically incorrect much?"

"Wow, Sokka...That's... _OK_ , then." Aang clearly wasn't sure what to do with this, but managed to salvage his hand.

"You said you can take it," smug Sokka taunted Toph.

"No, no, I said it. I'll live with it. Do your worst, Steak-For-Brains."

"Oh, _sweet_ ," Jane cried. "We get to make fun of you being blind now."

"Jaybee, I already do enough of that on my own," Toph chuckled, squeezing Aang's hand. "But yea. Feel free. Pff." She reach to her right, and Jane bent her head to let Toph ruffle her hand through the unkempt orange hair.

"Dead. Eyes. _Damn._ " Jane rubbed sand from her eyes, tipping her bottle of green apple Smirnoff across Toph and Aang. "Sokka. You. Are. A fuckin' genius."

Sokka raised his brow at her, exchanged amused glances with Aang and Katara, and shook his head at her.

"Ginger, you've got the fighting part of being Irish down, but...you _suck_ at the holding liquor part."

"'Ey, piss off. I'll kick your ass. I'm not drunk yet."

"Yea, see? Fighting equals...good. Got that one down."

The movie suddenly paused, causing the conversation to settle down. Katara was grasping the remote in her hand still.

"Are we watching the movie, or...-?" She stared at them with some irritation.

"Oh. Right." Sokka nodded. "Yea, Jane hasn't seen these yet."

Jane vigorously jabbed a finger at Toph's shoulder.

"Hey-hey-hey. _Dead-Eyes_ hasn't _seen_ them, either. Get it? 'Cuz...-" She gave pause, only to let a small, almost inaudible burp escape.

"Christ," Toph chuckled. "Look what you've created, Sokka."

"Eye for an eye," he countered.

Jane snickered, thumping her heel into the couch.

"Assholes," said Toph, crossing her arms but smirking.

"We do it out of love," Aang assured, kissing her on the head.

* * *

\- Thursday, December 9th, 2010 -

Toph lay sprawled in her bed. She knew it was Thursday night. By now it was probably too late to go to the Jasmine Dragon, anyway. She'd wasted much of her evening away listening to her iPod and contemplating how the week had been going. The general consensus was: not so good.

She didn't have the energy to go out to the music building, so she'd made due practicing from her room. It being a Thursday night, Katara had gone off to the library to take care of some research. Toph hardly felt like getting out bed at this point, much less wandering through the cold to go play music at the coffee house. She knew that if she did, she'd probably embarrass herself – putting herself into those performances as she often did would at this point expose fears she wanted to remain hidden.

So she lay in her bed, spread on her back, her hand across her forehead. Her stomach had been quite a bother and she felt warm. It was likely she'd caught a fever, if she had to guess. Time passed and she drank music from a seemingly endless tap, her alcohol and addiction.

Eventually, the song hit that she knew would push her over the limit – the song that had been on her mind all day, ever since the night before. As it played, she forced herself to recall what has transpired the previous evening, replaying it in her mind.

["~I forgot to say out loud~"]

"I don't get what the _problem_ is!" Toph growled, her cheeks pink. She complained to Aang from her bed, sitting on its edge. "I'm fucking throwing myself at you here, Twinkle-Toes!"

["~how beautiful you really are to me~"]

"I-I'm sorry!" Aang sputtered back, looking down at her as he put his shirt back on, his face even brighter.

["~I cannot be without~"]

"I just...-" Aang sighed, wiping his wet lips with his sleeve. "I don't get what you want from me, Toph. Lately, you've been acting all pushy, and...and grouchy. It's awkward."

["~You're my perfect little punching bag~"]

"Christ," Toph grumbled, huffing a gust of air that tossed her bangs around. "You're such a mamby-pamby, Twinkles. What's so awkward?"

["~And I need you~"]

She stood up, irate and trembling, while Aang explained sheepishly.

"You're _rushing_ me, Toph! We've gone over this so many times...I need to take this slow."

["~I'm sorry~"]

"I'm getting sick of waiting on you!" Toph snapped. "And you keep treating me like I don't know what I'm doing!"

["~I always say how I don't need you~"]

Toph inched closer toward Aang as she continued her verbal assault while he leaned back nervously.

"It's like you don't think I know what's best for me! Like you know better. Just like my damned parents...Why do you think I left them in the first place?"

There was a moment of tense silence, their faces inches apart.

["~but it's always gonna come right back to this~"]

"Ya know what?" Aang snapped, his patience finally worn thin. "Fine, Toph. You obviously don't want me around tonight, so I'll leave you alone. I don't know what your problem is lately, but I can't take this right now..."

["~Please~"]

"Whatever," Toph grunted, folding her arms across her chest.

She flinched from the unexpected sound of her dorm room door being slammed shut. Had he really just...left? Wait...That wasn't right. Aang didn't just up and _leave_ her like that. He always lingered and tried to make everything right...

 _Wow, he's never just left like that,_ she mused, standing alone in her room, her arms drooping to her sides, head bobbed. _What the hell is my problem lately? Why do I keep treating him this way?_

["~Please~"]

The frustrated sob that she'd been hiding from him choked out in this moment of solitude, and tears began forming in her eyes.

[~Don't leave me~]

"Toph?"

"Whuh?" Toph gasped, her left earphone having been pried off her head. She flinched, scrambled to sit upright, banging the back of her head against the wall behind her, causing the headphones to slide off onto her shoulders. "Agh, shit," she growled, clutching her skull as it throbbed.

"Whoa, hey." Katara's voiced cooed. It was soft, and gentle, the way it often was. In this moment, Toph acknowledged that while it did grate sometimes, she had grown to miss its absence. "Are you OK?"

"Mm." Toph hummed out with a disgruntled sigh. She sniffled, wiping the water from her face that had formed during her solitude in a sea of song.

"What happened?" Katara wondered. _Rrrrkk._ The bed groaned as Katara's weight pressed down on it.

"Gah," Toph puffed out, one hand staying attached to her face. The dizziness of sitting up so swiftly after laying down so long combined with the impact on her head wasn't doing her any favors. "What do you care?" she finally managed. "Thought you had schoolwork to take care of."

"Oh. Yea, that's where I've been, but...Hun, it's, like...midnight."

Sure enough, just as Toph had predicted days earlier, Katara had shed her snippy act and given in to that sappy caring side that never died.

"What's going on? Huh?" A sympathetic and fair question for Katara to ask, given the physical state of her roommate.

"Fever."

"Aw. I'm sorry." _Cut the coddling, Sweetness._

Katara's slender hand rubbed Toph's neck, serving as a reminder of how sore it was.

"Aang told me what happened last night," Katara explained, bluntly pointing out the elephant in the room. "Sounds like things are only getting worse with you two..."

"Somethin' like that..." Toph took in a deep breath and sighed out the remainder of her sorrows. She pent up all this junk from Thanksgiving and now she had cried two days in a row. So much for superceding PMS stereotypes.

"Toph. I don't know all of what's going on, but...Hun. You need to figure this stuff out." _No shit._

"Yea..."

"It's like you've gone back to who you were when we met you." _Is that really such a bad thing?_

"Well...I'm not sucking at music anymore, at least." Toph groped her mattress and retrieved her iPod, switching it off and stopped the faint trickles of sound from around her neck.

"Heh. That's good. I'm glad you've been productive." _Like you really care about my music._

Katara's hand pushed back Toph's greasy, untamed hair over her back.

"Man, you need to shower," she picked. _You my nanny now, too?_

Toph resisted the urge to snap back, exhausted as she was. It wasn't worth it. She was too tired to have another argument right now.

"Anything I can do to help?" _Leave me alone._

"No."

"OK. I'm probably gonna head to bed in a minute here." _Good for you._

"Yep."

Katara patted her roommate on the shoulder with encouragement, observing the dull vacancy in those white eyes. She stood up from the bed and smiled sympathetically to herself as Toph wrapped up in the blanket, a cloth riddled with music notes. Her face looked like she'd been living out on the street all week, and Katara lamented her friend's stubborn attitude.

By the time Katara had gone through her evening routine of teeth-brushing and changing into pajamas, Toph was snoring, out like a light.

Katara was tempted to hop on her computer, but knew that doing so would cost her precious time to sleep, and instead opted to use her phone to send a quick message before bed.

[To: Aang]  
[So I know things are rocky with you two lately...But we should still do something for Toph's birthday, don't you think?]  
[Sent: 12:09am]

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A very Toph-focused chapter to help carry things along.
> 
> The Chopin piece Toph played in the flashback was "Raindrop."
> 
> Obviously, the film the group was watching was Lord of Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
> 
> Last song was "Please Don't Leave Me" by P!nk.
> 
> And check out this neat comic a Deviant user made depicting the last music video scene! (the other pages are linked in the description)


	39. The Calm Before

_What I Learned at SRU_  
Chapter 39 - The Calm Before  


* * *

\- Friday, December 10th, 2010 -

"One more week. Just _one more_ week, and then...-" Katara sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled through her mouth. "-...and then we're done."

"Shit, man," Jane grumbled. "When's your first final?"

"Monday," Katara sighed.

"Damn. Sorry. Least I don't have any until Tuesday. Gives me all of Monday to study and crap."

"Yea..." Katara stared blankly at her case for a moment, eyes glazed over.

"Well, you still have the weekend."

She snapped back to attention and unzipped up her messenger bag. " _Sort_ of..."

"Sort of?"

Katara nodded and shrugged her shoulders, slipping her laptop into its place in the case.

"Sunday's Toph's birthday."

"Uh... _So?_ " Jane didn't seem particularly sympathetic, which had been a consistent attitude all week when it came to Toph.

"So at least _part_ of my Sunday is going to be doing that."

"Doing _what?_ "

"Helping Aang get everything and...you know...set everything up, and stuff."

"Whoa. Say what?"

"Like, making food arrangements, and baking a cake, and-"  
"Baking a _cake?_ "

"I'm not just going to ignore her birthday with everything going on, it's-"  
"Kat, don't even bother. She doesn't deserve it."

"She's going through a lot right now, I can't-"  
"It's not your job. You don't have to."

"I know, Jane. But I _want_ to."

Jane stared into Katara's earnest expression with hardened disapproval, but eventually Katara's honest, determined sympathy won her over. She nodded, her discouragement fading away.

"It's just who you are," she concluded with a knowing laugh. "Can't just let a sinking ship go down without trying to drag the captain out."

"I'm not asking _you_ to worry about it," Katara defended, slipping her case over her shoulder.

"Nah, no need to explain," Jane insisted. "I get it."

"No you _don't_ ," Katara defied with an entertained tone.

"Personally? _Fuck_ no. What I mean is...I get how that's you."

"I'm not happy with Toph," Katara pointed out, heading out of her room, Jane close behind. "I'm _really_ not. But doing this might help her feel better. And if anything...-" She huffed through her nostrils in spite of herself. "It'll help _me_ feel better, anyway."

"Because helping others helps _you,_ and all that sappy bull?"

"Exactly," Katara cheerfully acknowledged. "Anyway...I'll see you later, Hun."

"And hey. Kat."

"Yea?"

"That...saving the captain from the sinking ship crap? You did that for _me._ Remember?"

"Ha...I...I guess I _did._ " Katara knew full well she had done the same for Jane. The second those words had come out of Jane's mouth, Katara knew they were self-referential. But hearing the blunt sensitivity expressed directly from her friend's own lips enforced her confidence that this was a good idea – that reaching that arm into people caught in ditches was something worth looking into. She just had to be cautious, as her father had warned, and not get pulled into said ditches.

"Yea. Like I said, Kat...I get it."

"I'm glad."

"So, yea...Peace."

"Bye!"

Katara fled down the stairs and out into the cold. It wasn't very windy today, and no snow was falling, so that was something of a relief.

She checked her phone for messages she'd missed while getting ready.

[From: Suki]  
[hey girls, remember we have to practice again tomorrow. show is wednesday night. don't froget!]  
[Sent: 8:43am]

Katara smiled as her mind processed pronouncing 'fro get,' a typo. But the reminder only served to further frustrate her. There was still so much studying she needed to do before Monday. Her mind warped at the prospect of somehow getting it all done. And it wasn't like she'd be out of the woods, either, because she had another exam on Tuesday, and so on. Saturday would entail a few hours of practice, Sunday would entail an evening completely taken up...but she knew that would be a needed break of sorts. She worried for Toph and Aang, but knew that if they could just hold out until Christmas vacation, things could get sorted out then.

[From: Sokka]  
[Guys! Tonight. Food. Thing. Where we going?]  
[Sent: 9:02am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[I can't do food tonight, remember? I told you: I need to stay extended hours at tutoring.]  
[Sent: 9:10am]

[From: Sokka]  
[Frick. Forgot. LAME. Trying to educate the leaders of tomorrow. GAWD. Why extended hours?]  
[Sent: 9:11am]

[From: Sokka]  
[Don't you usually get out in time for dinner?]  
[Sent: 9:11am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[Yea, but the kids have their own big tests coming up, too. And I'm a bit behind in my hours, needed to sign up for a few extra.]  
[Sent: 9:12am]

[From: Sokka]  
[No prob, Sis. We'll just do something Saturday, instead.]  
[Sent: 9:13am]

[From: Sokka]  
[Kay, nevermind, Katara's busy tonight. Everyone good for tomorrow instead? I vote pizza.]  
[Sent: 9:13am]

Katara huffed, shutting her phone and stuffing it in her pocket as she slid into the Gyatso Center. Lucky for her, her 9:15 class was on the first floor, so she was on time. Her extended tutoring session that evening would mean she'd go straight from working on her student teaching to working on studying for her own tests. She had been expecting the others to just eat without her, but knowing Sokka, he'd refuse. 'It's the last time we'll do this for the semester,' he'd insist. 'Everyone needs to be there.' And she really _did_ want to have a night out to eat...but right after dinner, it'd be band time. Which meant a couple hours _less_ she'd have to study. As class started, her mind was preoccupied with debating as to whether or not she should skip church on Sunday just to give herself more time to work.

It wasn't like she'd be able to contribute much to this morning's discussion, anyway...It was on the last half of that boringly long Greek tragedy she hadn't finished. Yet another thing she was behind on.

* * *

"Are you sure your sister's all right?"

"Of course she is," Sokka assured, popping the plastic top onto his paper cup. "Why?"

Suki took a sip of her smoothie and shrugged.

"Lately she seems...I dunno. Quick to anger."

"Oh. That. She's just stressed."

"She's been on edge lately. Having to live with Toph is probably the problem."

"Nah, nah. This is normal. Every semester, when finals roll around, she gets this way."

"Really?"

" _Oh_ yea. Getting worried and stressed is...-" Sokka waved his hand through the air, scooping up his cup. "-...her way of forcing herself to get everything done."

"I bet Toph's not helping matters, though..."

"Why is everyone so down on her, again?"

Suki glared at him with surprised eyes as they exited the Jasmine Dragon, climbing up the steps to the early afternoon. The skies were clear, and the sun shone off of the snow all around them. They linked hands and Suki explained with adamant irritation.

"She's been acting like a bitch."

"Oh. Huh. I guess she _has_ been kinda cranky..."

" _Kind_ of cranky?"

"Now that you mention it, it _does_ seem like her and Aang keep having fights and stuff. And he _does_ seem pretty down lately...I mean, I don't know for sure, but..."

"Do you and Aang just not _talk_ about...anything?"

"Psh. Lord, no," Sokka concluded, sucking in a deep gulp of hot cocoa. "We're men," he said with some jest. "But seriously...We keep that drama _out_ of our dorm room. Aang knows that."

"I see..."

"Aang wants to talk? Katara's there for all that girly stuff. But when he needs to relax and play some video games and watch Braveheart and forget about junk, I'm his go-to guy. Ya know?"

"I guess." Suki nodded. Aang seemed like such a sensitive guy, it hadn't occurred to her that he would even want to do 'boy' type things. Then again, he _was_ living in Aero House. So really, she shouldn't have been too surprised. "But haven't you noticed the way Toph's been acting?"

"Ha. Suki, Babe...I've hardly _seen_ the girl since Thanksgiving."

"Oh..."

"She's been busy with practice and whatever, I just assumed that her and my sis were both just wrapped up in work. Besides, not my place to intrude. If Toph's got beef with me, she'll make sure I know."

"She sure seems to be letting _everyone_ know what her problems are lately..."

"That's how she rolls, I guess. And come on, it's not like you're really all that different..."

"What? I'm nothing like that." Suki frowned at the comparison.

"Come _on,_ when you've got a problem with someone, you raise a little hell, too."

"Sure, but...Not like _that._ "

"If you say so..."

"Toph can be pretty pushy, in either case. Maybe Aang needs some advice on how to handle the situation from a male perspective. You know?"

"Er..." Sokka cringed. "Not really sure that's my strong suit, Babe."

Suki winked at him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Doesn't mean it's not a hand worth playing on the table. Come on. You're his roommate, he needs you."

"Y-yea, but...my GPA _also_ needs me."

"I know, Sokka, but...I'm trying to make you realize that Aang really doesn't seem like he's doing so good, and I _know_ you can help him. He doesn't seem like he has a lot _of...boys_ in his life. You know? _"_

"OK, I get it," Sokka caved in with a hesitant smile, kissing Suki on the lips. He rubbed his hand on the back of her neck. "I'll give it a try."

* * *

[From: Mai]  
[So. How's that gf thing working out for you?]  
[Sent: 5:43pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Mai]  
[oh hey. not good... :( had another fight other night.]  
[Sent: 5:45pm]

[From: Mai]  
[Suck. Too bad. Things'll get better. It's probably just school driving you guys crazy.]  
[Sent: 5:48pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Mai]  
[maybe. -_- anyway so how is zuko doin?]  
[Sent: 6:02pm]

[From: Mai]  
[Good. I think he wants to hang out with you again and meet your roommate. But he's shy. ;P ]  
[Sent: 6:04pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Mai]  
[oh sure! he could come by saturday aftrnoon if he wants. 2nd floor.]  
[Sent: 6:12pm]

[From: Mai]  
[I'll let him know. Don't let your gf get you down. Things will work out.]  
[Sent: 6:13pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Mai]  
[they always do right?]  
[Sent: 6:14pm]

* * *

["Hey, Tophie...It's your cousin. Ha. I dunno, just felt like checkin' in on you. Aang's Facebook makes it sound like things are rough, huh? Hope you're OK...He's a sweet guy, I'm sure he'll work things out with you. Er...So, yea. What about those recitals? Are they gonna record 'em? I totally wanna hear 'em, OK? Aaaaand...guess that was it. Gimme a call. Miss ya!"]  
[ _Beep._ ]

["NEXT MESSAGE."]  
["Hi, it's Suki. Listen...I've heard that there's a lot of things going on for you right now. And I understand. And I'm sorry if I did something to make you mad. If I did, you know you can just tell me, right? We're adults here. But the way you acted at practice on Wednesday...it brought everyone down. So, I'm not sure...what we can do to help things, but...If there's anything, please, let me know. When we get together as a band, I want it to be good for everyone, you know? So just let me know. Let _us_ know. Everyone sounds really worried about you. Anyway...Guess I'll see you tomorrow night."]  
[ _Beep._ ]

["NEXT MESSAGE."]  
["Hey, Toph."] Her stomach lurched. It was Aang. He didn't sound terribly happy. ["Uh...I wanted to talk with you about...the other night. But...guess you're busy. Well...I'd rather talk about it in person, anyway, but...Just give me a call back. _Oh_ , wait. Before I go, I just wanted to make sure you're free on Sunday. So...let me know about that, too. OK? Yea, so...Bye."]  
[ _Beep._ ]  
["END OF MESSAGES."]

The air in Toph's lungs rushed out, her breath having been held in a panic. She'd been fearful he was going to say something like the dreaded 'We need to talk' or 'I don't think this working,' but it sounded more like he wanted to...fix things. Suddenly, 'fixing things' didn't sound quite as horrible as she'd been making it out to be.

But Toph wasn't in the mental capacity for that kind of discussion. She had a recital coming up in merely a few days, _and_ that brief stint with the Kyoshi Warriors to work on, and then _another_ recital after that. Oy. Practice, practice. Diligence and discipline. That's what it would take. She couldn't afford to worry about her roommate, or her boyfriend, or whoever. Recollecting her performances at the Jasmine Dragon, she knew that doing so could make her recitals come out too raw, too...emotional. She wouldn't accept that. Simply wasn't going to happen, and she wouldn't let it.

* * *

\- Saturday, December 11th, 2010 -

Jane stared at the lot of them with some remorse as they hefted their weight around – the familiar set of young men she'd come to know on a strictly formal basis, though a couple she'd bump into at the Treetop now and again. Their bodies pumped: up, down. Up, down. She had never been a fan of push-ups – her scrawny arms, no matter how hard she tried, just didn't seem built for them. At least at this juncture she wasn't expected to be doing any, and for that there was some solace to be had. Matched with it, then, was self-directed bitterness and disappointment.

She stood by the sidelines, leaning against an outer wall of the gym floor, munching on a toasted bagel with marmalade. She'd figured that if she was going to get up this early, she may as well enjoy the oft-forgotten breakfast the school offered. She pored over some biology notes in preparation for her upcoming final as she waited for the session to conclude. When everything was in the clear, the very person she'd been waiting for came to her, having noticed her presence.

"Fitz..."

Her heart skipped a beat out of pure instinct as she slammed her notebook of chicken-scratch shut and immediately rose to her feet, back straight and arms at her side.

"Sir," she grunted.

"At _ease_ ," Zhao belittled her formality. "No need for that anymore, Fitz. You've already proved that you're apparently _above_ that."

"Sir," Jane repeated, her figure slouching. "I just wanted to clear up some things."

"That so?" Zhao's ever-skeptical voice pondered. "Well, don't waste your raspy Grandma breath on _me,_ kid. It's already a done deal."

"Y-yea, I know," Jane conceded, her voice shaky in his presence. She was so used to having to shout everything she said to him that just _talking_ seemed bizarre in the face of his imposing demeanor.

"Then _why_ are you pissing my time away?"

"I w-wanted to apologize."

"I already _told_ you, Fitz, you're done. You don't get second chances with us, girlie. You obviously overestimated yourself, and when push came to shove, those bony little sticks of yours snapped like twigs."

Fuckin' eh. She was definitely feeling like maybe it was for the _best_ that she'd never had to put up with this guy's attitude ever again...

"I'm not trying to get back in," Jane explained, digging her balled fists into her cargo pant pockets to mask her irritation, her face lighting up from the confrontation. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for letting you down."

"Ahhhh... _Oh,_ well, gee. How _humble_ of you." In classic Zhao form, his gruff voice sarcastically snapped at her with mocking motherliness. "Go have a feast of that humble pie, Fitz, because I won't be joining you".

"I learned, uh...I learned a lot," Jane mumbled, trying to rehearse the key ideas she'd gone over.

"How swell. That's what school is for, girlie."

"So, uh...Yea, I, uh...-"

"Maybe you take what you've learned here and _make_ something of yourself. Because you sure as hell won't be doing your country much good as you are right now."

So it turned out that Zhao was just an asshole, and it wasn't simply for show.

"I'll...do that."

"Good. Dismissed."

"Sir." She gave him a finale salute out of instinct and he glowered at her, quickening her exit.

"And Fitz: I don't want to see you tailing us anymore. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

What had she been expecting? She wasn't Katara – she didn't do the whole 'reaching out to people' thing very well. Then again, Katara probably had better judgment in who to actually try reaching out _to._ Zhao's disappointed scorn was something she found herself surprisingly stung by as she made her way back to Aqua. She'd been with ROTC for two and a half years, and she let it all fall apart. Between the aftermath of Jet's death and trying to start an actual social life _and_ stay on top of class, the military had fallen by the wayside.

Ultimately, Jane had come to the startling realization that she didn't really know why she even joined ROTC in the first place, and consequently, she had no idea what she intended to do with herself beyond this college education.

Then again, right now, she had other things to worry about, like tying up loose ends. She felt safe in saying that ROTC had not been a waste of her time – even if Zhao felt it had been a waste of his. The Freedom Fighters, though...they were a different matter, and one that still was unresolved.

As Jane stumbled into her room, noticing that Jin had vanished while she'd been away, she sat down on her bed and reached for her cell phone, reviewing the message she'd received overnight.

[From: Johnny]  
[Call me.]  
[Sent: 3:37am]

* * *

"Wow, are you _still_ fighting that thing?" Sokka wondered casually, having just removed his earbuds. He could hear the same riotous orchestral track playing that had been ten minutes ago when he'd sat down at his desk to start doing research for yet another paper. At least in this case, it was a final project where there wouldn't be a test. As much as Sokka didn't care for papers, there was some relief in that he was sure he could put in the time and nail a good grade on a paper, whereas an exam was more of a roll of the dice.

Aang was carefully mashing at buttons on a game controller that was wired to his Wii remote, which Sokka certainly found curious. It wasn't something he saw his roommate use very often, anyway.

"Yep," Aang replied to his question. "Still, uh... _Gah_." He character was smacked around the screen. "Still fightin' this guy, yea...Dang."

Sokka observed the screen to see a pale-skinned woman in what looked like some kind of Native American getup swimming through murky brown waters, dueling a dinosaur ten times her size who had a massive mane of sponge. Aang always played as girl characters, Sokka reminded himself.

"I cut his tail off, at least," Aang pointed out, which led Sokka's attention to the monster's severed structure.

"Ah..." He raised his brow, intrigued by the concept of crippling dinosaurs and capturing them for sport. "Awesome. You have fun with that, and stuff."

Sokka took his leave to go to the bathroom, taking his phone with him.

[From: SmellerJane]  
[i talked wit johnny today an somethin bad is happening. dunno wat to do...=_= ]  
[Sent: 2:13pm]

[Reply]  
[To: SmellerJane]  
[Whoa, everything OK? You need to discuss it? I could meet you.]  
[Sent: 2:47pm]

Had this been some social bullcrap, Sokka would have none of it. But this was different – this was Jane trying to break things off from her shady past, and that was something Sokka could get behind.

As Sokka relieved himself on the toilet, another student sat in the stall beside him.

"Dude, Sokka. What's goin' on, man?"

"Haru? How'd you know it was me, you creeper?"

"The shoes, of course."

Sokka glanced down at his feet to see the same old black loafers he had been wearing every day all semester.

"Oh, _ha._ Nice."

He glanced over to see Haru's bare, furry feet for curiosity's sake, and internally conceded that Haru was more hairy than he was.

"So how is studying coming along?" he asked of Haru.

"Ha. _Studying._ I wish I could tell ya, Bro. I'm freakin' terrified of Professor Piandao's final."

"Oh, _dude,_ I know. That guy's brutal."

"Right?"

"What class?"

"Western Civ."

"Ouch. Yea, that one's a nasty one. Watch out for those True/False ones, they're a _bitch._ "

"Will do."

"He's a tough prof, but you _learn_ from him, ya know?"

"Yea, totally. My C average don't show it, though. Haha."

"I can't wait to take his Middle Ages course next semester."

"Middle Ages? With knights and castles and stuff?"

"Exactly."

"Tight."

The young men exchanged a moment of bathroom appropriate bodily noises before finishing their work and flushing.

As they washed their hands, Sokka could feel his pocket vibrate.

"So how's Aang holdin' up?" Haru asked.

"Oh, uh...He seems OK to me."

"He's been kinda, like...I dunno." Haru's eyes narrowed at his own reflection as he recalled their recent encounters. "Short-tempered. Or something."

"Hm. Maybe," Sokka acknowledged the possibility. "You know about stuff with him and Toph, right?"

"Rocky roads, and all that?"

"Yea...They'll figure things out."

"For sure."

"Good luck with that Western Civ test, man."

"Yo, you, too, Sox."

Sokka rolled his eyes as his fellow Aero man fled out the bathroom door. He never _was_ going to shed that dorm-wide nickname, was he?

[From: SmellerJane]  
[can you? i m fuckin goin crazy here man]  
[Sent: 2:50pm]

[Reply]  
[To: SmellerJane]  
[Calm down. :P How about I meet you at the JD at 3:30?]  
[Sent: 2:51pm]

Sokka walked in on Aang shuffling through menu screens.

"Got that cock-sucker, did ya?"

"Sure did."

"You killer. I didn't know you had it in ya to murder animals, Aang."

"Wh-? Th-this is just a video game...I'd never do-"  
"Whoa, _heyyy,_ I'm screwin' with ya. Geez, Bro." He smiled at his roommate went cynical eyebrows. "Don't gotta be so tense."

"Oh. Heh. Right."

"Anyways, don't you have...drawing? Or painting? Or some crap to be doing?"

"Monkey feathers," Aang sighed. "I have...lots of reading, actually..."

"Ah." Sokka raised a brow at his roommate's choice of vocabulary. That odd phrase seemed to slip out of his mouth every so often. "Well, get _on_ that, man. Work, work, work."

"Yea, you're right," Aang sighed, saving his game and shutting his Wii console off.

"Hey, uh...You doin' all right, Champ?"

"I've been better," Aang admitted meekly, sifting through his stack of textbooks on the floor by his bed.

"You want to, uh...talk about it?"

Aang scratched his hand through his hair and took a frustrated breath.

"I, er...Not...not really, no. Not right now."

"Hey, no prob. I know how it goes. Sometimes a bro just needs bro time, right?"

_Knock, knock._

Both boys whirled around to see a young man with combed back hair standing before them, donning a maroon button-down and black slacks.

"Aang. Sokka." He nodded to them both.

"Oh, hey," Sokka greeted, reaching his arm out to this man who he had seen now and again. "You're Mai's boyfriend, I've seen you around, eh...-?"

"Kurosawa." The man shook Sokka's hand firmly. "Zuko Kurosawa."

"Right, yea..." Sokka's brows lowered. "As in, Philosophy Professor Kurosawa?"

"Haha...That's my uncle," Zuko acknowledged.

"Whoa, OK." Sokka nodded, their grip breaking off as Aang took his turn shaking hands. "Doesn't that make you, like...the Class President?"

"Something like that, yes." Zuko straightened his collar a bit with some nervousness.

"President of the Student Body," Aang corrected Sokka, who didn't really care one way or the other.

"What brings an Ignis man like you to Aero?" he wondered.

"Uh, I...-" Zuko turned to Aang, extending a palm.

"I invited him over," Aang explained. "Figured today would be a good chance for you guys to meet."

"Sure, sure," Sokka agreed, popping out of his desk chair. "Take a seat."

"Oh, thanks..." Zuko obeyed, setting himself down and crossing one leg over the other. "So, Aang...You said there was some kind of...golf game...you wanted to show me?"

"Yea, yea...I'll set it up..." As Aang fumbled with his simple entertainment setup, Sokka cocked his head to the side.

"Golf? You a golf man, Zuko?"

Zuko smirked. "I certainly am. My uncle got me into it."

"I've wanted to golf, but, eh...my dad's more of a hockey guy..."

"Ah, Aang mentioned you liked golf. I told him that when the weather gets warmer out, I should take you guys out some time."

"For real?"

"Yea, no problem."

Sokka jabbed a casual thumb to Zuko, turning to Aang.

"I like your thinkin', Aang. This guy's OK in my book."

"Ha. Yea, thought you two might have some common ground there, at least..." He rose from the floor, clicking a remote at the screen to boot up the game. "Since it's bit too snowy outside for real golf, I figured this might be a good substitute."

"Aang's too good at this," Sokka warned Zuko. "I swear, he has a symbiotic relationship with his video games..." He leaned in toward Zuko, lifting a hand over his cheek and whispered suspicious, "It's like he _bends them toward his will._ Know what I mean?"

Sokka's pocket vibrated and he was pulled away from this sudden distraction of company.

[From: SmellerJane]  
[yes yes ty ty! i owe you man. see u there.]  
[Sent: 2:56pm]

"Aw, frick," he mumbled, shutting the phone as he recalled the plans he'd only made minutes before.

"What is it?" Aang asked.

"Oh, I, er...I've got somewhere to be in a half hour. I almost forgot..."

"Ah, OK. No worries, we've got time for a game," Aang insisted.

"We sure do," Sokka agreed. "I need to see if Mr. President's real-life golf skills translate to the digital world..."

* * *

The table had been silent for a minute or so now as they waited for Sokka's drink order. Sokka couldn't help but notice Jane's leg bouncing methodically, her olive eyes wide with fright. Both of her bony elbows were stuck into the table, with her mouth covered by one palm while the other hand rubbed against her eyebrow with an index finger. He couldn't recall having seen her quite like this before...at least, not since Jet had died months earlier. She seemed pretty shaken up.

"Er..." He was at a loss for words, hoping she'd begin. She didn't.

"Raspberry Truffle," called out the store clerk, setting Sokka's drink on the counter.

He pushed out his seat but gave pause. Pointing a loose finger behind Jane – toward his drink – he asked her, "You sure you don't want something? You seem, uh...pretty on-edge, Ginger."

Jane simply shook her head, eyes glazed and unfocused, aiming at the table.

"OK..." Sokka grabbed his specialty coffee quickly, sitting himself back down. For the mere seconds he was gone, he worried something would suddenly happen, she seemed that out of it. "Listen, hey. Freckles. _Hey._ " He tapped the table with his fingers, managing to grab her attention. "What's going _on_?"

Her eyes blinked rapidly a few times until a tired puff came out.

"I've been getting tons of text messages from the Freedom Fighters," she muttered quietly, under the shroud of the cafe's chatter. "Sounds like there's a shit-storm about to happen."

"Aaaand...What does that mean for _you_?"

"For me? For...What does it mean for _Johnny?_ " she grumbled with fret, her eyebrow-rubbing hand sweeping up her head and wedging itself in her bangs.

"Mm..." Sokka scratched at his goatee, his mind reeling with all sorts of shady ideas. "What _kind_ of shit-storm we talkin'?"

"The kind where some people are gonna get hurt," Jane darkly replied, glaring at him. Her brooding eyes locked onto his analytical ones for a tight moment of reflection. The fingers on her forehead clenched, ruffling her hair as she huffed. "The night Jet died...-" she began, shaking her head. Sokka leaned forward over the table, intent to see where this was going. Jane's gaze avoided his as she went on. She spoke quietly, struggling to maintain her calm. Their seat alone in the back corner of the Jasmine Dragon, by the stage, seemed solace enough for this conversation.

"See, there's this other group: The Rough Rhinos. They're like...a rival gang..."

"So the Freedom Fighters _are_ a gang."

"That's-! Ugh. Kind of? Depends on...who you ask."

"Sure sounds like it."

"Most of the Freedom Fighters don't actually _realize_ a lot of what goes down."

"And what _does_ go down?"

Jane's teeth ground at his pressing questions.

" _Stuff._ Bad stuff. Like...illegal stuff."

"Ya don't say?" came Sokka's disapproving sarcasm.

"I'm _done_ with that shit, Sokka," Jane insisted through grit teeth. "Would you listen to me for one fucking second?"

Sokka's cynical expression faded at her fear.

"Er...Y-yea. Sorry. Go on."

"Now, like...Kat – your sis – she knows about...a lotta that by now. She _didn't_ before, but...she's smart, she figured most of it out..."

"Kesuks aren't stupid."

"Yea...But, so...Kat was what was holding Jet's sanity together, I guess. With her gone, he went right back to his old obsession."

"His old obsession?"

"Finding the guys who killed his parents."

"Oh..." Now here was something Sokka didn't know.

"That's...like...It's how Jet and I first...connected. If you could fuckin' _call_ it that..." She rolled her eyes in retrospect. "We both lost our parents when we were little. My parents died in an accident, but...Jet's were killed on purpose. At least...that's what Jet always believed."

"Hm. Why would anyone kill his parents?"

"Jet told me his dad was a detective or some shit, but...I dunno if that was true." She snorted in disgust and bitterly recognized, "I dunno _what_ was ever true with him now..."

Sokka's heart skipped a beat at the idea, recalling a night from his childhood when his father had been assaulted by a complete stranger. At the time, he had no understanding of why, but eventually the purpose was clear: his father was a police officer, and police had to bear grudges from the people they caught. Sounded like a logical enough reason for something bad to happen, though it lent itself a curious irony – that Jet would turn to a life of crime and forgo what his father had once worked toward.

"It's why he moved here," Jane added.

"Say what?"

"To Wayward, I mean. He tracked down the people who he thought were responsible, and it led him to this town – to the Rough Rhinos."

"So...What? Are you saying Jet was on some vendetta?"

" _Exactly._ " Jane pounded her finger into her forehead. "He started the Freedom Fighters as a way to make a living out here while using it as a cover to build his own fuckin' personal army. He just couldn't let it the fuck go. After Kat left him, he went right back to obsessing over that shit, and he started stalking this guy...A guy he was certain had to do with the night his parents were killed."

"Uh...OK?"

"One of the leaders of the Rough Rhinos, right? So one night, things got outta hand, and...-" She rolled her head back with frustration. "-...He fuckin' whacked the guy. Said it was self-defense, but...I'm not sure I ever believed his lying ass."

"So Jet was a murderer, then?" Sokka couldn't tell if this was some manufactured drama Jane came up with or if it was fact, but either way, it sounded intriguing. He always enjoyed a crime story, in either case. "He killed a guy."

Jane stared blankly at Sokka for a moment, her mind seeming to go elsewhere. The memory of that night, out in the woods, helping Jack Chavez bury his victim...cover his tracks...it was all still perfectly clear. It was also the very start of her downward spiral with Johnny.

"Pretty...much. Yea. So, um...The Rough Rhinos weren't exactly happy about that. Or any of the _other_ stuff Jet was doing."

"Other stuff?"

"Th-that's not important, it's...Argh." She squinted her eyes and pinched at the bridge of her nose. "Whatever. Point is, they came after Jet to get even."

"To get even for _Jet_ getting even."

"S-something like that, _I_ don't fuckin' know..."

"And that's why Jet died."

"He was trying to get away, and...fuckin' crashed on his bike, so...Yea."

"And you think they meant for that to happen."

"No blood on their hands, right? 'Course they fuckin' did."

Sokka nodded, stroking his trimmed chin hairs with care. Quite a conspiracy theorist, this girl was. She sure seemed to believe it, though. And Jane was generally a pretty skeptical girl...

"So they got their revenge. What does...that have to do with right now?"

"Things have gotten outta hand between the two groups," Jane explained. "People have been getting caught in fights, all kinds of shit. But last night the Rhinos told Johnny that the Freedom Fighters needed to disband – _tonight –_ or there'd be 'consequences.'" She air-quoted the last word and her shoulders shrugged up with uncertainty.

"Hm."

"So now they all are trying to pull me into this 'cuz I know stuff about what kinds of crap Jet's pulled that they don't. I used to be, like...his right-hand man. Er, chick. Whatever."

"They think this is your fault, too," Sokka pieced together the problem, "That you're responsible for cleaning up the mess Jet made."

"I _guess_ ," Jane sighed, flopping her face into crossed arms on the table. " _Grah_." She pounded her fist onto the table in anger, causing the flow of cafe discussion to halt for a moment. Her head was too buried in her arms for her to notice their quizzical glances.

"Well...Damn," Sokka concluded, finally taking a sip of his drink. "Sounds like...quite a...erm... _situation_."

"Ya fuckin' _think_?" Jane whimpered, resting her chin on her arms and staring up at her friend, eyebrows arced with uncertainty.

Sokka bit his lip, unsure of how to proceed. He stretched out his arm and patted Jane's shoulder across the table with a couple of rough taps.

"It's gonna be all right, SmellerJayeeeee...-" He froze at her glower. "I mean, er, Jane. _Just_ Jane."

The red-head in question drummed her fingers along the table and Sokka slurped more Raspberry Truffle. He caught a thirsty glint in Jane's eye.

"Sure ya don't want some?"

"I, um...don't really have any money to...-" She shrugged. "The Freedom Fighters were my part-time job, so...-"

Sokka nodded in understanding.

"Sounds like you're gonna need to find new work next semester."

"Heh. Yea..."

"Well, I put in extra hours last week, I can afford to get ya something."

"You don't have to-"

"No, no. It's OK. I _want_ to."

"Psh." Jane rolled her eyes and smiled. "That, like, your family motto or something?"

Sokka cocked his chin up, solemnly considering the idea. Come to think of it, it _did_ seem like their father had imprinted the phrase into their vocabulary.

" _Huh._ Guess so. Sure."

"'Kay. So, um...If you 'want to' so bad...get to it, Meathead."

"Heh. You got it."

"Bloody Zebra. Please."

As Sokka was off ordering, Jane buried her head into the table again. Her mind whirled with memories and regrets, thoughts muddled as she sought to figure out her own intentions in everything she'd done since the schoolyear had begun.

"What happens now?" Sokka wondered, scooting into the chair across from her at their two-person table. Jane pulled up her head again and rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"Ugh. I don't-...I mean, what _should_ happen? You're the...smart guy. Or whatever."

Ah. So this was all Jane's way of asking for his advice.

"Tell them to go screw themselves."

"Huh?"

"You already ditched 'em, Freckles. Let it be. You got yourself out when you did because you had some brains about ya."

"But...Sokka, there's...there's kids in there that don't get what's going on..."

"Not your problem anymore. Isn't that why Johnny's still around?"

"Yea, I think," she solemnly acknowledged. "Grahhhh...The fuck do I _do_?"

"I know your Irish spirit says, 'kick some ass,' and all that, but...Jane...Seriously. Leave it alone."

Jane bit her lip and ground her teeth and scratched her eyebrow. She growled out a string of profanities.

"Shit-ass-cocking- _fuck_!"

Sokka barely swallowed his drink in time to not cough it all up in a spitting laugh. Jane shed a nervous giggle at his reaction and shook her head.

"Shut up," she winced through her embarrassed grin, covered her pink face and taking a deep breath.

"Hey, whoa...You're the one who seems to have so much to say here," Sokka teased. "You obviously feel _very strongly_ about the matter."

"Yea, yea...Ass. But...I know you're right," she admitted, cutting through the comedy and back to the core of the discussion. "I'm... _scared_."

"About what?"

"About...what'll happen to Johnny. To, like...some of those other guys..." The newest recruits, Pipsqueak and The Duke, came to mind, oblivious to the seedy underbelly of things. If they got hurt somehow...

"Ginger, it's hard. I get it. But you made your choice. You left. Johnny took the reigns, he decided to make this his responsibility...that's _his_ choice. 'Kay? I'm sure he has some kind of plan – guy's got a good head on his shoulders, I can tell." Sokka wrapped his knuckle against his own temple. "You don't need any of that stuff. You're out. Done. Let it go."

"But...This is my fault. Some of it, I mean."

"Jane...If this is as serious as you're telling me it is, then you getting involved with it again isn't just gonna put _you_ in danger." Sokka's icy blue eyes narrowed at her, and something in her mind seemed to click as he watched her own eyes widen.

" _You_ guys," she muttered under her breath. "Fuck, I didn't even...-" Now she seemed even more freaked out.

"Hey, hey, chill. I'm just...ya know...-" He shrugged, trying to pass off the idea with nonchalance to get her fears to quell. "Just throwin' that out there, is all...You lay low, you stay out of this, things will...blow over. It's all good."

"Bloody Zebra."

"Erm...That's yours, Freckles."

"R-right..." Jane fumbled up out of her chair and scooped up her drink, taking a sip and flinching from the hot temperature as she came back. "Thanks," she mumbled, grasping the cup tightly with two hands.

"You OK?" Sokka checked.

"Mm."

"Like I said: just stay out of things. Lay low."

"Yea...I mean, they...Th-the Rhinos, the night they killed Jet...-" Jane's eyes sunk, staring off into space for a moment. "I got surrounded by a few of them, right?"

"That's how you got dinged up," Sokka confirmed his understanding, pointing to the back of his head to signify his memory of her injury.

"W-well, I...-" She shrugged. "I fuckin' _ran_ ," she confessed, eyes squinting with loathing. "Like a...-"  
"Smart person."  
"Pff..."

"You could've ended up like Jet did."

"Yea...I know...A-anyway, I'm saying...they haven't talked with me since...and I left the Fighters right after that."

"They probably think they scared you off, then," Sokka theorized. "So as long as you stay under the radar, they won't have a reason to...ya know...-"

"Right, yea," Jane nodded with some relief. "So...So I'm prolly good. Ya think?"

"I think so."

Jane took a slow breath and drank from her cup with care, reaffirming herself. They had no reason to think she'd go to the police, either...She'd be screwing herself over if she did. Yea. Things would be fine. For _her,_ at least...

"So...You good?"

"Oh. Yea. Much... _much_ better."

"Heh." Sokka rose from his seat and rounded their tiny table. He tossed around her hair a bit. "Even mangy, angry, Irish GI-Jane gets scared sometimes, too," he observed out loud. "Who knew, eh?"

"Who knew?" Jane chuckled.

"I'll catch ya tonight?"

"For sure. Seven?"

"Seven. We'll pick you girls up in front of Aqua."

"Cool."

The two casually waved each other off, and Jane remained at the table, enjoying her drink. In retrospect, she couldn't believe she had doubted trusting Sokka. He was always the one giving her shit, but now she could see it was out of rightful caution. Quite the strategist, he seemed to be, always picking and choosing his battles. Probably for the best, really – her and Toph were blood-thirsty warriors and barbarians who ran in, axes swinging, and look where that seemed to be getting them, right? Jane checked her phone.

["YOU HAVE **ONE** NEW MESSAGE. FIRST MESSAGE."]  
["Smellerbee, where the fuck are you? Why aren't you picking up?"] Christ, it was Cherry. She sounded...weird. Really tired, or...something. ["I know you've heard what's up. Shit's goin' down tonight, Smellerbee. You in? Or out? Help us win this, and you can be one of _us_ again."]  
[ _Beep._ ]  
["END OF MESSAGES."]

Jane closed the phone and held it in her palm thoughtfully for a moment, staring at her reflection in the screen's smudged surface.

Maybe it was time to stop swinging her weapon around like a barbarian and start contributing to the Fellowship.

_And_ my _axe._


	40. Jar of Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In retrospect, I'm not the biggest fan of the somewhat forced music scene earlier in this chapter, and yet that sort of thing can actually happen in real life sometimes...so I don't know. Maybe it's all right.

_What I Learned at SRU_  
 _Chapter 40 – Jar of Hearts_

* * *

\- Saturday, December 11th, 2010 -

Jane stared at the shining, scratched surface of the Zippo lighter, its engraved eagle looking back at her. Setting the device back down, she drummed her fingers across her desk, staring at her Biological Chemistry textbook. As soon as she'd gotten back from her coffee chat with Sokka, she'd spent an hour reviewing the most recent chapters, streamlining her notes into a study guide, and was finally ready to set the work aside. Her stomach was starting to rumble, reminding her that she'd forgotten to eat lunch in her panic earlier that afternoon. She could still hear Katara's music playing from across the hall, meaning that Toph was clearly still not around. She figured she could coax Katara into heading down for some food – it was a bit past five, so it was time to eat, anyway.

As she opened her door and proceeded into the opposing room, sweeping orchestral music gave way to a man's theatrical singing. Jane hadn't been paying attention but Katara seemed to be on another of her 'Broadway Musical Kicks' today. Last week it had been some nonsense about rent being late and AIDS and trisexuals, and how many minutes were in a year...or something. Whatever brand of silliness Jane's neighbor was listening to this week seemed to do with magic and wizards.

["~I never asked for this or planned it in advance~"]

Since Katara's door was wide open, Jane let herself in.

["~I was merely blown here by the winds of chance~"]

Katara was fervently typing away on her computer while the music poured out from her external speakers.

["~I never saw myself as a Solomon or Socrates~"]

"Hey, uh...Kat?"

["~I knew who I was: one of your dime a dozen~"]

Katara quickly wrapped up the sentence she was on and turned her head around.

"Hey!" She sounded oddly cheerful considering how busy things were.

["~Mediocrities ~"]

Katara's hair was tied in a bun for the sake of convenience. Jane didn't like it.

"Umm...Whatcha listenin' to?" she wondered, expressing her confusion and distaste with an amused smirk.

["~Then suddenly I'm here~Respected - worshipped, even~"]

Katara's eyes lit up as she spun, sitting sideways in her chair as Jane plopped herself onto Katara's neatly folded bed.

["~Just because the folks in Oz needed someone to believe in~"]

"A musical," Katara explained. "Wicked," she clarified.

["~Does it surprise you I got hooked, and all too soon?~"]

"What's _this_ one about?"

["~What can I say?~"]

"The Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz."

["~I got carried away~"]

"Oh. Uhh..." Jane's eyebrows furrowed at the silly notion. "Sounds, um...-"

["~And not just by ball _oo-oon_ ~"]

Katara stuck up her index finger and paused the music, then proceeded to hurriedly explain the concept with the enthusiasm she always expressed with her favorite stories, complete with hand gestures waving about.

"It's, like...a backstory to the witch – how she was originally a good person and was friends with the Good Witch Glinda, and she...tried to help people with her magic, but people didn't _want_ her to, and-and so she decided 'screw everyone!' and-"  
"Haha, whoooaaa, hey," Jane stopped the train on the tracks. "Geez, ya nerd, I didn't ask for cliff notes on the fuckin' thing..." She grinned, folding her arms across her chest as she laid down on Katara's pillow.

"Heh, um...S-sorry," Katara muttered. "I guess that sounds pretty dumb, but...-"

"Nah, it sounds...uh... _different_."

"It's good. I really like it. It's all about, like...perspective."

"Perspective?"

"How everyone has their own side to every story. How we judge books by their covers, n'...how we treat people affects who they are."

"Huh." Jane casually crossed one leg over the other.

"Are you wearing _toe socks_?" Katara chortled, going off topic.

Jane glanced at her feet to remind her the black and yellow striped toe socks she had put on in her half-asleep daze that morning.

"Y-yea, wanna _make_ somethin' of it?" she spat out with a playful balled fist.

"You really like the whole 'bee' thing, huh?"

" _You..._ really like the whole... _penguin_ thing," Jane countered weakly, slapping the back of her wrist against the small pillow leaned against the wall that she had grown to admire, the cartoony, crocheted penguin on its surface staring blankly at her.

"Fair enough." Katara turned back to her computer. "Anyway, so this song is where the Wizard of Oz is trying to get the witch to join him so people won't hate her anymore, and stuff."

"Why would he need _her_? He's like, the king, or some shit, ain't he?"

"Because...Wait, you _do_ know the story, right?"

"If I knew the story, would I be asking?"

"No, no, I mean...The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Like, the original book. Or the movie."

"Oh...Erm, y-yea, I've seen it..." Faint memories of the film from her childhood played out, accompanied by two figures whose voices she couldn't even remember, their faces filled with visages from photographs.

"Right. So you remember the whole thing about the Wizard, then?"

"Umm...Remind me..."

"He's a fake."

" _Oh, yea._ Yea, 'kay." She cleared her throat and growled out in a gruff voice, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"

"Heehee, exactly. He's a phony. _But_ everyone _thinks_ he's this great magician. It's all about perspective. That's what this song is about: how he's only 'wonderful' because everyone treats him like he is. It's like a foil to Elphaba."

"Wait, you lost me."

"Well, Elphaba – that's the witch's name – she starts acting 'wicked' because that's everyone treats _her._ So it goes both ways."

"Hm..."

"Here, listen. It'll make sense." Katara resumed the piece.

["~Wonderful~They called me 'Wonderful'~"]

" _What kind of name is_ that? _Sounds gay..."_

["~So I said 'Wonderful? If you insist'~"]

" _'Freedom Fighters' sounds a lot more tame than 'Smellerbee.' Seriously, what does that even_ mean? _"_

["~'I will be Wonderful'~And they said 'Wonderful!'~"]

" _Besides, you don't have to like the name." Jet pointed to the full bar that evening. "But_ they _do."_

_Smellerbee scoffed at the crowd, recalling all of the enthusiastic words they had said about this Hispanic man in front of her._

["~Believe me, it's hard to resist~"]

" _You sure do have a pretty dedicated fan club," she observed._

["~'Cause it feels wonderful~They think I'm wonderful~"]

" _Ha, damn right I do," Jet boasted, leaning back in his chair. "These guys would do whatever I asked them to."_

["~Hey, look who's wonderful~This corn-fed hick~"]

_Jet laughed in spite of himself._

" _Ain't that crazy?_ Me, _of all people. I moved here a few years back from out west without so much as a change of clothes, and look what I've made of myself."_

["~Who said 'It might be keen to build a town of green'~"]

" _So you're like, a charity organization or some shit?" Smellerbee skeptically probed. She had originally assumed this group was a little more threatening, hence her initial interest._

["~'And a wonderful road of yellow brick!'~"]

" _Heh. Somethin' like that," Jet chuckled, chugging a gulp of his stout. "Little more to it, though. I got a shitty hand dealt in the game of life."_

["You see, I never had a family of my own. So, I guess I just...wanted to give the citizens of Oz everything..."]

_Jet continued._

" _So, you could say that the Freedom Fighters are my way of helping myself – and others – take what's owed to people like us."_

["So you _lied_ to them."]

_Smellerbee's brows narrowed at the shady man with the unlit cigarette in his mouth. Well, gee, wasn't he just a fuckin' modern day Robin Hood. Christ..._

" _I'm startin' to think 'freedom' isn't the only thing you guys fight for..."_

["Elphaba, where I'm from, we believe all _sorts_ of things that aren't true. We call it ' _history_.'"]

_Jet's smirk widened into a grin._

" _It's not about what we do, Kid. It's about what people_ think _we do."_

["~A man's called a traitor - or liberator~"]

_Jet nodded his head to the full tables behind him._

" _You_ really _think we all make a living off of charity concerts and helping Mom and Pop stores? 'Course we fuckin' don't. But ask anyone on the street and they'll tell you that we're good for Wayward's economy and community."_

["~A rich man's a thief - or philanthropist~"]

" _So it's all just an act," Smellerbee theorized with cynicism. "You just keep up that shit so you can do this other stuff and no one's the wiser..."_

["~Is one a crusader - or ruthless invader?~"]

_Jet leaned over the table, sipping from his bottle, and stared into doubtful eyes of olive._

" _Like_ you _never have?"_

_Jane's heart skipped a beat as she remembered reporting her 'accident' with Nils to the authorities a couple of years back. She shrugged, dismissing Jet's question._

["~It's all in which label is able to persist~"]

" _So what do you want with_ me, _then?" she inquired, finally taking a drink of the vodka-cranberry she'd been served._

" _You've got the spark, Kid," Jet proclaimed._

["~There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities~"]

" _I can see it in those eyes: you're good at making people think whatever you want."_

["~So we act as though they don't exist~"]

_Smellerbee smiled at this compliment._

" _Callin' me a liar? Well, ain't_ you _the hypocrite?"_

["~They call me 'Wonderful'~So I am wonderful~"]

" _Does it matter? They all think I'm a fuckin' Saint," Jet pointed out._

["~In fact - it's so much who I am, it's part of my name~"]

" _I mean, shit, Kid – you can be whoever the hell you_ want _here. No one cares what your real name is, where you came from, whatever..."_

["~And with my help, you can be the same~"]

" _So c'mon." He tipped his head up at her. "Whaddya say?"_

_Smellerbee scratched her eyebrow and sighed, contemplating what to do._

["~At long, long last receive your due long overdue~Elphaba~"]

 _She had finally made it to college – this was her fresh start to be whoever she wanted, not 'that she-male whose parents died.' Instead of cowering in public or hiding under a hoodie, she could stake a clam in a reputation where others feared_ her _for a change._

["~The most celebrated~are the rehabilitated~"]

_Getting on good terms with this 'Jet' fellow would lead to that kind of reputation._

["~There'll be such a fwhoop-dee-doo~"]

" _I know you're a student, and whatever," Jet noted, "But we take in lots like you these days. We can work with your schedule."_

["~A celebration throughout Oz~that's all to do with _you_ ~"]

" _So what's in it for me if I go along with this, then?"_

["~Wonderful~They'll call you 'wonderful'~"]

" _You do well with the Freedom Fighters and you get money, respect...power. I can see it in that Irish face of yours...you want power. I'll put ya work and you'll find what you want."_

["~It does sound wonderful...~"]

" _Hm." She wiped booze from her lip. "You sure like bein' fuckin' vague, '_ Jet.' _"_

["~Trust me - it's fun!~"]

" _And you seem to like acting tougher than you actually are, '_ Smellerbee.'"

["~When you are wonderful~"]

" _Pff. Fuck it," she shrugged, extending a bony arm. "I'm in." Like she had anything to lose._

["~It would be wonderful~"]

" _I knew you weren't as dumb as you looked." Jet squeezed her hand in a tight handshake._

["~Wonderful, wonderful~"]

["One! Two! Aaaaand...-"]

The lyrics stopped as a the instruments took charge, escorting Jane to the present.

"Hm. Sounds like a...fun story," she mumbled. Her stomach gurgled with discomfort.

"Wow," Katara laughed. "Little bit hungry there, Jane?"

"Oh, right." Jane administered a facepalm. "I came in here to see if you wanted to eat dinner before practice."

"Ahhhh," Katara cheerfully replied, jumping up from her chair. "We're going out to eat with the group tonight, remember?"

"We are?" Jane muttered, scratched her head. Of course: pizza night, the last of the semester. She'd gotten so wrapped up in today's events she'd nearly forgotten.

"Yea, don't you remember? The boys are picking us up at seven."

" _Right,_ yea... _Ugghhh,"_ Jane groaned, rubbing her stomach tenderly. "It'll be, like, two _hours_..."

"Aw," Katara sympathized. "Is little Janey Jane _hungwee_?" She sure seemed in a good mood for some reason. An about-face from yesterday, when she'd been all stressed out.

"I kinda skipped lunch," confessed Jane with a disgruntled frown.

"Why'd you do _that_ , ya goof?"

"I dunno, I...got caught up with my studies," Jane lied, staring at the ceiling.

"Ha, I know whatcha mean," Katara acknowledged. "That's been my entire day so far. Work, work, work, right?"

"Fuck me up the goat ass," Jane sighed. "So much to deal with, all at once..."

"That's school for ya..."

_Not exactly what I meant, but...sure._

Jane's insides rumbled once again.

"Geez, Hun...We need to get something in that stomach of yours." Katara poked a finger at Jane's abs, causing the girl to tighten up and flinch. "My dad got me a care package for finals week with a bunch of snacks," Katara recalled, bending over to search under her bed. "You should have some."

"OK," Jane welcomed the offer, sitting up. She observed her friend on all fours, rear-end sticking out from under the bed while her head was buried underneath. Katara popped back out a moment later with a white box in her hands and a huge grin on her face. She plopped the box on the bed and opened it up, her treasure chest of snacks.

"Haha, whoa." Jane eyeballed the collection of treats.

"Whatever ya want," Katara offered. "Except for the Reese's Cup," she added sneakily.

"What about this?" Jane pulled out a bag of microwaveable popcorn.

"Go for it," encouraged her friend.

"Cool. I'll be back in a minute." She slipped out of the room and into the floor's kitchen area alone. Shoving the bag into the microwave, she took a deep breath, staring out the window and to the snow-covered trees outside, their branches bare. Snow was something she had grown to rather enjoy in her time up north at college. Everyone seemed to hate it, but she enjoyed the solitude it provided. It helped her forget everything else for a while.

* * *

"Uh, could I just have some water?" Aang tossed out his drink request, menu still in hand.

"Come _on,_ Aang, live a little," Sokka encouraged. "Can I get two Mountain Dews, here?" Aang laughed and shook his head with a smile, knowing one of those two had his name on it.

"Pepsi, please," Katara requested.

"Not diet?"

"No, Sokka. I'm _living a little,_ " she mocked with a wink to her brother. "Sierra Mist for you, Jane?"

"Oh, um...Yyea," Jane nodded, tickled by Katara's correct prediction.

There was silence at the table for a moment while the waitress checked her pad.

"One water, two Mountain Dews, one Pepsi, and one Sierra Mist. Is that all to drink?"

"Toph," Aang calmly probed across the table. "What do you want?"

Toph, cheek in her palm, scratched her ear.

"I'm good," she replied coolly.

"You sure?"

"Yea," she insisted with a hint of irritation.

"What about the _Good Doctor_?" Sokka inquired.

Toph sighed through her nose, ignoring her friend's comment.

"That's all for now," Katara dismissed the waitress, quick to alleviate the tension. "Thanks."

"All righty."

After the portly woman had whisked herself away, Sokka popped open his menu wide.

"OK, guys. We've gotta make this count. Gotta go with tradition here. This is a landmark and everything."

"What's he goin' on about?" muttered Jane to her left to Katara.

"I think he wants us to get what we got the first time you came here with us."

"Ohhhh..."

"I wrote it _down_ ," Sokka boasted, pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper and slapping it on the table.

{- ½ anchovies + sausage, ½ pepperoni}  
{- ½ green pepp + mush, ½ mush}  
{- ham + pineapple}

"Wow, Sokka," Aang chuckled. "Gotta love it..."

"The end of the first semester for the Fearsome Fivesome. Ya gotta do these things right."

Katara smiled and exchanged an amused glance with Jane, who rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"What was mine, again?" Toph wondered drearily, still in the same position.

"You got just mushrooms," Aang answered.

"Ah..."

"Ham and pineapple," Sokka read aloud. "That still catches me by surprise. Never pegged you for a _pineapple_ girl, Freckles."

"Meat n' sweet," said Jane. "It's a good combo."

"Ha." Katara tapped Jane with her wrist. "Like me and Sokka."

"Huh?" Jane was baffled as her mind leaped to gutter thoughts, given the context.

Katara then turned her attention to Toph, rubbing her roommate on the shoulder.

"As Toph would say, 'Meathead and Sweetness.'" She wiggled an index finger back and forth between herself and her brother. "Right?"

Toph finally shifted her position, sitting upright now.

"Sure..." She didn't seem too entertained.

"Ya know, we could get that Dr. Pepper for you," Sokka offered. "I know you're strapped for cash now, but me and Aang are already buying the pizzas, it really wouldn't-"  
"Fine, whatever," Toph snipped. "Tradition, blabla, I fuckin' got it. Wouldn't wanna mess _that_ up..."

Aang reached his arms across the table and grabbed Toph's hands carefully.

"Hey, Taters," he murmured. "C'mon, try to have some fun."

"I know," Toph grumbled. "I am..."

"Anything we can do to help you feel better?" Katara wondered quietly as the waitress arrived, setting down their drinks.

"No," Toph replied half-heartedly.

"Are we ready to order?" asked the woman.

"Why yes...-" Sokka paused to glance at the lady's name tag. "-... _Sandra,_ we sure are."

"And what'll it be tonight?"

As Sokka rattled off their multi-part order, Jane frowned at how Katara and Aang seemed to be non-verbally coddling the girl who insisted on being a grouch. She had to catch herself and be reminded of a girl named 'Smellerbee' who used to be the same way.

"-and that'll all be under one check, aaaand...-" Sokka glanced to his right to Aang and Toph, hands still connected. "Sooo...Were we a 'go' on the Good Doctor?"

"Whatever," Toph sighed, breaking her chain with her boyfriend and shoving her hands in her lap. Sokka nodded, brows lifted up, and finished with the waitress.

"Can we also get a Dr. Pepper, too?"

"Sure thing. The pizzas should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Great. Thanks."

"When's that recital, Toph?" Katara wondered as the group fell into silence again.

"Tuesday evening," came back a dull response.

"OK," Katara kept her optimism up. "What time? Maybe we can come?"

"Um...seven o'clock..." The words spilled out with uncertainty.

"Hm." Katara tapped her lips thoughtfully. "Well, I'm totally free then. You guys?"

Aang and Sokka both nodded and Jane shrugged.

"We should be able to make that, then."

"'Kay..."

Whatever direction Katara had been intending for the flow of conversation to go from there, Toph had stalled it. Aang was doodling on the activity sheet that served as a table mat, while Sokka overlooked.

Jane's pocket vibrated and she stealthily checked it underneath the table.

[From: Jet]  
[u comin or wat?]  
[Sent: 7:26pm]

God damnit, why did Sneers and Johnny have to keep using Jet's phone like that? They both had their own, didn't they?

"What'd she say? Fifteen minutes?" Jane wondered aloud.

Sokka recovered from his distraction.

"Er, the pizzas? Yea."

Jane stared him down for a couple of seconds with a dire look that no one else caught.

"I need to get some air for a bit," she announced, rising from her seat.

"Oh, I'm come with you," Katara decided, making a move to follow suit.

"Geez, Sis, give the woman some space," Sokka discouraged her with some exaggeration in his voice to lessen the blow.

"What?" Katara was obviously out of the loop and confused.

"Heh, it's OK," Jane assured her friend in a mumble. "I just need a bit of time to myself, is all. Clear my head."

"O-OK," Katara quickly nodded, retracting back to her seat. "Yea, that's fine..."

"I'll catch you guys in a bit."

"Enjoy the _snow_ ," Aang bid with a wary tone.

"I will," Jane replied matter-of-factly.

Stepping out into the brisk evening, Jane took in the familiar atmosphere of downtown Wayward on a winter's night. She cautiously made her way down the street, fortunately shrouded in lamps. Her sights set on the bar across the road, her insides began to churn. Thinking about this was one thing, but actually confronting it was another.

She gave in to her weakness and dug through her pocket, pulling out an old box of cigarettes she'd bought months back. It had been weeks she'd gone without a smoke after months of whittling down her use, but the stresses of the day had led her to intake one earlier in the afternoon, and it was about time for another, her mind whirling in a frustrated tornado of conflicting emotions. If Katara had known she was falling back into the habit, Jane would no-doubt be in deep water. This reminder stacked on top of of the fact she was already hiding from Katara the truth about maintaining contact with the Fighters...She was doing exactly what Jet had done to the girl: lying to her and keeping her in the dark. This didn't sit well with Jane. But at least she was about to do something about it.

She grasped the cigarette in trembling fingers, taking a shaky breath as she pulled out the Zippo from her black winter vest pocket. In that moment, the eagle on its metal surface stared at her, and she glared back. She couldn't even light a damned cigarette without thinking about it. About _them._ About how they took Johnny away from her. About how _he -_ Jet - took him away from her, even in death. Watching the steam from her breath dissipate in the frigid air, she paused for a moment, staring at the entrance to the Treetop Pub, its interior bustling with activity on this weekend evening. She wanted to go inside. She wanted to plunge right back into their fray and find him. They had already welcomed her back - it would be easy, simple. She could reclaim what she had lost. Maybe she could convince Johnny to leave with her and let them settle their gang war on their own.

**~I know I can't take one more step towards you~'Cause all that's waiting is regret~**

She reached her hand out toward the door's handle...

**~And don't you know? I'm not your ghost anymore~**

...her palm gently pressed down on his tombstone.

{Jack "Jet" Chavez}  
{1984 - 2010}  
{May he find his Freedom}

**~You lost the Love I loved the most~**

_"They need me, Jane. The Freedom Fighters need Longshot."_

**~I learned to live half alive~**

[From: Katara]  
[Jane? Where did you go?]  
[Sent: 7:32pm]

**~And now you want me one more time~**

_"And they need_ you. _They need Smellerbee."_

**~And who do you think you are?~Running 'round leaving scars~**

_There Jet was, entering the bar with that stupid crazy blond latched to his arm. It sickened Jane to her core. No more than a month after he had left her, even._

_Had he ever really cared about her that way in the first place? Or was it all some act to get her to join his club?_

**~Collecting your jar of hearts~And tearing love apart~**

_"At least Cherry knows what fucking_ gender _she is, Bee."_

 _"She's psychotic, Jet! She's going to make_ you _go crazy, too!"_

_"Sure. And then I'll find someone else. But in the meantime, I'm gonna have fun."_

**~You're gonna catch a cold~From the ice inside your soul~**

_"You're not even going to tell her the truth about what we do, are you, Jet?"_

_"No. Katara doesn't need to know, Bee."_

_"She's catching on..."_

_"But_ you _aren't gonna tell her anything."_

 _"Because if I_ did _you know she wouldn't give you the light of day."_

_"I guess so."_

**~So don't come back for me~**

_"Don't you get it, ya retard? You were Jet's right-hand. With him gone, someone had to take his place."_

**~Who do you think you are?~**

_"With_ you _gone, someone had to take_ your _place."_

**~I hear you're asking all around~**

_["Shit's goin' down tonight, Smellerbee. You in? Or out?"]_

**~If I am anywhere to be found~**

_["Help us win this, and you can be one of_ us _again."]_

**~But I have grown too strong~**

"No..." Shaking her head with doubt, Jane pulled her hand away from the door, stepping back, the crackling of salt on the sidewalk emerging from under her boots.

**~To ever fall back in your arms~**

_I don't_ want _to become one of you again. I am_ not _a Freedom Fighter. Not anymore...I need to find my_ own _freedom..._

**~And learn to live half alive~**

[Reply]  
[To: Katara]  
[sorry. i needed to go for a walk. get some air. brb.]  
[Sent: 7:34pm]

**~And now you want me one more time~**

As Jane finished her text message, the door before her swung open, causing her to jerk her head up, dropping the unlit cigarette from her lips. It plopped onto the damp sidewalk as she stared at Sneers.

"Aha! _There_ ya are, Smelly! We were startin' to get worried!"

**~And who do you think you are?~Running 'round leaving scars~**

"Well? Yoos comin' inside or what? 'S colder 'n a witch's fuggin' tit out here."

Jane's orange brows furrowed and she glared at the bartender standing in the doorway.

**~Collecting your jar of hearts~And tearing love apart~**

Picking up freshman students, recruiting them to join this cause for "freedom." Dirty money, cheap thrills, violence, reputation, street cred. That's all it really was. How many kids had gotten hurt? Had foolishly lost their virginity, or contracted something, or gotten addicted to something? All for the sake of this seemingly noble-minded group? Robin Hood and his Merry Men? The Freedom Fighters collected an army of ignorance and programmed them. And for a couple of years, Smellerbee had been their loyal robot. And they had torn her already fractured life into smaller pieces.

**~You're gonna catch a cold~From the ice inside your soul~**

Even in death, Jet was still haunting her. His ideals, his gang - tugging, pulling, yanking at her ankles, trying to drag her back into their ranks. Taking her love away from her and practically using it as bait. Even in death, Nils was still haunting her, too, her crumbled security evidence of his post-mortem grasp on her. She was scrambling to put these shards of Jane Fitzpatrick back together. The four people in the Pizza Hut across the street were helping her do that. And even with all four of them working together, she was _barely_ managing to get it done.

**~So don't come back for me~**

"No."

"Whuzzat?"

" _No._ I'm not coming in."

**~Who do you think you are?~**

"You ain't helpin' us? Whadda fuck, Smelly, ya don't-?"  
"Don't _call_ me that! Shit, Sneers, I'm not _one_ of you anymore! My name is _Jane._ Jane Fitzpatrick _._ "

"Damn, don't get yoos panties in a bunch. Whadda hell ya want, then?"

**~Dear, it took so long just to feel all right~**

Pounding fists into a mattress. Thrashing in her bed. Screams of frustration and anguish muffled by her pillow.

**~Remember how to put back the light in my eyes~**

_"C'mon, Jane. Being part of the group means being part of group hugs."_

**~I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed~**

_"Nah, it doesn't matter to me, Babe. I'm not one to judge."_

_"Rrrreally?"_

_"Nah, it's cool, Bee. What you were before doesn't matter. It's who you are_ now _that counts."_

_"You mean it, Jet? You won't have a problem with it?"_

_"Psh. 'Course not. Scout's honor."_

**~'Cause you broke all your promises~**

_"Could it hurt ya to try to act a little more like a damned_ girl _sometimes?"_

 _"Shut the hell up, Jet! You know about-"  
"Why did you even choose to _ be _one if you refuse to_ act _like one?"_

**~And now you're back~**

" _Smellerbee._ Or _Jane,_ whatevah da fuck. What didja come 'ere for?"

Jane bared her teeth at Sneers as the chubby man scratched lazily at his greasy stomach.

**~You don't get to get me back~**

"I came here to tell you to leave me the hell alone." She thrust a violent index finger into his lumpy pectoral, tugging at the collar of his shirt viciously with her other hand.

**~And who do you think you are?~Running 'round leaving scars~**

"You. Them. The Freedom Fighters. You're creeps who use kids to do your dirty work. I am _done._ Don't talk to me. Don't talk to my friends. Stay the _fuck_ out of my life."

Sneers, aghast by her violent outburst, lifted up his palms defensively.

"Wh-whatever yoos want, Sm-Sm...J-Jane."

**~Collecting your jar of hearts~And tearing love apart~**

"Johnny's the exception," she muttered, shifting a nervous gaze off to the snowy sidewalk for a second. "Anyone _else_ bothers me? Or my friends? I swear - fucking _swear_ \- **I will cut them** _._ "

**~You're gonna catch a cold~**

_"You'll always belong to_ me _, Little Cousin_ It _. Now get down."_

**~From the ice inside your soul~**

"Are we clear?"

"Y-yea, sh-sure."

"Clear as fuckin' _crystal,_ right?" Jane jerked him toward her, bumping her forehead into his own.

"Y-yoos got it."

**~So don't come back for me~**

"Good." She forcefully shoved Sneers away, bumping him into the wall beside the entrance door.

**~Don't come back at all~**

Jane turned her back to Sneers, observing the cigarette she'd dropped on the ground. She crushed it defiantly with her right boot, smearing it into the wet sidewalk.

**~And who do you think you are?~**

Jane grabbed the metal lighter from her pocket, stroking its eagle emblem with her thumb under the street lamp. Jet had made a lot of bad decisions. In that moment, Jane wasn't sure if she had ever figured out if she'd forgiven him. But it didn't matter either way. He had found his freedom, and she never would herself if she continued to let the group he'd left behind pull on her strings.

**~Running 'round leaving scars~**

Her cold fingers flicked the lighter open to observe its flame one last time. With a sharp gesture, Jane violently flung the Zippo to the concrete, still ignited. It clattered on the stone as she walked away, letting its puny flame flicker alone as Sneers stared at her back, befuddled.

**~Collecting your jar of hearts~**

Jane's boots crunched against the fresh snow on the sidewalk's edge before she crossed the relatively empty street.

**~And tearing love apart~**

_You take ignorant kids. You took_ Johnny _. You don't get to keep_ me _, fuckers._

**~You're gonna catch a cold~**

After she had hit the other end of the street, she paused in the parking lot, hands dug deep into her vest pockets - the winter vest Toph had bought her back before Thanksgiving - and she appreciated the warmth they gave.

**~From the ice inside your soul~**

She glanced back at the Treetop Pub with remorse, her heart heavy. Not everyone in that place would still be alive in the morning. Of this, she felt pretty certain.

**~Don't come back for me~**

_Piss off, Freedom Fighters._

**~Don't come back at all~**

_Never again. I'm with_ them _now._

**~Who do you think you are?~**

Jet's mangled body, dumped by the curb from the crash.

**~Who do you think you are?~**

Nils' blank, lifeless eyes, his face swollen and terrified.

**~Who do you think you are?~**

The Treetop Pub: loud, lit, and bustling with activity. Jane sighed out a cloud of vapor and shook her head, turning her attention back to the red-roofed restaurant before her. She opened her phone to observe the photograph saved on its background: five smiling faces.

[From: Katara]  
[Hun, pizza's here. You coming?]  
[Sent: 7:36pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Katara]  
[yep back in a sec]  
[Sent: 7:37pm]

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Wonderful" is from the musical Wicked. Probably my favorite musical besides Les Miserables. Expect more of it. Katara's "Broadway Musical kick" is naturally inspired by my own habits.  
> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF0o9iR21bY
> 
> "Jar of Hearts" is by Christina Perri.  
> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v_4O44sfjM


	41. Control

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 41 - Control  
_

* * *

\- Sunday, December 12th, 2010 -

"Everything...OK?"

Aang didn't reply. He merely stared out the window as an elderly man hobbled across the street while they waited for the light to change. Katara tried again.

"Aang? Hun?"

"Yea?" he murmured, still gawking out the window.

"What's up with you? Huh?" She spoke with slow, worried words, putting her foot down on the pedal as the light turned green. "You seemed...kind of depressed back there at church..."

Aang shrugged and yawned, his eyes squinting shut. He wiped sand from them and readjusted his hat.

"I thought you and Toph seemed to be doing better at dinner last night," Katara observed with a hopeful tone. "And she was _way_ less aggressive at practice, too."

"I guess," Aang complied with a single nod.

"So...I mean...What _is_ it, then?"

"It's just...I'm not sure about stuff like I was before..." That sure didn't sound optimistic...

"What...do you mean?"

"Like, with...Toph...and stuff. I don't know how to make things... _work._ "

Katara bobbed her head to the side with understanding.

"Aang...I know it's not easy," she conceded. "But a real relationship never _is._ They take a lot of commitment, and dedication." Aang nodded and sighed at this.

"Which Toph doesn't seem to have..."

"What makes you think that?"

"It's this easy for her to just...fly off the handle and become a crazy person," Aang lamented. "I didn't even do anything _wrong_ and look at how she's been acting...What if I messed something up? Something serious? _Then_ what would happen?"

"Hun, you wouldn't mess anything up like that."

"You make it sound like I'm perfect," Aang grumbled. "I screw things up sometimes, _too_..."

"I know, I didn't mean...-" Katara's compliment to Aang's character seemed to have backfired. It was rare to see him in such an actively pessimistic mood. "This is just a rough spot, Aang. It'll get better, you just have to stick with it."

"A rough spot? Katara...This is how she was when we _met._ I'm pretty sure this isn't a 'rough spot.'"

"She acted like this before because...she felt like she couldn't be herself. But she _can_ around us. Around _you._ She needs time to...figure some things out. I bet that's what it is."

"She's not the only one figuring things out," Aang grumbled.

"OK." Katara gripped the wheel tightly as they hit the open road that passed through the countryside, back to SRU's campus. "I feel like there's more to this than her acting all grouchy."

"Yea..."

"So...You gonna tell me?"

"W-well it's also...the...you know...The awkward stuff."

"The...touchy-feely stuff?"

"Doesn't exactly work out all that great with us...Not lately, anyway."

"Do you...? What, you aren't...like... _attracted..._ -?"

" _Nooo,_ no, no," Aang quickly dismissed the notion. "It's not like that. I'm...it's very... _She_...is very attractive. To me."

"I'm...missing something here, Hun. Sorry."

"It's hard to...make things _work_ ," Aang vaguely attempted to explain. "It's like...trying to draw with a pen that doesn't work?"

Katara's eyes bulged open wide with an uncomfortable expression that Aang caught, though her attention was still on the road.

"Errrr, _no!_ N-not what-!...Gosh, that...didn't come out right," Aang sheepishly insisted. "Everything... _works._ But they don't seem to...work...at the same time...?"

Katara's brows sunk downward in contemplation, her fingers drumming along the wheel.

"Like you're on different wavelengths?"

"R-right! Exactly. It's...like that."

"Mm..." Katara nodded. "Toph's...compl-...um, vented about that lately...It sounds tough."

"It _is._ I _want_ that sort of thing to go well, but...Hm. Oh, hey. I know. It's like...going swimming at a pool. I need to walk down the steps, one at a time. But Toph just jumps right in - she canonballs."

"Ah, OK. Yea."

"I need to take it slow. I feel OK waist deep, but she pulls me into the deep end, and-and then I can't swim, and I start choking, and all the chlorine, and...-"

"We _are_ talking about, like...sex. Right? And not swimming?"

"Wh-wha-? Sex?" Aang went pale and flashed his palms up defensively. "N- _no,_ we haven't even-...There's been no...being naked yet. I-I mean, she definitely has gotten her hand down in-"  
"I get it," squeaked Katara. "That's...fine!"

"Sorry..."

"Ha...No, it's OK," said Katara with an endeared chuckle. "It's just funny. It's cute how you talk about it like that."

"Huh?"

"I dunno, it just makes you sound like this innocent little kid or something. You know?"

Aang huffed and bobbed his head.

"Oh, I...That was...I meant, like...it's cute. It's...adorable."

"Right. Little lost puppy. I _know._ "

"Aang..." Katara murmured apologetically. She took a hand from the wheel to briefly massage his shoulder. "I mean it in a _good_ way. I bet Toph feels the same, she'd just never admit it."

"I'm sick of everyone saying how _cute_ I am, or...or how I'm so _perfect_ and _innocent._ "

"I don't...-? W-we say things like that because...they're _good,_ because...-" Katara sighed, needing to recollect her thoughts. "Aang. You're always acting so kind, and thoughtful. You don't give in to doing selfish things, you try to help others...And the reason we say that stuff is because...well...-" She shrugged, and a laugh came out through her nostrils. "You make it look so _easy._ It's just...part of who you are."

"How is that _good_?"

"It...it just _is._ You...I-I dunno, it's...like you just have a...really pure heart. Yea." She nodded her head to herself, concurring with her own phrasing.

"Hm." Aang took a moment to absorb this notion. "Pure heart," he repeated. "That's...funny."

"What is?"

"'Pure heart.' Those exact words - that's what me and Sokka always say about _you_."

Katara's cheeks turned pink and she shrugged.

"Sokka...says that about me?" she prodded in embarrassment, trying to sway the conversation down a different path than where it was heading.

"He does," Aang confirmed. "I appreciate that you think that way about me. I guess that...makes more sense. Usually people make fun of me about that stuff, but...I see what you're saying."

"People probably just pick on you about it because there's...not really much else. You're a...really nice guy. I mean, it's hard to think of... _bad_ stuff about you to make fun of."

"Pff..."

"I'm serious," Katara insisted with a smirk. "You make us look bad, being a gentleman all the time."

"Emphasis on the _man_."

"Emphasis on the _gentle._ "

"Aww..."

"Haha."

The pair shared grins until Aang's humor rapidly decomposed.

"But I still don't know what to do about me and Toph..."

"Hm. That _is_ tricky," Katara confessed. "You _have_ talked with her about all this, right?"

"Yea...Lotsa times..."

"And I mean, of course you love her."

"Mm-hm. I do. Really. I know she loves me, too, I just...don't know _how._ "

Katara was unsure of how to further contribute to the conversation, but Aang went on with his own idea.

"With finals happening, and...her birthday being _today..._ I mean, it's probably not a good idea to focus on this stuff right now. Ya know? I should just...leave it on the back burner. And just try to not worry."

"For now," Katara specified. "Yea. That...sounds like a good idea. For a while, at least."

Katara made to switch the radio on, but Aang reached out an arm.

"Er, I'm...not in the mood for...radio. Right now."

"Oh...Sorry. No problem."

"It's OK."

"You know, Aang...Bud...I'm the one who's supposed to do all of the worrying, remember?"

"Heh. I remember..."

"Everything will work out for the best. So for today, just focus on helping your girlfriend have a fun party."

"Yea." At least he was speaking with a bit more conviction. "Let's do it."

* * *

Jane reviewed her text messages - the ones she had recently _sent,_ anyway, because she hadn't received a single one since the night before. No word on what had happened with everything. It was disconcerting.

[To: Johnny]  
[is everythin ok?]  
[Sent: 10:34pm]

[To: Johnny]  
[r u all rite? srsly whats up?]  
[Sent: 12:09am]

[To: Cherry]  
[teh fuck is goin on? longshot wont get back to me]  
[Sent: 12:23am]

[To: Yojimbo]  
[did something happen last nite?]  
[Sent: 9:46am]

[To: Johnny]  
[ur worryin me man. lemme know ur ok!]  
[Sent: 9:54am]

[To: The Duke]  
[wtf went down last nite?]  
[Sent: 11:17am]

She checked the time: [1:25pm]

She had just finished trying to call Johnny with no luck. She needed to take her mind off of things - find a distraction. Jane wandered into Katara's bedroom, the odd songs from that musical still pouring from Katara's computer. Katara was folding freshly washed laundry and had been singing along but stopped when Jane entered.

"Heya, Jane."

"'Sup?"

"Waiting for Toph's cake to finish baking." She popped out of bed and stopped the music player.

"Oh..."

"After church, Aang and I swung by the grocery store and grabbed some stuff. He's cooking a _whole ton_ of tater tots at Aero, and I'm working on the cake - I went with carrot. That's not stereotypical, right? Toph would hate a stereotypical party. Don't you think?"

"Um...I-I guess...?"

"We're going to eat cake, and-and tater tots, and...drink root beer. Lots of root beer. And Dr. Pepper. 'Cuz you know how much she loves those..."

"Mm..." Jane shrugged, watching Katara continue to fold up her shirts.

"And we'll watch the Pirates of the Caribbean, because Toph loves the theme song, and mocking the dialogue, and doing her Jack Sparrow impersonation."

Katara seemed...pretty into this whole thing. It made Jane kind of confused. And annoyed. Her attention was redirected when Katara picked up a black tee that read: {ʇɹıɥs-ʇ puɐʇs bǝʞ ןɐıɔıɟɟo}

"Isn't that...mine?" She immediately reached out for it, causing Katara to pause.

"What?" She flipped the shirt around and snickered. "Oh, hey...It's your upside-down shirt."

"Yea...Damn, I've been looking all over for this thing...Where was it?"

Katara handed it over and tapped her curious, puckered lips twice, staring at the collection of clothes she was folding, which Jane suddenly noticed were primarily Toph's.

"I was just tidying the room up. Toph's half has been super messy...You probably just left it here at some point and it got swallowed into the Beifong Black Hole."

"Prolly..." Jane crumpled the shirt into a ball and whisked it over to her room to drop it carelessly into her dresser. "Hey, Kat," she called back inbetween rooms. "I thought you were still pissed off with her...Why are you working so hard?"

Katara's enthusiasm shed a layer to reveal nervous fidgeting.

"Wh-? I'm not...This is...I-I just want my roommate to start getting better..."

Jane narrowed her eyes and Katara smiled weakly back. Jane knew full well that Katara's words were true...but there was more to it than that.

"I know, Kat, but...Why the sudden change?"

"Argh..." Katara huffed, finishing up a pair of torn jeans and dropping them onto Toph's clothing stack. "Like I said before...helping other people helps me not worry about my _own_ problems. I really want to see Toph and Aang get better. And...I mean, poor Aang, he's trying so hard, and he doesn't know what to do..."

"Psh. Guy's got himself into a big mess," Jane agreed with some sympathy.

"I hate seeing Toph this way, but...she's choosing this. But Aang? He's not. He's caught in the crossfire. I can't stand seeing him acting all...-"  
"Depressed?"

" _Yes._ It's not like him. I thought the other day: maybe if I can help make Toph's life easier right now, she'd start getting in a better mood again, and then Aang would start feeling better, too."

"Two birds with one stone."

"Exactly. And there's certain things I can help out with that Aang can't. Like keeping the room clean. Or...or baking a cake."

"I getcha." Jane nodded. "Pff. You're a crazy girl, Kat. No way in hell I'd bust my ass so much like you do..."

"Being a good friend isn't always about...busting ass...There's different ways to help someone, you know?"

"Sure. Like cussing them out when they're being a slut," Jane joked, referring to her recent spat with Toph.

"Sometimes...some people need that," Katara honestly declared. "A slap in the face..."

"Hmph. Wish I knew what _I_ needed right now," Jane grumbled.

"What's that?" Katara wondered, having not made out Jane's muttering.

"Aw, I...just have a lot on my mind lately. That's all."

"Ah...How are things with...Johnny?"

"They're...stuck. I dunno. I kinda feel like...maybe it's just not meant to be..."

"Really?" Katara whimpered. "You think so?"

"I mean, c'mon, Kat...He doesn't wanna let go of the Freedom Fighters. And I can't be involved with them. Not ever again."

" _Oh..._ You've...decided on that?" At least the whimpering had given way to hope.

"Y-yea...'Course I did. I told 'em I never want anything to do with 'em...Ever."

"Ah...And that includes Johnny, too...Doesn't it?" Back down to mopey.

"It...-" Jane cocked her head to the side with uncertainty. "It _does._ For now, anyway...I still want to...be _sure,_ but...until I hear from him, there's no point bothering with it...Ya know?"

"Yea...You're right." Katara finished the laundry and set it inside her basket on the bed. She scooted off and gave her friend an unexpected hug, which Jane bashfully accepted.

"Guess that means I'm gonna have to start-...Pff. Fuck, I dunno...-acting like decent human being, or some shit." Jane smirked, digging her hands into her pockets.

"Heehee." Katara went to her computer. "Yea, you're going to need to turn a new life now, right?"

" _Ha._ Yeaaaaa...Dunno 'bout that one, Kat."

"Oh, don't worry." Katara flashed an embellished, sadistic grin over her shoulder. " _I can help you with that,_ " she advised with a creepy voice, clicking her mouse. Another song from that quirky musical started playing, opening with dialogue, and Katara mimicked it.

["Elphie...now that we're friends, I've decided to make you my new project."]  
She spoke with the same sweet-as-molasses tone of the frighteningly peppy witch.

["You really don't have to do that..."]  
Katara likewise acted out the rougher tone of the darker witch. Then it was back to Preppy McHappyton.

[" _I know_. That's what makes me so _nice_!"]

"Oh, _God_ ," Jane moaned, rolling her eyes. This 'nice' girl sounded barf-worthy. Katara snickered at her friend's reaction and began to sing along, pressing her palm with drama into her chest.

["~Whenever I see someone less fortunate than I~"]

"Kat, what are you...-?"

["~And let's face it: who isn't less fortunate than I?~"]

"Christ..." Jane shook her head.

["~My tender heart tends to start to bleed~"]  
Katara lifted the back of her wrist to her forehead before rushing to Jane's side and grabbing her by the shoulders.

["~And when someone needs a makeover, I simply have to take over~"]

"You're creepin' me out..."

["~I know - _I know_ \- exactly what they need~"]

" _Do_ you now?" Jane raised her brows. She had witnessed this type of behavior before - during mid-terms. Maybe the girl simply went a little nuts under pressure and needed to let her crazies out through...song and dance?

["~And even in your case~Though it's the toughest case I've yet to face~"]

Well, at least it was giving her more...singing practice, right?

["~Don't worry~"] Katara balled her fist before her face. "[~I'm determined to succeed~"]

"You're really doing this..." Jane pointed aloud, tossing her head back and chuckling.

[~Follow my lead~"]

"Seriously?"

["~And yes, indeed...you...will...be...~"]

Katara jabbed her index finger into Jane's forehead, gleefully smiling at how Jane flinched, leaning her head back.

["~Popular~You're gonna be popular~"]

She clutched Jane's wrists, planting one on a bony hip and hanging the other limply into the air.

[~"I'll teach you the proper ploys~When you talk to boys~"]

She let Jane's arms fall and swung around behind her, slapping her on her rear.

["~Little ways to flirt and flounce~"]

Jane rushed to shoo her friend away, her face lighting up, but Katara went on, wiggling an index finger about.

["~I'll show you what shoes to wear~How to fix your hair~"]  
Jane's shoulders popped up in reaction to her hair getting ruffled from behind.

["~Everything that really counts to be popular~I'll help you be popular~"]

"Are you sleep deprived, Kat?"

["~You'll hang with the right cohorts~You'll be good at sports~Know the slang you've got to know~"]

"Does that make you guys my cohorts?"

Katara wrapped an arm over the red-heads shoulder.

["~So let's start, 'cause you've got an awfully long way to go~"]

"Ouch," laughed Jane. "Not cool..."

["~Don't be offended by my frank analysis~Think of it as personality dialysis~"]

["~Now that I've chosen to be come a pal, a sister and adviser~There's nobody wiser~"]

"Have I mentioned how much you're freakin' me out?"

["~Not when it comes to popular~I know about popular~"]

[~And with an assist from met to be who you'll be~instead of dreary who-you-were...well, _are_ -"]

" _Damn,_ that's cold..."

[~"There's nothing that can stop you~from becoming popu-lerr... _-larr_ ~"]

Katara began prancing through the room, grabbing her laundry basket and bringing it to the dresser, singing all the while.

["~Laa laa~Laa laa~"]

She opening Toph's drawers and began sorting articles - shirts in one drawer, pants in another.

["~We're gonna make you pop-u-lar~"]

Jane had to pick out Katara's voice from the one in the recording, but she could tell Katara was getting better. Definitely better than she had been months back when they'd started the band.

["~When I see depressing creatures with unprepossessing features~"]

"Did you just call me a 'depressing creature?'"

["~I remind them on their own behalf to think of~"]

"Hm...Guess I _am,_ though, huh?"

["~Celebrated heads of state or specially great communicators~"]

Katara had ditched the last half of laundry sorting to dance over to Jane and playfully smack her knuckles against the freckled one's noggin.

["~Did they have brains or knowledge? - Don't make me _laugh!_ They were popular! _Please_ -"]

Katara grabbed the bee-antennae headband they'd used for Jane's Halloween costume from the top of her dresser.

["~It's all about popular~It's not about aptitude~It's the way you're viewed~"]

"Ya know, just sayin'... _You_ aren't popular, Kat. You're a nerd."

["~So it's very shrewd to be~very very popular~"]

Katara smashed the headband onto Jane's head and flicked one of the wiry antennae.

["~like me!~"]

"And a dork."

Katara sucked in a deep breath and whirled Jane around to face the mirror in their room. She pinched Jane's freckled cheeks and leaned her chin on Jane's shoulder, speaking with flamboyancy.

"Why, Miss Elphaba, look at you. You're beautiful."

She made her eyes twinkle with melodrama, and Jane's face went as red as a tomato. She bobbed her head and ripped off the bee-band. The characters in the musical spoke in this moment of tense silence.

["I-I have to go..."]  
["You're _welcome_..."]

"Hey, you _are_ ," Katara complimented, breaking out of the act for a moment, speaking over top of the dialogue. She let go of her friend and patting her on the shoulder before jumping back into character.

"Pff...Whatever," Jane murmured, her head sinking into her shoulders.

["~And though you protest your disinterest~I know clandestinely~"]

Katara swung to Jane's side and gave her a quick hug.

["~You're gonna grin and bear it~Your new found popularity~"]

"Seriously. _Dork_ ," Jane picked, attempted to recollect her composure.

["~Laa laa~Laa laa~"]

Katara joyfully jumped back to her task with the clothes.

["~You'll be popular~Just not quite as popular~as~me~"]

Her voice cracked on the last long, drawn-out note, and she giggled in spite of herself. The song concluded, Katara took a deep breath, pleased with herself.

"That was fun. Admit it."

" _Ha._ Maybe for _you,_ Miss Broadway-wannabe."

"Hee. The first time I heard that song, I thought about me and you."

"Like you're so popular..."

"Haha...Yea, I know..." Katara shrugged. "I'm totally not. But, really...admit it," she sneakily insisted. "I kinda reformed you."

"Say _whaaaa_?" Jane protested.

"You used to be all violent and mean and...and insecure...And look at you! You don't smoke, you don't get into bar fights, you don't carry a knife around everywhere...and you're doing better at your classes, and you've got that ROTC thing going, and...I mean, come _on,_ Jane. You've really cleaned up a lot this semester. Doesn't it feel... _good?_ "

Jane bit her lip, turning away. Katara's facts weren't entirely accurate, but...

"Yea. I...I _have._ And it _does._ And - OK, I admit it - that's been...a lot of because of you...There, ya happy?" She stuck out her tongue for half a second before retracting it and crossing her arms. "But, uhh...Actually, there was something I needed to tell you..."

"Oh?" In an instant, Katara was immediately concerned.

"It's...about ROTC. I...kinda dropped out..."

"What?" gasped Katara.

"It was just...too much. On top of everything else. I talked with Zhao about it - _fuck,_ was he pissed - and I...quit." She shook her head. "He was gonna kick me out, anyway...Figured I'd make things easier..."

"I don't-...But I thought that meant a lot to you..."

"It... _did,_ " Jane acknowledged. "Like...back in September. But...life has gotten so _complicated_ since then. I didn't need that shit. It's...draining. And I mean, _damn,_ like...I don't remember why I joined in the first place. You know? Like, _fuck,_ what would I be doing with myself? That's a _big_ fuckin' deal, Kat - years of your life big."

"No, no...I understand." Katara wrapped her arms around her waist wistfully, looking down. "It makes sense...I guess I'm just...sorry."

"Hey, not _your_ fault. Or your problem."

"I just don't know what to say..."

"I was getting so stressed out about that, and projects, and finals, and stuff with the Freedom Fighters..."

"What's been happening?"

"It's...nothing to do with me, really. I'm... _done._ I swear. They've just...been really hasslin' me."

"Rrgh," Katara growled. "I can't _believe_ those guys. They need to leave you alone!" Whoa. Fairly defensive outburst for Katara. Jane felt honored, in a way.

"Y-yea, they do...So I told 'em off. But...God damn, I was so on-edge from everything, I even broke down and had a cigarette yesterday."

"What? For real?"

"Y-yea..." Where was this coming from? Why was she all of a sudden spilling her guts out.

"Geez, Jane...You shouldn't...-" Katara sighed, fingers on her forehead. "That's really bad for you..."

"I _know,_ I know...I haven't had another one since, and...and it's been _weeks_."

"Yea, you're right. I'm...proud of you. I know people who've tried for years and still deal with it..."

"It's...hard," Jane confessed. "But I've...-" She glanced up at Katara and smiled. "-...got some good people around me to...help...and stuff."

"Aww, getting all sappy on me..."

"Did I say 'stuff?' I meant 'shit.' And there was supposed to be a 'fucking' somewhere in there, too."

"Heehee."

"Just been so much to deal with - and then Toph on top of it all, right?"

" _Tell_ me about it...Oh! Oh... _shoot._ Cake. Cake-cake-cake..." Katara dashed to her bed and grabbed her cell phone, checking the time. "Oh. Phew. Still have a few minutes on that..."

"Freak out much?"

"Hey, I can't mess this up. I need everything to go smoothly, you know?"

"Heh. You can be a little neurotic sometimes, Kat."

"Do...Do you really think so?" Katara mumbled sheepishly.

" _God,_ I'm just teasing you, woman! Seriously...chill out, huh?"

* * *

"Sokka, could you put this stuff over on the table there?"

"What, this?" Sokka lifted the plastic grocery bag containing plastic cups, napkins, and tableware.

"Yea, yea. Over there." Katara pointed to the table where the paper plates and soda bottles were located.

Sokka began unpackaging the contents of the bag, setting things up, while Katara placed the cake at the opposite end of the table. Appa's was moderately busy with it being dinner time, but Katara had shown up in the afternoon before the rush to reserve their spot at the flatscreen off to the side. The particular section of the restaurant was somewhat secluded, so they'd be able to enjoy their movie without disrupting others.

"All right. Aang should be coming by with Toph in a few minutes, and Jane's on her way. What about Suki?"

"Suki will be a little late, but she'll show up in the next half hour or so."

"Great."

Katara clapped her hands together, rubbing the palms with anticipation as she surveyed everything. Small bowls: Skittles and M&Ms. Large bowls: Ruffles and tortilla chips. Salsa, French Onion Dip...Extra French Onion Dip (Katara knew she'd indulge in this, so she got two containers) Some carrots and celery sticks...A mess-load of tater tots - some a bit overcooked. Silly Aang. Kethup for the tots. Two bottles of root beer, three bottles of 'The Good Doctor.' A carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, hand-crafted with love and care. Disposable plates, forks, and cups. A DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean...Everything they needed for-wait. What was this?

Katara inspected the box of glass bottles suspiciously, catching a large word bubble printed on the side.

{ **THE QUENCHIEST!** }

She picked up a bottle and examined it closely.

{ **Cactus Juice** }  
{ _It'll quench ya!_ }

The bottles were green, with odd bumps along their surfaces.

"Where'd you get this soda from?" Katara inquired.

"Haha...That ain't soda, Sis," Sokka snidely advised.

"What... _is_ it, then?" Katara came back, her demeanor sharpening.

"Uh, it's wine cooler? Duh. We've got more than enough soda."

"And...why is it _here?_ "

"Er...'Cuz...Toph asked me to bring some booze...?"

"Why would she do that?"

"'Kuuuhhzzz she's turning twenty-one?"

"She's turning _twenty_."

"Really? 'Cuz I thought...-"  
"She's twenty, Sokka. She's not legal yet." Irritation was swiftly growing in Katara's voice, but Sokka played it cool, attempting to settle her.

"Psh..." He tossed his arm. "Hasn't stopped us from drinking _before_..."

"Y-yea, maybe...in a dorm, or...or some place private, but...we're out in public, Sokka. And both Aang and Toph aren't old enough to legally drink yet."

"Oh, stop your _fussing,_ it's not a big deal."

Katara's bulbous nostrils flared up, her fists clenched at her hips.

"Not a big deal?" she snapped, struggling to keep her voice down as she closed the distance to her brother. "What if we get caught?"

"Nobody _cares_ , Katara..."

"And why'd you bring so _much_?" Katara growled, waving her arms to the other two boxes Sokka had tucked under the table.

"Err, so everyone could have more than one?"

"Urgh..." Katara pinched at the bridge of her nose, eyes shut with pent up rage. "This isn't a booze party...No booze."

"No one's making _you_ drink any," Sokka huffed. "Damn...Cool off, Sis."

"But...But this isn't...-"

"This isn't _your_ birthday," Sokka insisted.

"But...we can't afford to get in trouble if-"  
"It won't happen. _Man,_ calm down."

"I...need to go to the bathroom."

Katara had to consciously unclench her fists, unlock her teeth, and take a deep breath as she entered the public women's restroom down the hallway. She took her time, giving herself a few minutes to try and settle herself. Maybe her brother was right. By the time she'd managed to quell her emotions and return, Aang and Toph had arrived.

"It's not like Dr. Pepper is the only thing I drink," Toph muttered.

"We got Root Beer, too," Aang added.

"And I brought what ya asked for," Sokka gleefully informed, patting his fingertips together as he smirked. "That stuff I told ya about that you asked for." He lifted a bottle and kissed its surface.

"Huh?" Aang scratched his upper lip, befuddled.

"Ohhh, _yes_." Toph grinned. "Nice. We can pre-game it up and then head out to that club down town."

Katara froze in her tracks, her shoulders rising as the nostrils expanded again.

"But...Taters, you're not old enough to be drinking yet...not out at a place like... _that..._ " He clearly didn't seem too enthused by the idea, himself.

"Don't be a party-pooper, Twinkle-Toes. I bet Sokka can sneak us in. Right?"

"Errrrmm..." Sokka's blank expression turned to his sister.

"Absolutely not!" Katara proclaimed.

"Who fuckin' died and made _you_ Birthday Girl, huh?"

"It...It's illegal, Toph. And...we already set this whole party up for you, and...-"

"Yea," Aang joined in. "There's candy and chips and cake and I made _Tater_ tots for ya."

"Whaaaa...?" Toph cocked a brow. "Is _that_ what that smell is?"

"Yes, yea." Aang kissed the side of her head. "Just for you."

"Oh...I kinda...ate a lot of french fries at lunch, I'm not sure I'm much in the mood for more potatoes..."

Aang and Sokka gasped with drama, appalled.

"Dead-Eyes has a potato limit?"

"No way..."

"Meh, it happens sometimes," Toph nonchalantly tossed aside their embellished reaction. "What kinda cake is there, anyway?"

"Carrot cake," Katara piped up, attempting to keep up a cheerful tone.

Toph sighed and picked at her nose.

"Can't win 'em all. At least Sokka brought the right kinda drink."

Katara's teeth ground together, side-to-side, her hands trembling. Sokka attempted to redirect things.

"Errr, w-well, we also...have the Pirates of Caribbean to watch, sooo...we can all quote the movie and...like...make fun of it. And stuff. 'Cuz you like doin' that."

"Seriously, Sokka? Gah. I'm fucking _blind -_ hello?" She tugged at the skin below her eyes. "Why would I want to do something like _that_ when I get to decide what to do?"

"Uhh..."

"That's a _terrible_ idea. We should do what I said and go out somewhere."

"We're going out somewhere?" Jane asked, lost in the discussion as she wandered over.

"Toph wants to go out freaking... _clubbing_ ," Katara growled.

"Aw, Sugar-Queen, I'm so _sorry_ ," Toph mocked, her back facing Katara as she felt around the table, grabbing some Skittles without actually knowing what they were. "Didn't realize it was up to _you_ what we did on _my_ birthday."

"It's...it's _not,_ " Katara conceded, running her hand through her hair nervously. "But...but I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not going to go, and...and I doubt Aang will, because he knows he's not old enough yet." She glanced at him with some pleading encouragement.

Aang's face shone with embarrassment as he was placed on the spot.

"Come _on,_ you'll man up and go, won't ya?" Toph checked, crunching down on her bounty. "Fwiggin' awshum...Shkihtlshz..."

"I-I...Th-that's not really my kind thing, Toph...And Katara's right, we're not old enough..."

"Oh, for real?" Toph whimpered. "Don't fuckin' _Twinkle out_ on me on my damned birthday, man..."

"I-I'm not, I...-"

" _I'm_ not goin' out to drink," Jane tossed out her decision bluntly. "I just wanna chill."

"Figures," bemoaned Toph, reaching for more Skittles but scooping up M&M's instead. "Can't believe you guys...My own fuckin' birthday and nobody'll do what _I_ wanna do for a change..."

"Hey, Toph," Sokka jumped back in, cracking open the cap of a bottle of the drink he'd brought. "C'mon, we can go do that...some other time. We've already got food and stuff right here, and Katara made you a cake, and-"  
"Didn't _ask_ for a cake. Wouldn't have been carrot if I had..."

Steam was practically spouting out from Katara's ears as a slew of irreverent words reeled through her head, itching to spill out.

"What _is_ that stuff?" Jane wondered. Sokka tossed her a bottle. "Huh...Cactus Juice?"

"It's stronger than it looks," Sokka advised. "Here, Aang, you want some?"

"I, uh...-" Aang was forced one and stared at it with confusion, as if he didn't know what to do with it. He attempted to twist off the lid with no luck. Jane snickered and pulled out her keychain, removing the cap for him with the right tool. "Heh...Thanks...?"

"Aang, you shouldn't be drinking that," Katara warned with a pout. "And Toph shouldn't be, either," she added with distaste.

"Yo. Sweetness. Back the hell off. My boyfriend's a big kid, he can make his own decisions." Toph jammed her candy into her mouth with a stubborn expression. Her brows rearranged, perplexed due to the unexpected flavor, but she still maintained her grumpiness.

Everyone turned their attention to Katara, whose eyes were closed. The corner of her mouth twitched, her nostrils were wide, and her brows were arched down.

"Control freak," Toph added, having gulped down her chocolate.

At this, Katara promptly whirled around and left. Jane coughed, choking on her Cactus Juice. She had already downed half the bottle. Wiped her face with her sleeve, she set the bottle down on the table, let out a sound that was somewhere between a hiccup and a burp, and sighed.

"Toph, why'd you have to freak out like that?" Aang moaned.

"I know she can be kind of...well... _like_ that sometimes," Sokka admitted, sipping from his own bottle. "But ya didn't have to be so harsh on her, Dead-Eyes."

"Hmph."

" _Christ,_ Toph." Jane shook her head. "Can you _not_ be a bitch for, like, _five_ minutes? I mean... _Shit._ Really?"

"Oh, shut up, Jane," Toph huffed back. "I didn't tell her to leave, I just told her to stop acting like this is her party."

" _She's_ the one who planned this whole thing, and put all the work into it!" Jane defended. Toph, too, began drinking the desert-themed beverage with an aloof posture.

"Jane's right," agreed Aang.

"Whatever. Not my fault she _left._ Shows how much she cared about doing this for _me._ "

Jane furiously ran a finger across her eyebrow, contemplating what to do. She saw in Aang's eyes that he felt bad about what had happened and wanted to go bring Katara back, but she knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave his girlfriend to do so. Always trying to make everybody happy, that boy...

"I'll go get her..." Jane groaned, crossing her arms and heading off.

On her way out, Jane came across a perplexed Suki.

"Oh. Jane...What happened to Katara? She just, like...stormed right past me. I don't even think she knew it was me..."

"Agh. _Toph_ happened to Katara..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Again, 'Popular' is from the musical 'Wicked.'  
> youtube.com/watch?v=y_uM8bUnlGQ


	42. Past

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 42 - Past  
_

* * *

\- Sunday, December 12th, 2010 -

Where had Katara gone off to? Jane had gotten sidetracked explaining the situation to Suki - and thus preparing her for when she reached the others - that she had lost her friend. Surely Kat had headed back to her dorm room, likely to drown her frustrations in chocolate. Why couldn't Toph just tone down her bitchiness for a while? If Jane could do it, then Toph should be able to, right? Jane couldn't shake the image of Katara's fuming, pained face. This had been a packed week with lots of things to do, and Katara had wedged time into her busy schedule to arrange everything for her roommate, and had been carelessly cut down for it. Normally, Jane would've concluded that Katara simply shouldn't have bothered - in fact, that was what she had said in the first place, wasn't it? But Kat cared too much - couldn't just let Toph dig herself deeper.

As she headed into Aqua, Jane's mind rattled with ideas of how to approach the situation. Her ineptitude at comforting others with anything besides sarcasm and swearing struck her in the face like a mallet. She'd simply have to give it a try. She hit the second floor, Katara's door wide open as another song from that wizarding musical rushed out.

["~No good deed goes unpunished~No act of charity goes unresented~"]

Jane rolled her eyes at the lyrics. Was Katara being a bit melodramatic here, maybe?

["~No good deed goes unpunished~That's my new creed~"]

"Kat...Yo. Kat." She cried out through the music to Katara, who was at her desk, a closed text book in her lap as she fumed.

["~My road of good intentions led where such roads always lead~"]

"Katara," Jane repeated, grabbing her discouraged friend by the shoulder.

["~No good deed goes unpunished~"]

"C'mon, cut this shit, huh?" Jane sighed and tapped Katara's touchpad, stopping the song. "Don't let her get to you, man. She wants to be a bitch? Let her be a bitch. Don't try doing nice stuff for her, then."

Katara's flared nostrils and sunken eyebrows glared at her friend, her arms crossed over her waist.

"This is the part where you say 'I told you so,' right?" she pouted.

"Heh..." Jane shrugged sheepishly. "Probably with a 'fucking' or a 'bullshit' in there somewhere, but...Yea." Jane belched and pounded her chest. Probably shouldn't have drunken that stuff so fast...It wasn't settling well. Probably should've eaten something...

"I should've seen this coming," Katara growled. She shoved her textbook off of her lap and it thudded to the floor. "I can't believe I wasted all afternoon on her...Such a spoiled brat...So full of herself..." Katara pushed past Jane and fell onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling while her eyes swelled up.

Crap. She was about to have a breakdown, wasn't she? Jane was absolutely baffled as to what to do about that prospect.

"So...So stop _worrying_ about her, Kat..." She made to sit beside her friend. "Forget about her for now."

Katara rose to give Jane space, sitting cross legged, face in half buried in her palms.

"Why does everyone act like that's so _easy_?" she moaned. "What? Is there some...some _switch_ that...that people can just turn _off_ and stop caring?"

"Ermm..."

"'Cuz if there is then mine's freakin' busted. OK? And...and she's my roommate, I have to live with her. And share the same space, and...and...it always gets so awkward now when she's around...Urgh. I can't _take_ this junk anymore...I...should've spent today studying, not...not baking a freakin' _cake_ that no one cares about... _Ctch..._ " Katara choked out a sniffle and a tear rolled down her cheek.

This was about more than a cake, clearly.

"It took so long to get there," Katara groaned. "At first...I-I never thought she'd ever...get along with me."

"Um...Y-yea, Toph can be...-" Jane trailed off, shaking her head.

"So I worked _so freaking hard._ To try to understand her, to relate with her...to...to show her that I cared - because I do, I _really_ do - and...when I offered to be her roommate, and she said _yes,_ I was... _so_ excited. You know?" Jane nodded hurriedly, simply letting Katara dump words out. She couldn't really connect, exactly, but...it seemed like what Katara needed to do at the moment, through her shaky breathing and occasional sniffles. "And...and then when you started hanging out with us, I just _knew_ you two would... _agh..._ would get along. And now? You just argue. And...now that's all _I_ do with her, too...And she's being so... _urrgggh..._ so insensitive to Aang. It makes me wanna just...-" Her fist clenched up and she ground her teeth together before releasing it and letting out another sob.

Geez. Katara sure... _cared._ A lot. Maybe...a bit more than she should...if it got her like this.

"And then _Sokka_ ," Katara went on. "I can't _believe_ him...Just...all acting like... _rrrgh._ " Jane didn't understand what that comment was about, but...well...Sokka _could_ be himself. That was all she felt she needed to know. The feeling was probably mutual. Perhaps he'd said something dumb before she'd shown up, in this particular case. She knew she could sometimes have the same effect. "There's just been...so much... _soooo_ much...-"

"Shit going on."

"Y-yes! Exactly!"

"You can say it, Kat," Jane picked, patting Katara on the shoulder with a robotic nervousness. She tried to keep her cool and carry through with this 'being supporting' business. "Let it out."

"Huh?"

"Ya don't gotta impress _me,_ Sugar-Queen. Psh. Just...say exactly what you feel like saying."

Katara snorted out a sigh through her nose - Jane could never get over what a funny, bulbous nose it was - and inhaled deeply, then spewed out a bunch of words, pushing through verbal constipation.

"Stupid-bitching-ass...fucking-whore- _graaahhh_...cunt! _Bleehhh._ " She slapped her hands over her eyes and puffed out a gust of air, cheeks burning.

" _Woooow,_ hey, way to go, there," Jane encouraged, knuckling Katara's side. Katara dropped a pale giggle.

"You're a bad influence," Katara joked in a whimper.

"Bet your ass I am. And a-...What was it Sokka called me yesterday? A 'ruffian?' Yea. I'm a hell-raising ruffian. You watch yourself, Kat, I'll turn you to the dark side."

"Tch...Th-they have cookies," Katara attempted to add in jest, still coping with sniffles. Something unhinged, and suddenly Katara arms were wrapped tight around Jane's waist, her face buried into a bony shoulder as water trickled from her eyes and she sobbed a few times. Jane's entire face was on fire, and she squirmed her arms out, holding them in the air for a moment, perplexed. Eventually she gently set them around her friend.

'A shoulder to cry on.' This was a phrase Jane had heard before, but never knew first hand what it felt like. No one really ever came to her with their problems unless their problems were _with_ her.

"UmMmMm...Ih-it's...OK," she mumbled out shakily, her heartbeat climbing at the physical proximity.

"Sometimes..." Katara coughed out. "Lately, sometimes I worry if...I'm just a witch waiting to turn 'wicked.'"

" _Huh_?"

Katara took a clearing breath, still attached to her red-headed friend.

"Like I care about stuff so much that...that I'll go crazy or something..."

Where was this coming from?

"Crazy?"

"Yea...like...something will snap. And I'll just...freak out."

"Er...uh...N-no, Kat...Th-that's...not like you..."

"That's why it worries me," Katara bemoaned.

"L-listen, you're...you're not making any sense."

"I _know,_ I'm sorry..."

"N-no, it's...OK. It's _fine_ , I...erm..."

"Oh." Katara removed herself from Jane's body and ran her eyes over her sleeves, then dabbed at her face with her palms. "Geez, Jane, I...didn't mean to make you feel awkward..."

"Heh, noooo, no...It's...OK. And stuff. I don't...mind. Just...I dunno how to help ya..."

"You did," Katara assured.

"Sooo...We gonna head back to the party?"

"Um...In a bit..." Katara dug into her eyes, wiping out gunk from them.

* * *

["~The rum is gone~The rum is gone~"]  
["~Why is the rum gone?~Why is the rum gone?~"]

"Seriously?" Katara sighed as they re-entered the party to see the group dazedly singing along to nonsensical YouTube remixes on Aang's laptop. If there was one playing, there had been some before, and there would some after - of that, Katara was certain.

Katara paused the video, which was easy given how everyone's attention was scattered, and took a deep breath.

"Awwww, heeeyyyy," Sokka growled out, stabbing a finger at his sister.

"Fuggin-whatzit?" said Toph irritably, sprawled across Aang's lap. "Who turned it off?"

"Are you _all_ drinking that stuff?" Katara muttered sheepishly.

"Gaaahh, it's Sugar-Tits," Toph dismissed.

" _Excuse_ me?" Katara burst out.

"Chill _out,_ Katara. Everybody's having some. It's better than I thought it'd be," Suki observed, taking a small sip.

"I tried one," Aang pointed out, his face pink as he tapped at an empty bottle.

"Stuff's gooood," Toph decided. "Even...even _yooood_ like it, Sweetness."

Katara cocked a brow at Sokka, who certainly looked groggy.

"How many have _you_ had?" she whispered to her brother accusingly as Jane greeted the others.

"Ahpffff..." Sokka tossed his hand out limply. "Four..."

"So you're on your fifth," Katara observed the half empty bottle in his other hand.

"Guess soooo."

It seemed Sokka was right in saying the stuff was more potent than it seemed.

"Why are you getting...drunk?" Katara demanded quietly, pulling Sokka aside.

"Rrmmm...'Cuz it's a perty n' I feld lieggit?"

"What...-?" Katara glared at him disapprovingly. "But what about...-? I thought you said you were never going to get drunk again..."

"Say _whuuuuhhh?_ Whyyyy wood I say thit?" he spurted out hastily, his head flopping left and right.

Katara's eyes bulged wide and she grabbed him by the cheeks, forcing their faces close together.

"Because of _Yue_?" she advised sharply.

"Pbbblll..." Sokka spat out his tongue in what equated to a sigh. "Why'd ya gotta...goan say _thaaaattt..._?" He lazily pushed her arms away. "Tawffff wuzz right, yerr such a pooper..."

"A party pooper?" Katara grumbled back. "I'm not a-...I _set up_ this party..."

"Hehehe...Budeye _made_ it a partee," Sokka slyly countered, winking at her.

"Is everything OK?" Suki keenly wondered from behind her boyfriend's back.

"'S all gooood," Sokka assured. "My lil' sis iz juss bean fussee..."

"Sokka," Katara called back, extending an arm that went ignored.

"Sheez so _meeeennn_ ," cried out Sokka in woe, clutching his chest dramatically.

"How's that?" Suki snickered.

"Saynn I'm not supohsta git drunk 'cuz o' my _ex_."

"Huh?" Suki's not-so-inebriated eyes shifted with suspicion to Katara.

"He...-" Katara pointed her hands at her brother as he sat down at the chair before his computer. "He said he was never going to get drunk again because of...-"

"Katara," Suki snipped while Toph and Aang exploded with laughter behind her. "That's in the past. You have to let stuff go."

"But...I didn't-... _He's_ the one who said...-"  
"So let _him_ make his own decisions."

" _Yeaaa_ ," Sokka played all offended. " _Geeezzz._ "

"How is acting all careless going to honor her memory? If she could see you right now, how would she feel?"

Sokka frowned at his sister's bitter words.

"She's _not_ here," Suki snapped. "And if she _was,_ she'd want him to be happy."

The two girls exchanged a rare moment of social tension. Katara was feeling rather overloaded by how much of that was happening today. The thought crossed her mind in that moment that it was of her own design - albeit unintentionally. That perhaps she really was being a control freak and caring too much about other people's business.

"I guess," she conceded to her brother's girlfriend with sigh, running her hand across her head.

"Try to calm down," Suki advised, dropping her guard down. "Everyone just wants to have some fun. We're almost done with the semester. Take a _load off_ or something..."

"Hey, yeeaa, yerr puttin' evreebuddy on _edjuh,_ " Sokka added in his two cents.

"Fine, fine, OK," Katara gave in with a shrug. "You're right, I'm sorry," she hastily apologized, simply wanting to be done with the matter. What was Sokka's problem? Yue died in an accident because of a drunk driver. She knew he'd decided he'd never get drunk again. If she recalled, he had originally intended to just not drink at all. For whatever reason, this semester had marked his gradually getting over that, apparently. It bothered her. She hadn't seen him like this in...she couldn't remember how long. It was before Yue's death, that was for sure. How could he just drop it like that?

"Have a drink, Katara," Suki recommended, noticing her standing awkwardly with a pensive look about her.

Maybe she _was_ taking things too seriously. Toph's incessant cries of 'control freak' rung through her ears.

"Yea..." Katara walked past them to the table full of food. She could certainly tell that a lot of it had been consumed - which was good - though the sodas were hardly touched. She twisted open a barely tapped bottle of Dr. Pepper and poured himself a cup. As she dug into the french onion dip, she observed Toph slobbering all over Aang's neck as he exerted an expression that seemed both disgusted and humored. Jane was thrusting up a fist and cheering this action on, but Katara's brows furrowed a bit at the sight. She couldn't tell if Aang was actually enjoying himself, or...-

"Wooditt kill ya to _smyyyyilll?_ " said Sokka, bumping his elbow into her arm. She winced as the impact caused soda to fly from her cup and splash onto the floor, some getting on her white sneakers. Lovely.

" _Sokka!_ " she groaned, moving away from him and setting her cup down. Her hand was already starting to get sticky from dried soda, and she grabbed some napkins to clean up the mess.

"Don't party too hard over there, Babe," Suki scolded Sokka with a chuckle.

_Why, exactly, did I come back here, again?_

As the voice clips of Jack Sparrow came back, repeating in the background, this question became quickly inflated in Katara's mind.

"Hey, you a'ight?"

Katara was stirred from her thoughts as she dunked soaked napkins into the trash.

"Oh, um...-" She shrugged at Jane's oddly concerned face. It was weird, seeing her going out of her way to express worry, but something Katara was altogether happy to see, regardless. "Heh, my brother kinda...-"

"Yea, I saw," Jane chuckled. "You oughtta go clean up."

"Right..." Katara was half-expecting Jane to follow her, but that didn't happen as she wandered alone to the bathroom once again. As she rinsed her sticky hands, she contemplated her reflection: bags under her eyes - slightly bloodshot eyes, at that - strands of hair poking out every which way...

Everyone seemed to be having a merry old time without her. In fact, all she seemed to be doing was 'party-pooping' things up...

She took a deep breath, buttoning up the winter coat she had never bothered to take off, and slipped out of the bathroom, heading outside. Once outside, she sought refuge beneath an oak tree next to The Ring's sidewalk. It was evening, the air bitter, but the lack of wind made it tolerable. She pulled out her phone and dialed a shortcut key.

[Calling...]  
[ **Dad** ]

Her nose began to run a bit as she waited for an answer. She dabbed at it with her gloved wrist.

["Hey, Kiddo. What's up?"]

"Hey, Dad..." Just the sound of his voice offered her some relief, like the smell of hot cocoa after a walk in the snow. "I...just wanted to say 'hi.'"

["Haha, well... _Hi_ , there, Sweetheart. How are things going?"]

"Tch. Y-yea, they're...I mean...Things are so crazy right now, with finals week starting tomorrow..."

["You prepared?"]

"Heh...Of course...I always am, right?"

["That's my girl. What about your brother?"]

Katara's nose wrinkled with irritation as her mind jumped immediately to Sokka's stupored state.

"He's...You know...I'm sure he's on top of things, too..."

["You're probably right. I bet Suki's keeping him in line, too."]

Katara didn't agree with that idea in that moment, but kept such doubts to herself, sniffling and wiping at her nostrils.

["You all right, Katara?"]

" _Yea,_ yea...Little cold out, that's all."

["What are you doing outside this late?"]  
[ _Beep._ ]  
[ **1** New Text Message.]

"Oh, it's...I needed to get some air..."

["Sounds like you need some air that's a bit warmer."]

"Mm..." Katara's face began to melt, water beginning to distort her vision. There was no foreseeable cause, it was just trickling out, like it had back at the dorm with Jane. "I miss you," she choked out.

["I miss you, too."]

"I miss _Mom_."

Katara didn't know where the words had come from. They had just slipped out, a natural followup to the previous statement, it seemed.

["I know. So do I,"] Hakoda replied with a somber tone.

"I'm...having a crappy day," Katara whimpered.

["I figured. I'm sorry, Kiddo."]

"Not your fault..."

["Just another week, right? A week from now you'll already be here."]

"Yea...That'll be nice..."

["Your grandma's even going to make it out this year."]

"Neat," Katara half-heartedly mumbled. "It's been a while..." Her last memory of old Gran-Gran wasn't a pleasant one, but optimism couldn't hurt. Gran-Gran lived over in Nova Scotia and seemed somewhat stubborn when it came to making the trip for holidays. The last time they'd seen her was for Thanksgiving the year prior.

["Oh, and I'm really trying to get your cousin to finally show up."]

"Korra?"

["Yea. have a good feeling about this year."]

It had been even longer since Korra had shown up for a family get-together, but then they had caught up with her in Toronto over the summer, at least.

"Oh, wow...That sounds great, Dad. Rounding everyone up...huh?"

["You guys are, too, aren't you? Bringing the whole pack along again, right?"]

"Oh...R-right, yea..." Assuming all of them were still interested in coming, which Katara felt less than certain about.

["Great. It'll be a full house!"]

"It...Yea...It sure will..." Another heavy sniffle.

["You should get inside, Sweetheart. Don't need to be getting sick right before finals."]

"You're right..." Katara pushed off of the tree, retracing her footsteps in the snow back to the ACC. "I love you, Dad. Can't wait to see you."

["Love you, too, Katara. Good luck."]

"Thanks...Bye."

["Good night."]

[From: Jane]  
[yo wherd u go kat?]  
[Sent: 9:46pm]

Katara tucked her phone into her coat pocket and glanced up at the clear night sky, soaking in a moment of tranquility.

[Reply]  
[To: Jane]  
[Sorry, Hun. I'm exhausted. I'm heading off to bed.]  
[Sent: 9:48pm]

* * *

\- Monday, December 13th, 2010 -

Katara's sleep was disturbed by the sound of Aang belting out a goofy laugh from outside her door. She could hear Toph's muffled voice scold him.

" _Shhh!_ God," she snickered, trying to contain herself. "I dun wanna...fuggin' waygup Mizz _Fuzzybrichez_."

"Oh. _Ohhhh_ , yea," Aang slowly agreed. "Yea, that's...no good. We don't...wanna wake her up."

The room was pitch black, aside from a crack of light that filtered under the door from the hall. Katara wiped saliva from her lips and groggily glanced at her clock: [ **2:17am** ] What the hell had they been doing all this time?

"'Kay-'kay. Nite."

The door creaked open and Katara caught a glimpse of their silhouettes. Toph was pushing Aang away, who seemed to be leaning in to kiss her.

"No goodnight kiss?" Aang mumbled with disappointment.

"Gotta gohduh bed, Twinx..."

"OK..."

"Goonite."

"Good night."

The room plunged into complete darkness again as Toph closed the door behind her and shuffled her way through the bedroom. A small thumping sound was followed by a grumbling of "Fuggit," as Toph likely bumped her toes into something. She collapsed into her bed while Katara lamented the experience she'd just witnessed in her half-asleep stupor. She slipped back into slumber, but was reawakened by Toph's snoring across the room. She groaned, burying her face under her blanket. She had a final the following day. Whether or not she had prepared enough, she couldn't say, which was why she intended to wake up early and cram in some more studying.

* * *

Jane awoke with her head throbbing and her elbow sore. As she crawled out of bed she realized that her left knee seemed pretty tender, as well. As she got changed from the jeans she'd worn the day prior to her camouflage cargo pants, she observed a nice bruise on said knee. How she had acquired this, she couldn't recall. She groaned in spite of her actions the night before and fumbled through her desk drawer for her hormone medications. Had she remembered to take them yesterday? Fuck...probably not.

She downed them with a glass of water, then went back to the bathroom sink and filled another glass to guzzle down. A bit metallic, but water was still water, and she clearly needed it with this hangover. She checked her phone, only to see that there were no new messages. That meant she _still_ had not heard a word from any of the Freedom Fighters.

It was Monday - the first day of Finals week - which meant that everyone was busy. Not her, though. She didn't have any finals until Tuesday. Perhaps a brief trip to downtown was in order to try and get some clarification on some things...

The ride down was a therapeutic affair set to the tune of an AC/DC disc that had been sitting in a jewel case in her glove compartment. And why the hell did they call them that, anyway? No one ever put _gloves_ in them...

Jane rustled up some change from where she stored coins in a drink holder below the radio to buy a peanut donut for breakfast while she stopped by a station to add some gas to her car. She only had a few bucks left on her card, so she couldn't even fill the damned thing up...After having stalled her inevitable visit, she swung by the Treetop Pub. It was closed, which was odd, given that it was open every afternoon. Finishing off her donut, Jane checked the time to be sure: [ **1:23pm** ]. Yea, it definitely should've been open, but it wasn't. This added to her nervous disposition.

[Calling...]  
[ **Sneers** ]  
["~~~...I'm sorry; the number you have reached is not in service, or temporarily disconnected. Please-"]  
 _Click._

Jane took a deep breath, opting to hide her phone away once again. She _could_ try calling more people...but doing so could lead to her only feeling more anxious. What the hell could have happened? Grah. Other things. She needed other things to do for now. She hopped back in the car, drowning her concerns away in "Highway to Hell." Parking back on the main campus lot, she dipped back into her change well. There happened to be enough for a cup of coffee.

Jane exited the car, a bitter winter wind sending a chill down her spine, and crossed salted sidewalks to reach the Jasmine Dragon. Acoustic Christmas melodies trickled through the place, which managed to win Jane over despite her normal distaste in the holiday spirit. There wasn't a line at all, at least - probably because everyone was either taking a test or studying for a one. About five students peppered the place, each one surveying a notebook or textbook of some kind.

"Why, hello there!" greeted the peppy woman at the counter. Her eyes were a very pale, dull brown, and yet their expressiveness made them pop out like jewels. "How may I help you?" she offered with a cheer that creeped Jane out. Maybe instead of jewels they were more like sequins.

"Uh...Erm...I-I just want a cup of coffee..."

"What size will that be?" The girl tapped some buttons on her register.

Jane fiddled with her change, her eyes wandering to the girl's bosoms, accented by a rather tight sweatshirt.

"Laaahhrge?" She quickly looked up at the prices and squinted, re-averting her eyes to her coins. " _Small!_ I mean...small."

"Heehee, gotta make sure you've got enough change there, huh?" picked the girl, hands on her hips.

"Heh, y-yea, kinda scrounged this up and needed a caffeine fix...Ya know?"

"I sure do. Small coffee? That'll be $1.50, Miss."

"Yup..." Jane handed over the proper amount in exact change, noticing the girl's name tag: {Ty-Lee} with a little heart drawn next to it in marker. Ulgh.

"Thanks!" The girl rang up the order and merrily handed Jane an empty cup. "There ya go~"

"Mm."

"Have a nice day!"

Jane wandered off to the side where the coffee containers sat. A rather odd girl, that one. But with looks like that, she probably didn't have any problems with the guys. A small splinter in Jane's insides pricked at her with jealousy. She filled up with hazelnut-flavored coffee, added a bit of sugar and some milk to cool it down, and plopped down at an empty table while a guitar gently played "Little Drummer Boy" in the background. She noticed a fresh copy of the school's newspaper sitting before her and decided to scoop it up.

{ **The White Lotus** }  
{Monday, December 13th, 2010}

And there it was, right on the front page: a photo of Sneers, in handcuffs, being put into a police car.

{ _Local Bar Shut Down_ }  
{by Ginnie Ackland}

Oh, right. Jane's roommate wrote this: Jin. The girl was hardly ever around, and it wasn't any wonder with how much work she seemed to put into the paper.

{Late last Saturday night, authorities received multiple notices concerning a disturbance that broke out at a local bar: the Treetop Pub. Upon arriving at the scene, the police had to quell a dispute involving a couple dozen individuals - possibly more. Witnesses in the neighborhood claim that shots were fired and paramedics had to be brought on location to hospitalize three individuals. At this time, no casualties have occurred. The manager of the bar, a young man in his late 30's, tried to flee the scene and was arrested while resisting police. The man's identity is still unknown at this time, and he refused to cooperate with authorities in shedding light on the matter. Allegedly, the disturbance broke out due to a conflict regarding a drug cartel that used the pub as a base of operation and a local rival gang. Authorities would not confirm or deny this, and we were told that further investigation would need to be conducted in order to clarify the situation.}

{With its manager behind bars, the owner of the building - who claims to have no involvement or knowledge of any illegal activities - has shut down the pub for the time being. When asked about what transpired Saturday evening the theorized cause...-}

Jane set the paper down, her brain aching. She slurped down some coffee and flipped the paper over to its backside, where a sudoku puzzle rested. Well, she'd found the answers she'd been hoping for...Most of them, anyway. One rather large concern still hung in her mind, but she decided it would have to wait. She wouldn't let its mystery concern her with finals going on.

* * *

"~Have a holly jolly Christmas~And in case you didn't hear~"

Mai sighed, her hands unsteady as her roommate's sing-along continued. The marathon of caroling was making her project fairly difficult to complete.

"~Oh, by golly, have a holly jolly Christmas~this year~"

"Lee?" Mai moaned, trying to cut through the saccharine tune.

"Oh?" Ty-Lee peeped, muting her computer. "What's up, Mai?" Ever oblivious, as always. Silly goose.

"I was just...wondering if maybe you could put on headphones while you...listen to that." She layered her words with a sympathy and careful tone often reserved for Ty-Lee.

"Oh..." Ty-Lee's expression withered a bit. "I'm...annoying you. Huh?"

"It's not _you,_ Lee," Mai assured with a small smile. "It's...that I need to get this project done, and...the music is kind of distracting."

"Uh-huh." Ty-Lee nodded her head in understanding. "Gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bug you."

"It's OK, really. If I could just get some silence for a while and finish this, then you can...-" She waved her pencil in the air vaguely. "-...holly jolly all you want."

"Would I even be able to get _you_ to join in? Huh? Miss Creepy-Crawler?"

" _Maybe_ ," Mai chuckled.

"Yay." Ty-Lee grinned, plugging in earbuds and flashing Mai a thumbs up as she resumed her listening. Mai smirked in reply and went back to her work, only to notice her cell phone was lit up.

[From: Zuko]  
[Hey. How is everything going?]  
[Sent: 6:23pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Zuko]  
[Good. I'm finishing up my anatomy project. You?]  
[Sent: 6:35pm]

[From: Zuko]  
[Both exams went well. I'm sure I aced them.]  
[Sent: 6:36pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Zuko]  
[That's great. :) I'll see you tomorrow for lunch?]  
[Sent: 6:37pm]

[From: Zuko]  
[Sure thing.]  
[Sent: 6:40pm]

A half hour passed, and Mai finished up her work. Ty-Lee had gotten involved in another of her music video binges, and a glance over the shoulder confirmed that today's topic was "True Blood." Bleh. Mai decided that later she'd pull her misguided friend aside to watch more "Lie to Me," their current mutual show-of-choice. It could be difficult, finding something that they both could follow, but every semester one of them managed to come up with something. Before Mai could redirect Ty-Lee's attention, she got another message.

[From: Aang]  
[would you guys be intrsted in goin to see the girls band wednsday night?]  
[Sent: 7:13pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[You mean the band your friends are in, right? When and where?]  
[Sent: 7:13pm]

[From: Aang]  
[thats the one! its at the fire cave at 8!]  
[Sent: 7:14pm]

"Hey, Ty-Lee..."

"Yehssss~?" Ty-Lee slowly spun in her wheeled desk chair.

"You heard of the Fire Cave?"

" _Hmmm!_ " Ty-Lee tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That's the concert bar downtown, I think. Yea, _yea._ " She nodded to herself, her eyes lighting up. "One of my exes took me there once."

"Well, my friend wants to know if we'd be up for going there Wednesday night."

"Totally! Obviously! Certainly!"

"Indubitably," Mai gruffly concluded in jest.

"Ghee-hee."

"So, you done looking up that silly vampire nonsense."

"Heeyyyy," Ty-Lee whimpered. "Vampires are sexy."

"Not _those_ ones..."

The two shot playful dagger glares before Mai suggested, "How about more 'Lie to Me?'"

"Yessss."

Mai's phone went off before Ty-Lee could load it up.

[Call from...]  
[ **Mother** ]

"Lee, I should take this - it's my Mom."

"'Kay-'kay. I'll let it _loooaaddd._ "

"I'll be back in a minute."

"Tell her I said hi!"

Mai whisked her way out of their room and pass through the hall of the third floor of Terra house, retreating to the empty lounge area.

"Hi, Mom."

["Hello, Dear. I just wanted to call and check in. I know things must be busy right now."]

"That's an understatement..."

["But is everything well?"]

"Yea, it's...fine. It's good."

["And how is Zuko?"]

"He, ehm...He's doing better. He seems...not stressed out at all. Which is... _good._ Just...weird, with how busy it is."

["That's nice to hear. It must be a relief."]

"It is."

["Did you ladies get our package?"]

"Oh! Yea! I'm...sorry, I forgot to...thank you guys."

["No need."]

"The gingerbread was great, Ty-Lee loved it."

["Wonderful."]

"She says 'hi,' by the way."

["Oh, that girl is just a little ray of sunshine."]

"Ha. That's an understatement, too..." Mother and daughter shared a laugh. Mai could make out a small babbling in the background.

[" _Yes,_ it's Big Sister,"] Mother explained to the voice.

"Can I speak with him?"

["Of course, Dear. Tom-Tom, Big Sister wants to say 'hi.'"]

The tiny voice of Mai's baby brother greeted her.

["May-May."]

"Tom-Tom."

[" _May-_ May."]

" _Tom-_ Tom."

["Yoooo...Yoo come?"]

"What's that, Little Guy?"

["Yoooo... _come._ Now. Peez?"]

"Aww...Haha. I can't come yet, Guy. This weekend."

["Come, May-May."]

"I _will,_ Tom-Tom," Mai assured, a smile crawling over her face. "Just a few more days, OK?"

["...Moh dayz. OK?"]

"Yes, just a few more."

["Moh dayyzz. Yooo come?"]

"I sure will. I can't wait to see you. I love you, Buddy."

["Yoo luv too. May-May, yoo luv too."]

"Heh. I'll see you soon. Give the phone back to Mom, Little Guy."

["Mommie. May-May fone."]

["He's become quite the talker lately, hasn't he?"]

"No _kidding._ Wow. It's so crazy..." Mai briefly lamented how she couldn't be present to watch her only sibling grow, but it made her time spent with him that much more valuable.

["He's becoming a sneaky little fox, that's for sure."]

"I believe it."

["Just like _you_ when you were his age."]

"At least you have experience to work with this time, right?"

["We sure do."]

"OK. Well...I should probably get going...but I'll see you on Thursday."

["All right, Dear. I love you."]

"You, too."

Conversations like that made Mai wonder why things with her family seemed to be better now that she wasn't living with them. It was hard to complain, of course. She figured she probably had not been the easiest child to raise, at that, and things seemed better now, anyway. She took solace in the prospect of spending break with her toddler brother and her family as she re-entered her dorm room.

"My mom says 'hi' back."

"Cool, cool."

"Ready to watch this show now?"

"Do it to it!"

* * *

[Boomerang Blog: Back At Ya!]

[ **December Sucks** ]  
[Posted on _December 13th, 2010 at 11:43pm_ ]  
[by **Noble Sir Kesuk Esquire** ]

[So remember how a while back I was campaigning against alcohol and vowed how I'd never ever ever get drunk. Soooo...I guess I lied. _ I drank an ass-ton last night. And I feel like...a ton of ass.]

[This month marks the two-year anniversary of the day someone important to me died in a car accident due to a drunk driver. This December has been easier than the last one, for sure, but you can never forget that kind of thing. Over the past few months I've been trying to learn to let go of all of the... _junk_...that's been holding me back because of that whole thing. I lost my mother when I was young, too, and I'm at peace with that, but this still bothers me for some reason. I think it's just that I need more time. Sometimes that's the only thing that can fix this stuff, but sometimes you need more than just time.]

[My girlfriend has been helping me learn to let go of stuff and just let the past be the past. I think she's right. I'm never going to be able to get over this until it stops holding onto me. On the other hand...my sister called me out on drinking last night because of how I said I'd never get drunk again. That I wasn't 'honoring the memory' of the person who died. Maybe she's right, too. What's the point in making vows if you don't follow through on them? I don't want to be irresponsible and end up doing something stupid and getting someone hurt. Hell, I do enough stupid stuff when I'm _not_ under the influence!]

[But drinking is so much fun. Don't get me wrong, I don't drink just to run away from my problems, I only drink in company. Then everyone's on the same level of stupidness and things get interesting. ;D ]

[I guess I'm just rambling. I don't really know what to do. I just know that I hate December because I have to worry about projects and papers and finals and being reminded of people I've lost. It's just a big festival of _suck._ ]

[Sometimes, when my sister gets upset about stuff that's happened in the past, it really seems to hold her back. She has a lot of trouble letting go. I can't be like that. I love her to death, but we'd both be better off if we leave the past where it is. I feel like it'd be more dishonorable to live in a cycle of guilt than to try and learn from what we've lost and appreciate what we have and embrace it. Seriously: if I died tomorrow, I'd want people to go on living, and being silly, and doing what made them feel good.]

[Edit - _December 14th at 12:21am_ ]  
[Went outside to think on this. Clear skies. First quarter moon tonight. Freakin' gorgeous. Cried like a damned man-baby. FML.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: "No Good Deed" from "Wicked."  
> http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I8pneJkxBY


	43. Escape

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 43 - Escape  
_

* * *

\- Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 -

"Man, I don't wanna hear the fuckin' excuses, Toph," Jane scoffed.

"What's it matter to _you_ if Sugar-Queen gets her panties in a knot, anyway?"

"She put a lot of work into getting everything set up for you on Sunday, and you just pissed on her for it."

"Big deal. I didn't ask her to do anything."

"Doesn't make you any less of a bitch for blowing her off."

"I didn't _blow her off,_ Shamrocks, I fuckin' told her to _chill out._ She was gettin' all control-freaky on everybody."

Jane sighed at Toph's stubborn stance on the matter. She was wasting her time trying to get the girl to see the error of her ways.

"Grugh...Whatever," she dropped it. "Do you know where she _went_?"

"How the hell would _I_ know? Like we share schedules?"

"You're _roommates._ "

"It's _finals week._ Get off my back. Christ. They invented _phones_ for this."

Jane couldn't deny her own ignorance. She probably should have been smarter and tried calling rather than asking for Toph's aid.

"We done?" Toph barked after a moment of silence while Jane dug into her pockets.

"Yea..." Jane ignored the sounds of piano flowing into her back while she exited the room, shutting the door with some defiance. She dialed Katara number, and was immediately sent to voicemail.

["Hey, it's Katara. I must be busy at the moment, but I'm sure I'd love to talk with you. Leave me a message and I promise I'll get back."]

[~ _Beep!_ ~]

"Um...Hey, Kat, it's Jane. I was just, uh...checkin' in, seein' how you were doing. I'm about to head out to my final. Are you sure we wanna go to that recital tonight? I mean...it's not like Toph will _know_ either way..." Jane's words dribbled out before she could stop them from coming - she knew Katara was still going to go, regardless. Why this was, Jane couldn't comprehend. "Um, so...I'm just saying, is all. Anyway, so...Yea. Good luck with...stuff...today. Gimme a call when you're done. All right. Bye."  
 _Click._

Jane spent a few minutes cramming for her test and bolted out across campus. She ate lunch alone - everyone else seemed to be occupied, as it was - trying to memorize various aspects of Buddhism theology while she fed. World Religion was _not_ a course she much preferred, and thus she had stalled taking the mandatory class until now. That's what she got for attending a liberal arts college, anyway. Aang had raved about what a stupendous course it was, but Jane had to concede that such things were _not_ common ground they shared. And then, at a moment she least expected, they appeared.

"Smellerbee?"  
"Oh, hey, it's her!"

Wide-eyed, she looked up from her scribbled notes to see two familiar, somewhat nervous-looking freshman gawking at her from the side of her small table.

"The hell...?" she whispered in awe. "Wh-...? Guys, is everything...-?" Her question slowed as she watched their faces go pale.

"Can't _talk_ about _that_ , remember?" Pipsqueak insisted through grit teeth, trying to play chill and failing.

"Huh?" Jane was baffled. "Guys, I'm not _part of that_ , remember?"

"Ohhhh..."  
"Oh, right..."

"What...-? Ugh...The fuck _happened_? The police showed up?"

The two boys winced at her interrogating.

"Longshot said we weren't supposed to talk with _anyone_ ," The Duke quietly explained as the two sat beside her.

"About _what_?" Jane intensely demanded, joining in on their quiet tones.

"We weren't there that night," Pipsqueak explained. "Longshot forbid anyone who was a student from showing up to Saturday's meeting."

"He...He did?" Jane mumbled, somewhat aghast. Had he done this to protect them?

"I think he knew what was going to happen," The Duke theorized. "He put an order out that none of us were allowed to talk about the Freedom Fighters in public or with any non-members. Not a peep."

"Doesn't that mean you guys are...breaking his order?" Jane slyly pointed out. Pipsqueak slapped a hand on his mouth in shame and The Duke nervously scratched at his neck. "It's OK, guys, I'm...just teasing. God..." She smirked and rolled her eyes, biting into her pork sandwich.

"I hope Longshot's OK," The Duke muttered. "Have you gone to see him?"

Jane nearly choked on her food. She pounded her chest and coughed, then swallowed down the correct tube.

"Wh-...What?" she hoarsely squeaked.

"He's...in the hospital, Bee," Pipsqueak explained. "We thought...you'd know about it..."

"Ugh..." Jane grabbed at her forehead in frustration. When she'd read in the paper that some people had been hospitalized, she should've figured Johnny would've been involved. "Guys...I don't _know_ anything," she insisted to them. "I'm _done._ I've _been_ done for a while...Remember?"

They both shrugged awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Hadn't she made it pretty clear she wanted nothing to do with the whole organization by now?

"Fuck," she grumbled, her appetite suddenly waning as she worried. Sure enough, the answer to the question she'd been ignoring had found her. "I'll...probably stop by...some time," she pushed out with a sigh. "Thanks for...letting me know, guys."

"Yea, no problem, Smellerbee."  
"Sure thing, Bee."

"He's right, though, we need to not talk about this stuff from now on. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."  
"Mmhm. Yea."

"Right. So...I've got a final to go to."

"Of course."  
"Ohhhh, right."

They shambled up from their seats and waved to her.

"See you guys," she said expectantly. They sure were taking their time leaving.

"Bye, Smellerbee."  
"See ya!"

Jane took a moment of solace to contemplate the situation. Did she _really_ want to go see him? After all, he had dug himself into this hole. She'd tried to get him out. But he had to be too fucking stupid to listen to her. Grah. For now, she had other things to worry about, anyway.

* * *

[To: Jane]  
[Aren't you coming? =/ She's almost on...]  
[Sent: 7:43pm]

Katara fidgeted in her seat at the small music hall. To her left, Aang was practically nodding off to sleep and Sokka had procured his Nintendo DS. Jane hadn't even bothered to show _up._ Some plan _this_ had turned out to be...The cheerful, dancing melody that had been running for what felt like a small eternity drew to an end and a light smattering of applause poured across the space they occupied.

[From: Jane]  
[sorry somethin came up. dont worry bout me have fun.]  
[Sent: 7:45pm]

Katara had a sneaking suspicion that Jane was simply holding her grudge against Toph and wasn't going to show out of spite. It was sadly true, however, her excuse: Toph wasn't going to notice, much less care. Still, it was the principle of the thing...

Katara immediately snapped to attention as Toph was guided on stage, her guitar case in hand. Katara was pleased with the work she had managed to do with her roommate in the time before the recital. The girl had gone from looking like a street punk to a respectable lady. Her hair was tied up into a bun, she was still wearing the flat tops Katara had helped her dig up, her face was masked accordingly, and her black, shoulderless dress - the one she always wore to recitals - looked prim as ever.

The two had shared a very awkward afternoon in preparing. Toph had acted more robotic than usual toward her roommate, which meant practically no insults or name-calling, and no cursing, either. On the one hand, Katara appreciated this, but on the other, she felt confident it was only out of necessity - Toph needed someone to help her groom for her recital, and Katara was the only one who could really do it. It was a bittersweet process, but Katara was still confident that once the dust settled after finals, she'd be able to help who she felt was a misguided musician get back on track, and everyone would be all the better for it.

"Guys, she's on," Katara whispered, nudging Aang gently, his eyes popping open. Sokka continued his game, much to Katara's disapproval, but she knew it was useless to try making a scene about it. She reviewed the program.

{Toph Beifong}

{Solo ––Moonlight Sonata . . . . Op. 27 No. 2: 1 . . . . Beethoven}

{Solo ––Moonlight Sonata . . . . Op. 27 No. 2: 3 . . . . Beethoven}

As Toph began to pluck at her guitar strings, Katara immediately recognized the tune - a melancholy piece, but one she had always heard on piano before. It was refreshing to hear such a timeless song in a format she wasn't acquainted with. Toph's face stared blankly outward, almost to the ceiling, while her hands strummed with methodical timing. This...wasn't the way Toph played guitar...Never when Katara had been watching. It was as if a clockwork doll were playing, and not the girl she knew so well. The notes all came out properly, it seemed, but no emotion did. To Katara, this was a bit unsettling, and eerie, yet the music was elegant and beautiful regardless.

"Wow, she's so good," Aang muttered. "Isn't she?"

"Yea. This is normally a piano piece," Katara explained quietly.

"Oh, really? Neat..."

"It's kinda boring," Sokka whispered, still playing his game, only to be shushed by someone in the row behind him. He flinched, staring at Katara and Aang, and the three of them all worked hard to contain laughter for the sake of formality.

* * *

Jane sighed, staring at the hospital door.

{312}  
{Jonathan Johnson}

So much for this matter waiting...She gave in to her doubts and concerns and had made the rash decision to simply go and see him. When she'd arrived, she'd been informed that visiting hours would be ending in a matter of minutes, so she had little time to spare. She slowly opened the door, attempting to make as little noise as possible, and carefully snuck inside. The bed closest to the door was occupied with an elderly man, fast asleep. A curtain divided the room, and the TV on the far side was on. Jane could feel her insides quivering at the prospect of this situation.

["Today - still wanted by the government - they survive as soldiers of fortune."]

Jane swallowed her saliva and slowly crept across to the second half of the room, only to see Johnny's abdomen wrapped in heavy bandages, his arm hanging in a cast, and various tubes plugged into his body. The sight sickened her with worry in a way she couldn't recall having felt before.

["If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe _you_ can hire...The A-Team."]

"Johnny...?" She mumbled sheepishly. As strings and electric guitar played together on TV, Johnny's eyes wandered from the television set on the wall to her pale face. He looked exhausted, sickly, his hair a mess, stubble on his cheeks and chin. He smirked at her. "What the _fuck_ , Johnny...?" Jane whispered in shock, her rubbery legs taking her to his side. He said not a word, but his eyes remained locked on hers. "Don't...C'mon, don't gimme... _that_ ," Jane croaked as quietly as she could, her eyes welling up with tears. "Not the silent shit. Not today, man..."

Johnny closed his eyes and took a deep breath, speaking to her with eyelids still shut.

"They got me...but not before I got a couple of _them._ " He grinned with some pride.

"Fuckin' _eh,_ " Jane growled, her eyes burning with rage as tears streamed out. "What if they'd...-?"

"They didn't." His eyes were still closed and he spoke so peacefully. It was infuriating.

"But what _if_ they _did_?"

"That sounds like _worry_ in your voice..." he teased, his voice rough.

Jane choked on a laugh. What an idiot, trying to act all cool...

"W-well...it's _not._ You're fuckin' _stupid..._ " Her words attempted - and failed - to cover up her humored concern.

"Sometimes, _someone_ has to be..."

"If I knew this was gonna happen...-"

"You'd have run. Because that's what's smart. That's what you've had to do before..."

"Gargh...Shit, man..." She turned away, wiping at her face. "So...I mean, what _now?_ "

"A few months..."

"Huh?"

"Doc says it's probably...-" Johnny groaned from discomfort. "-...a few months 'til I'm back in shape..."

"Wh-...? What about _school?_ "

"What _about_ school? I'm gonna have to drop out...Like I have a choice..."

"So you're...what? Staying here? Until you're better?"

"No, no...Soon they're transferring me back to Amarillo..."

"Where your folks are," Jane acknowledged, stomach wailing.

"Yup..."

"How-?...I-I mean...But...We need to...-"

Johnny sighed as Jane trailed off, turning back to face him.

"We need to...figure out what we're doing," Jane finished at last, staring at him with some slight desperation.

"Jane," Johnny huffed, clearly uncomfortable but unable to do much about it. "We're not doing anything...You're not gonna see me until...hell...September, looks like. And that's assuming we're both still going to the same school. Assuming I'm even able to get back _in_ to SRU after all this..."

Oh, shit. Jane hadn't even thought of that. Being tied into a domestic disturbance might have been one thing, but a drug-trafficking ordeal? His chances of being accepted back into school were probably not looking so good...A fear wrenched at her intestines - what if it was discovered that _she_ was involved, too? For Chrissake, she helped bury a _body._ What if _that_ somehow got out?

No, no...That wouldn't. Everyone was going mum on it. Yea, exactly. Nothing to worry about. No one had any reason to get themselves in trouble...Then again, some - like Sneers - already _were..._

"Miss Fitzpatrick?"

"Wha...-?" Jane spun around to see a nurse staring quizzically at her.

"It's eight, ma'am. Visiting hours are over. Jonathan needs his rest."

"O-oh, right...yea..." Jane scratched her eyebrow roughly and gave Johnny another glance. "I'm coming back tomorrow," she firmly advised. "It's not just...ending like this."

"Heh..." Johnny shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Looks like those friends have made you go soft, but you're still damned stubborn as ever..."

Jane took this as a compliment as she saw her way out, her mind swirling. Johnny could've died - like Jet had. And for what? Had this been his plan the whole time? Take over the captain's wheel, shove the children on lifeboats, and sink the fucking cursed ghost ship?

* * *

Toph's fingers glided across the keys like the furious hooves of herd of buffalo on the run. The notes she struck were quick like lightning, ice-cold and precise. Katara was awestruck, and Sokka had even paused his Goomba-stomping to observe the seemingly miraculous skill on display.

"Heh, she's _so_ good, isn't she?" Aang gloated, observing their shock.

"No _kidding,_ " Sokka weakly agreed.

"I...I guess that's...what happens when you spend all of your time practicing, right?" Katara managed to theorize as the marathon of music proceeded. She couldn't shake the notion that the girl on stage wasn't _really_ Toph - like before on the guitar, the motions were mechanical and exact, but it was soulless in a way. All execution, but no feeling or conviction behind the sounds erupting from the grand piano. Katara _knew_ how Toph performed music she cared about - she'd seen it often enough at band practice, and had grown wary of Toph's change in attitude more recently at her distaste in the band's current venture. Katara couldn't place her finger on it, exactly, but just like during their recent practices, up on the stage this evening, Toph just seemed...somehow _off._ Not herself. This was perhaps what she had to do when she performed for school? It made enough sense. But then again, she had been like this with the Kyoshi Warriors recently, as well.

"She...just keeps _going_ ," Sokka squeaked under his breath, jaw slightly agape.

"Really something, right?" boasted Aang.

"I can't even comprehend how someone who can't even _see_ can do that," Katara confessed. "She must have a lot of natural talent..."

"It's a thing of beauty," Sokka concluded.

"You said it," Aang agreed.

After Toph's second piece concluded, she received a fairly enthusiastic applause, which was due in part to her friends' excitement, and quietly was led off-stage as quickly and quietly as she'd shown up. The group likewise took her lead and slipped out of the hall and into the lobby of the music building.

"She rocked it," Sokka reiterated.

"Yea, no kidding," said Katara. "Practice pays off, doesn't it?"

Aang nodded, his expression a bit wistful all of a sudden. Katara's instinct told her it was probably the thought that her music was more important to her than he was, but she didn't really know what to say to this at that moment.

"We'd better get back to Aero," Sokka decided, at last shutting off the DS and handing it over to Aang. "More tests tomorrow, right?"

"Right."

"All right, guys. Good to see you."

"Good night, Sis."

"Bye, Katara!"

"Bye!"

And off the boys shot through the dark, snowy evening, bound for their dorm. Unsure of what to do with herself, Katara stood in front of the music building's entrance for a moment of uncertainty before the door swung open behind her, Toph trudging across the sidewalk, rattling her cane against one edge's snow pile.

"Toph?"

"Katara?"

"Hey...Are...-? You're not staying to greet people?" Katara understood that generally at events like this, the musicians would often linger in the lobby to greet their audience. After all, that had been how Aang had met Toph in the first place.

"Nah. I'm just glad to be done."

Katara approached Toph and linked her arm under Toph's. This was a more nerve-wracking affair than she originally anticipated it to be - things were still tense between them, but she knew they'd never improve if one of them didn't try to back down. Toph seemed receptive to Katara's guidance, but continued swiping her cane along the ground with her other hand.

"Was that your last thing to do?" Katara wondered.

"I've still got one last thing to deal with tomorrow, and...then we've got that crap with the band..."

"Then we're done!"

"Yea...Guess so."

"I can't wait. I'm definitely ready to go back and see family. And you get to come to this time, too!"

"Mm-hm..."

"My dad's been curious to meet you."

"Ah..."

"It'll be fun. We all need a break."

" _Tell_ me about it..."

"Yea..." Katara had been itching to say something for the past couple of days, and now finally seemed like the right time to do it. "So, um...I just wanted...to apologize...about-"  
"It's OK."

"Really, I didn't mean to-"  
"Don't worry about it."

Katara wasn't sure whether to be relieved that Toph seemed to be dismissing the matter so easily...or be concerned about it.

"It happened. It's done. Let's leave it be."

Toph's somewhat cold disposition put Katara a little on-edge, but at the same time, it was hard to ignore her logic.

"O-OK. So...You think we're going to be ready for tomorrow night?"

"I dunno. I _guess._ We sounded OK last time."

"We'll have to make the most of practice tomorrow."

"Yea."

* * *

\- Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 -

The tall grass whipped in the wind, the rains pouring down in a drizzle. The beast lumbered through the cold, wet woods, his shaggy fur a mess. Spines and sticks poked out at every angle, his face soiled and his feet sore. His huge eyes were dull from exhaustion. The white fur on his head gave way to a dark patch in the rough shape of an arrow pointing down.

Sokka observed the title of the piece:  
{Lost Days}  
{Part 3}

To the left were two more pieces in the series - the 2nd depicting the beast ready to engage in a battle with a giant...pig...porcupine...thing? The one before that showed the beast sleeping in a barn beside bales of hay. The images were pencil-drawn in black and white, hanging on the walls of the small art museum.

"Damn," Sokka nodded. "These turned out pretty baller."

"Thanks," said Aang, admiring the work of a fellow student.

"Real sweet that they got in."

"I'm pretty happy. I was just hoping even _one_ would get in."

"Guess they liked to see all of the pieces lined up together, huh?"

"Guess so."

"Man, all you _creative_ people," Sokka grumbled.

"Huh?"

"You draw, Toph does her music...Even the other girls play instruments. What do _I_ do?"

"Um...You...Eat?"

"That doesn't _count,_ Bud..."

"Well, y-you cook. Sometimes."

" _Sorta._ Hm. Maybe I could get more into that..."

"You like studying history, too."

" _Yeaaa,_ but that's not, like, a _creative_ hobby..."

"Video games can be really creative. You play a lot of those..."

"But I don't _make_ them...I don't _create_ anything."

"I saw that level you made in LittleBigPlanet. With all the orangutan ninjas."

"Heh...Not exactly what I meant."

"You seem pretty critical."

"Guess I am. I want to pick up some kind of...making-things-hobby."

"You should try and find something that works with what you love most."

"Maybe..."

The two casually strolled out of the gallery and out into the chilly afternoon air.

"So you're done?" Sokka checked.

" _Yes,_ thank God..."

"Bah. I've still got one more final tomorrow..."

"Have fun."

"Yea, right...Well, at least when we're all done with this crap everything can go back to normal, right?"

"Uh...I sure _hope_ so..."

"'Cuz all those girls have been driving me freakin' crazy lately."

"Yea..."

"Can you _believe_ how Katara flipped out at your girlfriend's party?"

"Er...Y-yea, that was... _weird_."

"No doubt. She's been freakin' _odd_ lately."

"Has she?"

"You haven't noticed? She's always like this at the end of the semester. She gets all tense and her screws get loose...Just a simple bump and her gasket blows."

"Oh..." Aang shrugged. Sure, she had seemed a little overbearing at the party - which she had worked pretty hard to put together, actually - but Aang wasn't sure he could see what Sokka was talking about. Either way, he was probably right in that things would get better by week's end and everyone could take a load off...Though this didn't excuse him from his issues with Toph.

"It's like they've all rotated," Sokka humored himself.

"What do you mean?"

Sokka spun his index fingers around one another as he replied.

"Toph's become super bitchy and defensive like Jane, Katara's become really pushy and grouchy like Toph, and Jane's become kind of...I dunno, worrying all the time...like Katara."

"Whoa..." Aang's eyebrows raised in acknowledgement. "Ha, yea, that's...kinda true, I guess..."

"For real," Sokka reaffirmed his observation. "It's bonkers. But at least you and Toph are getting along better, eh?"

Aang's eyes averted downward and he shrugged.

Sokka added, "She was all over you at the party."

"She _was_ ," Aang admitted. "She was...also drunk..."

"So?"

" _So?_ I want my girlfriend and I to get along _without_ needing...booze...to do it."

"Hmph." Sokka frowned with concession at this statement, crossing his arms as they paced through snow.

"And besides, she was...still doing that _thing_ that she does..."

"Which is...?"

"She gets all forceful and stuff. It...makes me uneasy. And then...And then later, when _I_ try to initiate, she just brushes me off."

"She does?"

"All the time lately..."

" _Oh._ Well...Suck. That's annoying."

" _Yea._ "

"Maybe you just need to talk it out?"

"We've _tried,_ " lamented Aang. "Over and over. Lately, all it does is get us into fights, so we just...stop. I dunno..."

"Sounds rough, man..."

Aang sighed and shook his head, his feet tiring of marching through the snow.

"Not your fault."

"Just a few more days, Dude. Then you won't have school to deal with and can...maybe look into that."

"Mm..."

* * *

The band on stage riffed out a pop-infused set of chords, the three members casual and aloof as they played their next peppy rendition of a Christmas classic.

"~You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry~You'd better watch out - I'm telling you why~"

They were dressed to match - each wearing red T-shirts with fireballs printed on them and black jeans. Their guitarist, a tall and skinny brown-haired kid, took lead in singing, while a butch guy with slicked black hair calmly smashed at his drums and a mousy brunette girl strummed at her bass.

"~Santa Claus is coming to town~"

" _Blech_ ," Toph mocked a gag from their table at the back of the bar.

"I like them," squealed Ty-Lee. "Especially the drummer..."

"Why am I not surprised?" Mai teased with a knowing glance.

"They don't seem so bad," Katara offered her opinion in defense against Toph's.

"Your tastes in music are a little less sophisticated than mine, Sweetness."

Katara's brows lowered with some irritation.

"Either way, we're gonna be _better_ ," boasted Jane.

" _Yea,_ we are," Suki agreed, offered Jane a high-five.

"I don't think this their normal style," Katara explained to Toph. "I've heard these guys before. They're usually...more reggae? Or something?"

"Whatever. Right _now_ they sound stupid."

Katara sighed as her memory recollected the last time she'd heard this group: back when she was dating Jet.

"Well, we're on next," Suki advised. "So we'd better get ready."

"Good luck." Sokka kissed his girlfriend on the forehead.

Aang made to kiss Toph in turn, but it kind of missed as she rose from her seat, reaching her arm over and ruffling his hair around.

"Cheer us on, Twinkle-Toes," she slyly advised as Katara took her arm and followed Suki and Jane to the back of the stage, shoving their way through teens and other college students.

"Seems pretty busy tonight," Zuko noticed. "Is this place usually like this?"

"Naaahhh," Ty-Lee insisted. "It's usually pretty calm, but once or twice a week they'll have stuff like this and _BAM_!" She clapped her hands together. "Buncha people show up."

"You come here a lot?" Sokka wondered.

"Heeee, not really," Ty-Lee shrugged, shaking her head. "I used to come - one of my exes used to like this place a lot...But I know a lot of people who come all the time."

The Fire Cave was a small concert-hall mixed with a ball, so to speak. It had a 'pit' before the stage for people to congregate and dance and shout, and a bar area toward the back, with some tables interspersed on the sides, as well as a balcony with seats up on the second floor. It was a dimly-lit place, living up to its name, and seemed a little bit grungy around the edges.

"Seems all right, I guess," Sokka mumbled, glancing around. "I've been to worse, anyways..."

Aang sipped at his glass of water, seeming to tune out of the conversation until the song ended and the applause shook him back to attention.

"That was the Flamey-O's," announced the concert's host as the applause died down. "Flamey-O's...Thanks guys." The band disconnected their instruments, waving the audience off as they headed into the backstage, only for the girls to come in, filling their places and hooking up their own guitar and bass. As Sokka admired Suki readjusting the drum set to her needs, Aang took the slice of lemon from his now empty glass and began sucking out its juice. The girls weren't wearing a uniform of any kind, but Suki had managed to convince them to at least all wear Santa caps for their performance. Jane and Toph had begrudgingly accepted the compromise.

"And coming up next we have The Kyoshi Warriors."

Applause ramped back up again, especially from the group's corner of the restaurant. Sokka whistled rather loudly, and Aang tried crying out a cheer, only to choke on a lemon seed and need to hack it up.

Toph plucked out the opening to "Jingle Bell Rock" and the band took off playing the song in its classical style, with Katara belting out the lyrics.

"~Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock~Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring~"

"Oh, wow," gasped Ty-Lee. "They're so cute, all up on stage. Even the cranky one."

" _Which_ cranky one?" Sokka joked.

"I think she means Aang's girlfriend," Mai theorized. "The black-haired one."

"Yea, that one," Ty-Lee affirmed. "She's really bringing down everyone's positive aura. What's her problem, anyway?"

" _Me,_ apparently," Aang huffed, running his finger along his cup's brim.

"She's the one that's being a tool," Mai explained to Ty-Lee, whose eyes widened while her lips formed an 'O' in acknowledgment.

"You seem like such a sweet guy," Ty-Lee sympathized to Aang. "I don't get why she'd have a problem with you..." He shrugged doubtfully in reply.

"She's probably just feeling insecure about something and is taking it out on you," Zuko guessed. "That's what my sister does to _everyone_."

Mai sighed thoughtfully and nodded her head.

"That _is_ what she's doing," Sokka agreed. "She recently had a big falling out with her folks, so...That's probably the source."

"It's more than that, but...-" Aang mumbled, but let the conversation die down after that. he was starting to get annoyed with how his troubles with Toph seemed to be the only topic of discussion he was involved in lately.

"It'll pass," Sokka encouraged, slapping his friend on the back and laying the matter to rest. "But...OK. So let me get this straight...Your name's Ty-Lee."

"Uh-huh!" Ty-Lee bobbed her head cheerfully.

"You...don't look Asian. At all. In the slightest."

"Hee." Ty-Lee shrugged. "Wellllll, maybe that's 'cuz I'm _not._ " She winked, holding her index to her nose. "I'm pretty white. Also, I'm from North Carolina."

"But...That name sounds pretty Asian," Sokka observed, still confused.

"OK, OK," Ty-Lee stuck out her hands, preparing to explain. "So, technically - _technically_ \- it's _Ty_ lee. Like Tyler, but a girl."

"Uh...-?" That didn't seem to help change Sokka's opinion of how odd the name was.

"But it just sounds better like Ty- _Lee_ , don't you think?"

"Sure...-?"

"Way cuter, right?"

Sokka suddenly regretted having asked.

"Do people every say anything?" Aang wondered.

"What do you mean?" Ty-Lee responded to his vague question.

"About how everybody you hang out with looks all Asian. Like we do. And stuff..."

Ty-Lee tapped her chin carefully, observing that everyone present at the table around her did basically fit that description. Aang reiterated.

"'Cuz Jane says people find it weird sometimes."

"Find _what_ weird?"

"They make fun of her about it once in a while. How she hangs out with all, like...Asian-looking people, I dunno." Aang shrugged, his mind conceding to itself that he didn't really know where he was going with this.

" _Huh_ ," Ty-Lee's head cocked to the side and she puckered her lips in thought, eyes glancing elsewhere. "Now that you mention it, no one ever says anything about that..."

"Probably for the best," Zuko decided.

Their thoughts were interrupted when a lean young man wearing tight pants and a plaid button down squirmed over to their table. His hair was dyed black and slicked over so it covered half of his pale face. He walked with a bit of a hunch and paused when he reached them, everyone staring his way.

"Yo...Ty-Lee? Ha, that _is_ you," he muttered.

" _Oh!_ Hey!" Ty-Lee squeaked back. "I sure am me! You're looking like you, too, Ron-Jon. What's goin' on?"

Ron-Jon shrugged and flipped his hair, though it ended up falling right back where it had been.

"Was just wondering if you might be interested in getting a drink, maybe dancing a bit?"

"I _love_ dancing! And I _am_ pretty thirsty..." Ty-Lee turned to Mai with a puppy-dog pout. "You don't mind, do you, Mai?"

"Knock yourself out," Mai dryly advised with a contained sigh.

"Cool! OK, I'll see you guys later!" Ty-Lee bounced from her chair and took off with the emo-styled runt.

"Ty-Lee," Mai groaned to herself.

"She...sure seems to like attention," Sokka noted.

"Yea, she's...like that a lot," Mai admitted. "She came from a pretty big family where she always felt ignored, so...now she acts kind of eccentric."

"That's _one_ way of putting it," Zuko scoffed, receiving a sharp elbow jab.

"So where are you guys all from, anyway?" Sokka wondered.

"I'm from Connecticut," Mai confirmed. She nodded to Zuko. "He's from...Well, Japan, really."

"Ha, I was _born_ there," Zuko explained. "But I grew up in Los Angeles."

"Wow, no kiddin'!" Sokka expression acknowledged his surprise. "That's...a long ways away from here..."

"What made you come here to PA?" Aang questioned with curiosity.

Zuko shrugged, rubbing his upper lip.

"It's, uh...Well, basically, it's because my Uncle teaches here."

" _Ahhh_..."  
"Oh, OK...That makes sense," said Aang.

"Me and Katara," Sokka began, pointing over to his sister while she sang. "Our mom used to go here - and I really liked it, so...Yea. And my sis, well...She just _couldn't_ be without me, obviously..."

"Oh, wow," Zuko chuckled. "My mother went here, too."

" _Whaaat_?" Sokka said with skepticism.

"Yea. My Uncle and her were friends when they went here together - that's how my dad met her."

"And his older sister went here," Mai continued, "He followed in her footsteps." Zuko frowned at this remark, and Mai's dry smile teased him.

"Get outta town...Small world." Sokka shook his head at the coincidence.

"Hey, Sokka, maybe _you_ have an uncle who teaches here, too," Aang joked.

"That would be a little creepy, Aang," laughed Sokka. "Only biological uncle I have is up in Canada.

"Canada?" probed Mai.

"Yep! We're Canucks, baby! Our whole family's up there."

Aang seemed to withdraw again, getting lost in swirling around his sucked-on lemon slice in his cup.

"What about you, Aang?" Zuko probed. "Where are _you_ from? How'd you find this school?"

Aang's expression tensed up, his grip on his cup tightened, and he swallowed.

"Wh...Well, I-I...-"

The girls finished their first song, receiving a healthy portion of applause. Sokka, noting Aang's worried expression, paved an escape for him.

"Whoa, dude, you OK? You're lookin' kinda sick there..."

"I'm...-" He trembled a bit, shaking his head, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Hey, c'mon." Sokka tugged on his arm and pulled him out of his seat. "You probably need some air. Get your coat on. We'll get you some more water."

"Y-yea, OK..." Aang fumbled with his coat and managed to pop himself into it.

"Sorry, guys, we'll be back in a bit," Sokka assured.

"OK," Mai responded, waving them off.

"He _has_ been looking a little off tonight," Zuko realized. "Hope he's not down with something."

"It _is_ that time of year," said Mai.

"Guys-guys-guys!" Ty-Lee squealed out to them, an awkward-looking Ron-Jon beside her. "They're starting a new song! C'mon, _let's dance!_ "

"Oh, brother," Mai sighed, a smirk forming on her face. "She's just full of energy today..."

"Shall we humor her?" Zuko dully pondered.

"We shall." Mai lifted up from her chair and took Zuko's hand, leading him to the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A little bit of a lot in this chapter. I've been wanting to expand the "Fire Nation" guys a bit more, so you've noticed more Mai/Ty-Lee and now some Zuko lately. Ron-Jon is, by the way, an interpretation of Ruon-Jian, a very minor character who shows up in The Beach episode. Likewise, the Flamey-O's are a reference to a band that performs in the episode The Headband. There will be some more references to both those episodes in the future, since both contain minor characters that can help add some variety to the cast of school students. I'm trying to more specifically reference and homage various elements of the show while still making them seem organic.
> 
> Lotta YouTube links in this one!
> 
> Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Movements 1 and 3, on the instruments Toph plays them on, respectively.  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=kS8eVFq1ZdU  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=zucBfXpCA6s
> 
> I admit that the guitar performance in this video is more "raw" and real, but the piano performance has that icy, precise intensity and mechanical-ness I think of when I try to describe Toph performing for school. Not that it's BAD to play music this way - often that kind of emotionless accuracy is required. But it still conveys that Toph approaches her music one way when its personal, and another when its for someone else (school, her parents, etc.).
> 
> A-Team Intro  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=_MVonyVSQoM
> 
> Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Green Day)  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=qwGPzRd3XIY
> 
> Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=BWXqmukiD3U


	44. Survived

_What I Learned at SRU_  
 _Chapter 44 - Survived  
_

* * *

\- Thursday, December 16th, 2010 -

"Yep. Done. Fucking _doooonnnne._ "

["Wow. Nice~ Must be a big relief, huh?"]

"You bet your _ass_ it is..."

["You sound better than last time, Tophie."]

"I _am_ better than last time, Cuz. Way better. My hands can finally take a damned break. Hours of slamming piano keys and plucking strings and rolling over braile...poor girls need a rest, ya know?"

["Heehee."]

"Looks like we're heading out tomorrow. Christmas break. _Argh,_ can't wait..."

["Finally get to relax with Aangy, right?"]

"Yea...I do."

["Should be good for you guys. Things have been pretty rocky, I know..."]

"Mm..."

["They gotten better?"]

"Uh...Y-yea, a little..." Toph caught herself biting at her dry lip.

["Ah. That's good. Looks like you've been too busy to do any new videos lately."]

"Oh, um...Pff. Yea, been way too crazy..."

["You should take some time to do that during vacation. Maybe do a Christmas song or something."]

"Huh...Yea, I... _guess_ I might be able to do that..."

["You still have the camera, right?"]

"Yea, yea. I do. Naw, I'll...get around to it. You're right, I need to work more on that stuff."

["I noticed what you've got up so far has gotten a few views."]

"Oh, yea?"

["Yea, you've hit about a hundred or so on each vid so far. It's a start. But we both know you can do better...Heehee."]

"Hell yea, I can."

["Ah, shoot...I've got to be somewhere in five minutes...I've gotta go."]

"See ya, then, Meng."

["Bye, Tophie!"]

Toph closed her phone and stuffed it in her pocket, taking a deep breath as she found her way to her keyboard at the foot of her bed. She unplugged the headphones and ran her fingers across its surface, finding her 'home' and testing out a few chords. She set to work figuring out the opening parts of "Carol of the Bells" as a means of practicing a song to record later but also to take her mind off of her own self-doubts which were quickly crawling to the surface with schoolwork out of the way.

* * *

\- December, 2010 -

Aang carefully studied the way Toph's fingers glided across ivory bars, creating a melody akin to a chorus of melancholy bells. It was a familiar Christmas tune, though not his favorite. It struck him as a bit too sad for Christmastime. As Toph finished, however, she smirked.

"That's my fav," she told him. "There's a lot of sappy Christmas songs, and that's all good, but _that_ one's the best Christmas song."

"Hm..."

"For the longest time, I hated Christmas songs. Never thought I'd find one I'd get along with." She chuckled, playing the main melody by itself slowly with one hand as she went on. "And then _this_ song came around. It called out to me. I couldn't ignore it even if I wanted to. Just...latched itself right into my brain and wouldn't let go. It's different than other Christmas songs."

"Ah."

"By the way, I'm making allusions to _you,_ Dude."

Aang paused, uncertain of how to respond.

"I've been keeping to myself at this school because I know what it's like to get burned by people, and I don't want to leave myself open like that again. Somehow...you seem to be clawing your way in, anyway. Relentless bastard," she snickered.

"I have a habit of breaking through walls," Aang tried to boost his confidence and ego in her presence. "I try to, anyway," he added, his humility prodding at his conscious.

"That so?"

* * *

\- Thursday, December 16th, 2010 -

Katara guzzled down the last of her juice in a large gulp, scooping up her tray and bolting to drop it onto the washroom's conveyer, Jane following suit.

"We'll meet up at the guys' room and figure out a plan from there," she explained, continuing their conversation concerning plans for celebration.

"Ah, OK. I'm gonna be a little late," Jane advised.

"Huh? How come? Aren't you done with finals?" Katara stopped to grab a banana from the fruit baskets on their way out.

"Yea, I am," Jane calmly replied. "I've gotta go take care of something before we head out tomorrow."

"Huh?" Katara shot her a suspicious expression as they traversed down the stairs to the ACC's main lounge area. "Not something... _Freedom Fighter_ related, right?" she checked with a bit of sharp concern.

Jane stared her straight in the eye and quickly replied, "No. Definitely not something with _them_." She frowned, expressing disgust at the idea. "I haven't heard from them in...a _while._ " She scratched at her brow while she spoke. "Nah, I have to hunt down a student I lent my textbook to so I can trade that back in tomorrow morning before we leave."

"Oh, _shoot_ ," Katara gasped, slapping herself in the forehead lightly. "I still haven't returned _mine._ Thanks for reminding me."

"Heh, no problem." Jane shrugged with relief. Had Katara not yet heard the news about the group? No-doubt she had been so frantic with finals that she had missed the latest White Lotus issue.

"Another all-day car ride for us, again," Katara lamented. "Ugh...Maybe we'll have more fun this time."

"As long as you bring that box of Christmas cookies, we can always stuff those in anyone's face once they start bitching."

"Not if I eat them all first."

"Tsh. You wouldn't. You'd get so fat."

"And full of cookies and happy."

"And fat."

"Yea? Well...Maybe all the more reason for me to let _you_ eat some with how skinny you are."

"Hurr-hurr." Jane rolled her eyes. "Jealous..."

"Not about your cup size," Katara devilishly picked.

" _Wow,_ that was low..." Jane mock whimpered, folding her arms and pushing out her lips in a fake pout.

"You started it," Katara cast off with a prissy tone and a shrug. "Don't dish if you can't take. Right?"

"So some of me _is_ rubbing off on you, too..."

"Bleh."

"I know. It's horrendous."

"Blehhhh."

"It's not _that_ bad."

"Buulllehhhhh." Katara's expression had evolved into an exaggerating gag, tongue flailing about.

"Fine. You win. Jerk."

* * *

[ **Facebook - Katara Kesuk** ]

[Katara likes The Flamey-O's.]

[ **Katara Kesuk** If today was your last day, if tomorrow was too late, could you say good-bye to yesterday?  
Would you live each moment like your last, leave old pictures in the past, donate every dime you had?]  
[3 hours ago]  
[Aang Leekpai likes this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Uh oh. Someone's breaking out the song lyrics...Nickelback? Really? Wow, must be a bad day...]  
[3 hours ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Shut up. =/ ]  
[3 hours ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- you really do care a lot about making each day count huh?]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Lately I wonder why I even bother...]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- hey dont think like that! we need our canadian eskimo glue to keep everyon together,m remember?]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- i meant that in a good way -_- ]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Thanks guys...]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- I'll insult your bland taste in pop music any time. ;) ]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Not you. =O ]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Yikes, someone has a case of the Grumpies today, huh? ;( Need that pudding medicine?]  
[53 minutes ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- wtf?]  
[41 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Oh snap, I'll need to tell you that story later. xD ]  
[32 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- =_= ]  
[Moments ago]

* * *

Jane simply sat, staring at his peaceful state for a few minutes. He slept in a way she hadn't seen him sleep in a long time: completely relaxed. It was relieving to her to see him in such a state, and brought back that old stirring sensation that wouldn't seem to disappear. Except for when...-  
"Unh...-?"

Oh, he was waking up.

"Hey, Johnny," she sighed out. She was hunched over in a chair by his bedside, her back to the winter evening outside the window, the pale orange glow of street lamps below.

"Agh," Johnny acknowledged in a grunt. "She's back for Round 2..."

Jane face melted into a mess of briefly-lived despair she couldn't control, tears rapidly building. She managed to control the fire before it could spread and took a deep breath.

"Fuck yes, I am," she insisted shakily. "You can't just...get rid of me..."

"Leaving isn't the same as 'getting rid of.'"

"Rrgh, don't _say_ shit like that, man..." Jane's knees bobbed up and down with impatience, her hands tucked between her legs.

Johnny's brows slid down slyly.

"We both know it's not me," he bluntly advised.

"Wha...-?" Jane was baffled by what came across as an accusation.

"It's not me you should...-" He shuffled his head across his pillow. "-...be sticking around with..."

"The fuck...-?"

"They seem to do much more...good for ya...Bee."

"You mean...the guys?"

Johnny's eyes searched up to the side for a moment as bobbed his head a tad.

"Made you change. Change in ways...I knew ya could...but could never get to happen myself..."

Their eyes remained locked for a silent moment of contemplation.

"Heh." Johnny smiled coyly. "I see it in your eyes..."

"See...See what?" Jane mumbled, on edge. What was with him?

"There's someone else," Johnny muttered. The instant Jane's eyes widened and her lips cracked open, he quickly blurted, "Nah, nah...I get it. It's OK. Probably better for you, anyway..."

"How-...? Johnny, don't...say this shit again. Like I'm...running off with someone else..." Her cheeks flushed from the awkward discussion.

"No, no...Last time? I was lying..."

Jane's brows tilted at this nonchalant admission.

"With Jet, we're talking about," he clarified. "Right? When I broke up with you? Oohhhh..." He shook his head slowly. "I knew it wasn't like that...I said that to drive you off. Had to be...convincing. Get under your skin, make you not _want_ to come back..."

"How could...-?"

"We were no good for you. I hated seeing you...stuck. And look right here." He nodded his head to his arm cast and chuckled in spite of himself. "Got you outta _this,_ didn't I?"

Jane's teeth ground together, but she understood. She'd been played, in a matter of speaking. He really was taking the fall for everything they'd done, wasn't he?

"Fuck," she groaned in frustration, eyes averting to the tiled floor.

"I was sick of how Jane had...disappeared. And all I was seeing was Smellerbee. I had to...do something about that...Psh." His eyes rolled up as he recalled things. "Had to let _them_ do something, really..."

"Johnny, you don't need to...fuckin' break off like that..."

"Jane, Jane, Jane..." Johnny huffed. He sure was a bit more talkative than usual tonight. And kind of odd, altogether. She fancied it must've had to do with his injury and all the drugs he was likely loopy on. But at least she was getting the truth from him. "It's done. Don't you get it? I'm not going to be coming back to school after this...But you _will._ And so will all those other kids, like Pipsqueak and The Duke..."

"Oh, so...so you get to be some God damned _martyr_ or some...some bullshit?"

"I don't... _know._ Whatever you want to call it, I'm just...glad it's done and over with. And...if you can't let it go, and keep...going down this new path of yours?" Johnny's eyes pleaded with her, though his words were steady. "It'll make this all worth nothing. You can't do that now."

Jane's emotions were swelling with intensity from all of this coming out. It sounded like he was _relieved_ to be rid of her. What an ass. She'd trusted him with everything. More than anyone else in her whole-...Well, _almost_ anyone else, anyway. More than any other _man,_ that was for fucking sure. And look where that had put her: same fucking place as always. Hung to dry once again.

She slammed her fist into her thigh in aggravation as the reality sunk in - this might be the last time she'd see Johnny.

Fucking lying bastard...playing games with her.  
But he had been doing it to protect her.  
Still fucking _lied.  
_ As if she hadn't been lying _herself_ lately.  
He was just going to completely abandon everything they'd built.  
But it was because he loved her and wanted something better for her.  
That wasn't _his_ choice to make.  
But he'd already made his choice, and she'd already made hers.

"It's not like...I'm gonna disappear off the face of the planet...ya know."

Jane was rubbing snot from her nose with a nearby napkin, unused from Johnny's dinner. She was at a loss of what to make of all this.

"Still got my...cell number, 'n...ya know..."

"Right, 'cuz...you're _such_ a...conversationalist," Jane tried to joke through her tears.

"Hmph," Johnny breathed out a laugh.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Jane was startled by the nurse. No, no, no. Not yet. They couldn't. She needed more time.

"Miss Fitzpatrick...?"

"Uh..."

"It's five past eight, we really do need to get you out of here..."

Jane's face began burning with embarrassment as the nurse approached. She was holding a snot-filled napkin and her face was wet.

"I'm sorry," the nurse offered her sympathies.

"'Kay..." She nodded, taking in a deep breath and slipping into her winter vest. She glanced down at her friend with remorse. "Will you...still be here when I get back?"

"Can't say," Johnny honestly admitted.

Jane shook her head and leaned over to give him a hug as carefully as she could. It was insult added to injury, not even being able to give him a proper hug. She was tempted to kiss his lips as she drew her face away, but refrained. It would've made it that much more difficult to break away, and they didn't need that. And besides...they were still broken up, anyway. Stupid idiot...bastard.

"Guess I'll...see you around," Jane choked out as she followed the nurse out, looking back over her shoulder.

Johnny managed to lift his free arm to his head and pinched his thumb and index just before his forehead, giving a slight nod and a wink. A weak smile found its way onto her face as she could see the invisible cowboy hat on his head that he was tipping to send her off.

* * *

[ **Facebook - Aang Leekpai** ]

[ **Aang Leekpai** is sooooo glad that finals are done. ^^ ]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Sokka Kesuk, Katara Kesuk, Mai Chiao, and 4 others like this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- DAMN STRAIGHT. Time to party! You ready to party?]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- i got da sonic if you got da boom!]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- plz tell me da boom is that cactus stuff.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- CONGRATS! :D :D :D ]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Jane Fitzpatrick Yea, I've still got a few bottles left over. ;) ]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- I thought we were going to the Midnight Breakfast...]  
[45 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- ohhh yesss we have to go! im in the mood for pancakes]  
[42 minutes ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- way to go, little man! have fun. see u soon!]  
[39 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- im not little...:'( ]  
[37 minutes ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- Katara Kesuk i'm in. Ill take cinnamin buns over booz any day.]  
[34 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Jane Fitzpatrick You're just full of surprises, Freckles. :P ]  
[32 minutes ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- Aang Leekpai you have yet to prove that. ;P ]  
[30 minutes ago]

[ **Suki Kyoshi** \- me and sokka will meet you guys at the acc in 15 minutes?]  
[28 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- sure! Katara Kesuk do yo know where toph is?]  
[27 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- She's taking a nap but I'll wake her up. ^_^; ]  
[24 minutes ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- we're already here, you guys are welcome to join us if you want.]  
[20 minutes ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- if you can FIND us...]  
[20 minutes ago]

[ **Zuko Kurosawa** \- Good luck, it's crazy down here.]  
[19 minutes ago]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- omg omg french toast stix cannot wait! :3 ]  
[17 minutes ago]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- ===SRSLY FRENCH TOAST STIX!1! =^_^= ]  
[16 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- wow uh...you really like frnch toast sticks huh?]  
[Moments ago]

* * *

\- Friday, December 17th, 2010 - Last day of the semester

"Good God," Sokka drooled. "This is possibly the best idea this college has ever had..."

"Hash browns," Aang teased Toph, wiggling her head around. " _Haaaassshh brrroowwnnnsss~_ "

"Yea, yea," she smirked, arms crossed, wobbling a bit from her balance being tossed about.

"You see those other guys?" Katara wondered tiredly, stretching her neck to try and look through the line as students filed out, their plates full of breakfast food. It was a mystery, where they'd gone off to by now.

During the last night of the semester, SRU celebrated a most curious event: Midnight Breakfast. Some students were still studying for that last final of the week the next day, some were getting ready to head home...No matter the case, the college used Midnight Breakfast as a way to help relieve tension, congratulate a semester well done, and give students a great opportunity to mingle one last time before break. The faculty helped serve the food, so it was also a nice chance to see the staff outside of class, at that.

"I forgot all _about_ this," Suki pointed out. "My other school never did this kind of thing."

"That's because this school is _better_ ," Sokka concluded simply.

As they flowed through the line - which was moving at a good clip, full of exhausted college students ready to eat and go to bed - Katara observed the professors who were serving. She recognized the one at the end of the line, an elderly man with a long goatee, hair white as snow. She found it curious how the top of his head was bald, but some hair trailed down in the back. She didn't find it terribly flattering, but his bushy white brows and the blatant wrinkles on his forehead further sealed tight her notion that he wasn't one to care much for appearances. His frigid eyes were sharp like knives and he seemed to always be scowling anytime she passed him by on campus. This evening was no exception.

Her attention was diverted as Sokka poked her in the rib quite invasively and grinned.

"When we get back out, I need to tell Ginger about The Grumpies," he taunted.

Katara's eyes narrowed at him.

"Don't," she grumbled.

"Aw, come _on_ ," Sokka picked, tugging at her shoddy ponytail.

"Stop," she grunted at him, brows arced in a plea.

"OK," Sokka calmly conceded, backing off and retreating to Suki's side in front of her.

"What are The Grumpies?" Suki asked.

"Heh, tell ya 'bout it when we find our seat."

Aang seemed all too eager to help Toph load up her plate, his eyes glowing with anticipation of eating himself, though Toph appeared too sleepy to be so excited.

She held out her plate, accepting the food that each professor was hand-serving. She greeted them all with courtesy, and as she got to the end, the elder with the white hair and the grouchy looking placed a cinnamon bun on her plate.

"Could I actually get an extra, please?" she requested with all politeness.

"Only one per student," the man firmly replied, passing one to the next student, who walked around Katara.

"Ah, right, it's just that my friend out there just wanted one of these, and-"  
"Then she should have waited in line."

He immediately dismissed her at that and continued to serve. Katara controlled her frown and gave up, heading over to where her friends were filling cups with orange juice and milk.

"What was that about?" Aang asked, immediately seeing the remnants of her irritation.

"Oh, just...I couldn't get an extra one for Jane."

"Guy sounded pretty protective of his _buns_ ," Toph muttered skeptically. Katara figured this was supposed to be humorous, but it seemed to fall flat.

"Yea, well...-" Katara trailed off, huffing. "That's Professor Pakku," she groaned. "From what I hear, he's... _like_ that."

"Oh, snap," said Sokka, having just gulped down half a glass of orange juice. He went to refill it. "Isn't that guy the prof you have _two_ classes with next semester?"

"Yes," Katara begrudgingly replied, her jaw tight. "The other English majors don't seem to like him much, either..."

"I'm sure he can't be that bad," Suki tried to lessen the idea as they exited the serving area and entered the bustling cafeteria. For being past midnight, it was even more busy than an average meal.

"A lot of students say otherwise," Katara bemoaned.

"You're a tough girl, you can take 'im," encouraged Sokka. "Besides, I'll bet he's not as bad as the math professor I had for Calculus."

"Who was that?" Aang asked.

"Uh...Jeong? Jeong, yea," he nodded. " _Man._ That guy was... _intense_."

"Oh," Aang shakily sighed.

"Heh. Got him in the spring?"

"Yea..."

"Have _fun_ with that..."

Aang gave a nervous laugh and Toph slapped him on the back.

"What's the worst he can do?" she said. "Fail you?"

Aang's face drained a bit.

"I-I'm no good at math," he whimpered.

"Yea, well, you were no good at _kissin'_ 'til I had my way with you," Toph teased cockily, sliding her hand down to his rump and grabbing at it briefly. "Sometimes a teacher who kicks your ass is how ya learn."

"Girl's got a good point," Sokka agreed. "Man, I did bad at first, but...By the end, I really picked up my grades. Guy's a good teach if you stick with it."

"You'll be fine, Aang," Katara added encouragement as they filtered through the tables to the one Jane had found for them. "We'll both deal with our grumpy teachers together."

" _Aha!_ " Sokka cried triumphantly. "Speaking of _grumpy_...-!" He set his food down to Jane's right, who seemed off-put by his commanding presence.

"God," Katara puffed out, palming at her pink face as she sat to Jane's left.

"'Kay. So." Sokka jammed a sausage into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. He gruffly cleared his throat and told the story to Jane. "When we were little kids-" He pinched his fingers in the air. "-my sis had a serious problem with temper tantrums."

"Tssh, really?" Jane seemed rather amused.

"Oh, _yea,_ it was _bad._ She used to get into so much trouble when she was little."

Jane turned to Katara with an entertained and curious look. Katara's eyes shut briefly and she shrugged.

"Yea, it's true," she admitted, barely holding back a devilish smile.

"So our dad used to say whenever she was throwing a fit that she had been infected with The Grumpies."

"Heh." Jane smiled, imagining tot Katara with an exaggerated scowl across her face, screaming in tiny baby words at her brother.

"Like it was a disease. And so Katara - I mean, she was...pff...what, like, five? Or something? She actually thought it was a real illness, right? So it was...Aw, man, it was the _funniest_ thing. She'd go from, like, yelling her head off like a banshee to, like... _terrified_ that she was gonna die from this...-" Sokka was beginning to laugh along with those around him. "-...this _disease_. And so Dad would-...He'd tell her that he always kept medicine for The Grumpies. And he'd...-" Sokka stared at his sister with elation, entirely humored, and Katara, arms crossed, lip bit in a sheepish smile, shook her head at him. "Well, he'd give her pudding, tell her that was the cure. So it became this thing where whenever she was acting up real bad, as _soon_ as she was told she had The Grumpies, she'd remember about it, and _bam,_ she'd get all worried and start asking for pudding."

The table chuckled, Katara struggling to contain her own snickers in spite of her previous self. Jane shot Katara a sly smile, admiring her friend's flushed face - it wasn't every day that Katara had reason to feel so embarrassed, after all, she Jane relished seeing this side.

"Pudding _is_ the damned cure," Toph agreed, rolling up a dry pancake with her bare hands. "Pistachio, man, all the way."

"You done?" Katara checked, brows raised at her brother as she readied her counter strike.

"When she was six, our mom had to finally tell her one day when we didn't _have_ any pudding in the fridge that she _wasn't_ gonna die, and that she just needed to be a good girl. It took, like, fifteen minutes to convince her to calm down."

"Yea, yea, OK," Katara wormed her way through his story. "I was a toddler. What about _you_ and that time you and Dad went camping and you couldn't sit right for a week because you wiped your butt with poison ivy? _Oorrrr_ -" She jabbed out her finger at him before he could speak. "- _why_ don't you tell them about the day we went ice fishing and you got _two_ fish hooks stuck in your thumb? Huh?"

"Haha, wow, the gloves are coming off," Suki announced, thoroughly intrigued.

"Now it's on like _Donkey Kong_!" Toph jeered.

" _Two_ hooks?" Aang asked, bewildered.

Now Sokka was the one smiling with red cheeks and shaking his head in shame.

"He tried to get the _first_ hook out with _another_ one," Katara explained matter-of-factly and with great satisfaction. A chortle burst out of Aang's mouth and he slapped the table.

" _Wow,_ way to go, MeatHead."

"He was _fifteen_ , by the way," Katara made sure to point out.

"Boys will be boys," said Suki, kissing Sokka on the cheek.

"My, my, we seem to be enjoying ourselves at _this_ table!" came the warm voice of Professor Kurosawa, a pitcher of orange juice in hand, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. "Quite the rambunctious crowd!"

They said their hello's to the Professor and he topped off their drinks.

"It is quite a relief to be done with your schoolwork, is it not?"

"Like you wouldn't _believe_ ," Toph grumbled.

"Yea, it's great," Aang agreed.

"It is always important to take time to be merry and remember the old days," Iroh advised in his slow, thoughtful tone. "Holding on to those sweet memories reminds us of how to make new ones like them." The group mumbled their agreements and he nodded to them. "I hope you all create memorable stories during your time away. Enjoy your vacation, and have a Merry Christmas - all of you."

"Merry Christmas!"  
"You, too!"  
"Merry Christmas, Professor!"  
"And to all a good night!"  
"Suit looks good on you!"

As Iroh sauntered off to the next table, the group shared a moment of peace, eating their food and soaking in the atmosphere. They'd survived another semester. It was a wholesome feeling.

"Oh, hey, Jane," Katara muttered, having finished her scrambled eggs. "Take my cinnamon bun. That's the only thing you wanted, right?"

" _Oh,_ nice. Yea, thanks..."

* * *

[ **Facebook - Katara Kesuk** ]

[ **Katara Kesuk** And would you call on friends you never see, reminisce old memories, would you forgive your enemies?  
And would you find that one you're dreaming of, swear up and down to God above that you'd finally fall in love?  
If today was your last day...]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Jane Fitzpatrick, Aang Leekpai, Hakoda Kesuk, and Korra Kesuk like this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- hey chin up, you're done. xmas break! also, you'll totally find the right person some day no sweat.]  
[49 minutes ago]

[ **Hakoda Kesuk** \- Sweetheart you do live every day like your last and we are proud of you for that. I know your mom is, too.]  
[Katara and Sokka like this.]  
[45 minutes ago]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Midnight Breakfast is this thing my college did during finals week. Actually, as I recall, we had ours at the start of finals week, but I like it better having it be at the end here.
> 
> Song lyrics in Kat's status at the end are from Nickelback's "If Today Was Your Last Day."


	45. Colleagues

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 45 - Colleagues_

* * *

\- Friday, December 17th, 2010 - Last day of the semester

"I gotcha, Teo." Sokka scurried to the front door and pulled it open, holding it so his fellow Aero Man could wheel himself outside into the brisk winter morning.

"Thanks, man. You guys have a good Christmas!" the young man in the wheelchair bid as he rode himself down the sidewalk to the van waiting out front.

"You, too!" Sokka called back before retreating back inside. He checked his phone for the time: [8:12am] What was taking Aang so long to get downstairs?

Having already dropped off his backpack in the car, he headed upstairs to find an answer to his question. As he traversed the halls, he passed a groggy Haru.

"Dude, hey," Haru greeted with the yawn, having just exited the bathroom. They both walked down the hall together toward their respectful bedrooms.

"Oh, heya. You finally done?"

"Psh. Naw, man...Got one more final today..."

"Ohhh, _suck._ "

"No lie. But I'll deal. You guys headin' out?"

"Yea, once I can get my roommate to get his ass in gear, heh."

"Ha. Yea? Cool, man." Haru reached his door and paused. "Yo, Sokka."

"Eh?" Sokka swerved around to meet him. Haru reached out and the two shared a rough hug with hard slaps.

"Merry Christmas, Bro."

"Yea, Merry Christmas."

"Later."

"Good luck!"

Sokka popped into his room to see Aang warily stuffing clothes into his duffel bag at a snail's pace.

"Hey, Bud, come on, come on! We're running late. What's takin' ya so long?"

"Oh..." Aang coughed and sniffed, wiping snot onto his sleeve. "Y-yea...Sorry..."

What was his deal today? He'd been great the night prior.

"You, uh...You sick or somethin', Aang?"

"Er...I guess," Aang mumbled with a shrug, wiping gunk from his eyes as he reached for a tissue from his desk to blow his nose.

"Sorry, man," Sokka quickly offered sympathy. "But we seriously gotta haul ass. Can I help?"

"Uh, well...-" Aang looked around the room. "Could...you maybe pack up my computer for me? And-and the tablet, too?"

"Sure, sure..." Sokka noted that Aang's computer was in the process of shutting down at that very moment, so he went about sliding Aang's digital tablet into place before unplugging the now turned off laptop and popping that into the padded portion of the Aero branded messenger case. "All righty, we're set," he announced, watching Aang zip up the duffel bag. "Get your coat on, eh? Time to truck off."

"Mm-hm..."

* * *

"Kat, you're gonna be in a _car_ all day, don't...fuss with your hair. Christ..." Jane shook her head with dull eyes and a crack of a smile, perplexed at Katara's insistence to brush her thick bushy hair, which looked just fine the way it had been before.

"If I don't-...Well, it'll get all...tangled, and...-" Katara was muttering her reasoning, but shortly thereafter decided she was finished and set the brush with the rest of her grooming supplies. She stuffed these into her backpack, loaded it onto her shoulders, and picked up her suitcase. Jane found it entirely amusing that Katara had a _suitcase._ She claimed that she wanted to look more professional when she needed to, but Jane's conclusion was simply that Katara was silly and liked weird formal things like suitcases and pipe cigars, noting the wooden, never-been-smoked-with cigar she kept on her bookshelf above her desk.

A toilet flushed in the next room over and Toph came stumbling out, yawning like a sleepy tiger as she spoke slowly.

"We fuggin'...-" She stretched her arms out, bumping her wrist into Jane's shoulder, who shrugged it off. "-bleh...reddy ta go yet...?"

"I, um...Yea, I'm ready," Katara decided with a concise nod to herself as she put on her coat.

"Cool. I'm set," said Jane, patting her backpack and zipping up her vest.

"All right," said Katara. The boys should be here any minute..." Katara cocked a brow at Toph's unprepared state. "Toph, are you all packed?"

"Yep..."

"Good. OK. You need help getting your stuff on?"

"Nah, I got it," Toph grumbled, stubborn in finding her boots and coat on her own. Katara exchanged tired glances with Jane as they waited for Toph to perform this task. The girl just wouldn't let people help her, would she?

Katara set her suitcase outside the door and grabbed Toph's bag for her, placing it outside as well.

"Here, I'll get your bag, Toph - Jane, could you help her get downstairs?" Jane winced at this, still holding a bit of a grudge against the blind girl.

"Yea," she sighed with a shrug. Katara gave her an appreciative smile that made her feel less down on helping out, at least.

"I'm gonna go run this stuff downstairs, so...-" Katara dug through her pockets and pulled out a key. "Here," she handed it to Jane. "Make sure to lock the door on the way out, too. And Toph, you have your room key, too, right?"

"Yea, yea..." Toph was finishing the task of getting into her coat.

"OK. Great. I'll meet you guys down in the main lounge."

"Mm-hm." Jane nodded her off, watching her strain herself with the weight of three loaded bags with some confusion. Couldn't Katara have let _her_ carry one? Ah, well.

Jane popped her own backpack on and stared at Toph with a slight frown.

"Uh...You ready, Dead-Eyes?"

"Yea..."

"Right...So, uh...-" Jane stuck out her hand toward Toph's arm. "Here, I'll...-"

Toph raised her hand and bumped it into Jane's before they fumbled fingers and begrudgingly clutched one another's palms. They shuffled out and Jane locked the door behind them. The journey through the dorm was awkward and silent, and Jane quickly grew an appreciation for how skilled and patient Katara seemed to be at aiding her roommate around. Jane's patience, on the other hand, was much shorter, and she struggled to contain her irritation as they neared the end of their brief travels together. They came to the empty lounge area on the first floor where Katara was nervously pacing back and forth talking on her phone.

"-so just swing on by the door and we'll just come right out." She sighed during a pause. "I _know,_ Sokka...I _know!_ We'll...make it work somehow..." She picked at the corner of her forehead and nodded as she listened. "Yea. Uh-huh. OK...See you in a minute." She closed her phone and dropped it into her coat, noticing her two friends arriving. "Ah, there you guys are. They'll be here in a sec."

"No problem," said Jane as Toph squirmed out of her grip. "Hey, did you bring those cookies for the ride?" she checked, her mind wandering to the trip they had in store.

" _Agh,_ no, I...left those up in the room," Katara huffed.

"I got it," Jane quickly insisted, unslinging her backpack bolting off.

"They should be on my desk," Katara shouted in the distance.

Jane was jealous as she unlocked their door - why the hell was their door's lock so smooth and easy while hers had to be so damned finicky? - and rapidly scoured Katara's desk. She found the tin of cookies, but noticed an orange bottle tucked away behind them, beside her alarm clock. She recognized the blue pills as Katara's medication, and wondered why they were still up here. Good thing she'd had to come back up here, then, right? She scooped them up as well, blasted into the hall, skidded to a stop, spun back, locked the door behind her again, and finally made it back to see that the girls were already outside, and Katara was struggling to jam her suitcase into the back of the car.

"I _told_ you we might not have enough room," Sokka advised from the front seat of the car.

"I _heard_ you before," Katara sighed back. Toph stood beside the car, while Aang sat in the backseat patiently.

"Hold these," Jane commanded to Toph, pushing the cookie tin against her. She hopped over to Katara's side and observed the jam-packed trunk and her friend's discouraged expression.

"Gah, here..." She yanked out her own backpack and rearranged the nearby bags. "There, try it now."

Katara now had the space she needed to set her suitcase in.

"Thanks, but...Now we don't have space for yours..."

"No big, I can put it on the floor in the back."

"Oh. Right." Katara nodded. "OK, sure..."

"By the way...-" Jane pulled out the orange bottle of pills she'd snagged on her way out. "-ya _might_ want these, ya think?"

Katara stared at them for a moment and Jane caught the slightest glimpse of a grimace before a controlled smile took over.

"Oh, yea...Thanks," she muttered politely. "I...must've forgot them in the rush of everything." Jane had spent enough time around the Freedom Fighters to know a lie when she saw one, which begged the question: Why would Katara intentionally leave them behind?

"Good thing I found 'em, then," Jane calmly concluded.

"Heh, yea." Katara took them and nodded. "Thanks."

"Hey, Snoozles, mind if I sit up front?" Toph called out, clutching the cookie tin, running her fingertips along its edges.

"Er...-" Sokka shrugged, blinking at her. "If Katara's OK with it," he replied through the open window.

"You don't want to sit in the back with me?" Aang asked rhetorically in a dim, disheartened tone.

"I don't _always_ need to sit with you, Twinkle-Toes," Toph groaned. "So fuckin' clingy," she added under her breath, though Jane was close enough to hear this last part.

"Um...-" Katara, who had just finished shutting the trunk, whisked by and took the cookies from Toph. "Yea, it's fine, Toph. Go...right ahead." She nodded quickly, scurrying to the passenger's seat. She opened the door for her roommate, guiding her in and shutting it behind. "I'll sit in the middle," Katara offered to Jane, sliding herself into the least comfortable seat of the car, stretching her legs out so her feet rested on opposing ends of the bump between the two front seats.

Jane followed, dropping her backpack between her own legs on the floor. She closed the door behind her, and Sokka rolled up the electric windows, cranked on the heater and took a deep breath.

"Woot!" he cried. "Time to get this show on the _road_!" The still running car chugged out of the parking lot and onto the road, winding around campus toward the path to Wayward and their destination, the northbound highway. As Aqua House faded away behind them, Sokka cleared his throat through the silence and asked, "So, anyone up for some Christmas music?"

* * *

["~Silver and gold~Silver and gold~Everyone wishes for silver and gold~"]

Sokka sang along joyfully as he drove, the radio having been turned up a bit to drown out Toph's snoring, her head in her coat's hood, propped against the window.

["~How do you measure its worth~just by the pleasure it gives here on earth?~"]

Jane was watching snow-covered trees fly by to the right, while Aang was glooming to the left, his eyes glazed over and his expression dull.

["~Silver and gold~Silver and gold~Means so much more when I see...~"]

Katara had gotten caught up in singing age-old music with her brother that she hadn't noticed his mood until now.

["~silver and gold decorations on every Christmas tree~"]

"Hey, what's up, Bud?" she asked quietly, underneath the music, shrugging her shoulder against his.

"Mm," he grunted in reply, avoiding her gaze.

"Sokka said you were looking kinda sick when you left...You OK?"

Aang bobbed his head to the side and sighed.

"Is it because Toph isn't sitting with you?" Katara wondered in a teasing tone, poking at his arm. He swatted her hand away and leaning his head against the window, his face barely containing a scowl. "Sorry," Katara mumbled in a sheepish apology, confused.

"What are you two babbling about back there?" Sokka wondered as the song concluded.

"Aang's in a bad mood," Jane bluntly replied, furiously typing away on her phone.

"Oh. That," Sokka acknowledged. "Yea, you've been lookin' down for the past few days, man. You have a fever, or something? We could stop and get you-"  
"I'm fine."

Aang's firm answer gave everyone in the car pause. Toph shifted her head a bit, smacking her lips a couple times before the snoring picked back up and the next song began, an instrumental rendition of "We Are Santa's Elves."

"Seriously, Aang," Sokka pressed on. "If you need, like, some NyQuil, or whatever, it's really not a big deal-"  
"Can everyone please just leave me alone?" Aang snipped, his fists clenching.

Sokka flashed a brief glance through the mirror to his sister, who glanced back with a bit lip and wide, worried eyes.

"Ummm..." Katara reached for the cookie tin below her lap on the car's floor. "How about I...break these out? A-anybody want one?"

"Oh, hell yes," Jane muttered, closing her cell and leaning over with anticipation to grab a handful of Christmas pastry.

"You want any, Sokka?"

"Uh, sure...Just, er...-" Sokka reached out his right arm, continuing to steer along the highway with his left.

Katara placed a couple of cookies in his hand and he stuck one in his mouth, chewing with delight as he drove.

"You...want any?" Katara asked Aang with some trepidation.

"No, thanks..."

"OK." Katara took a few for herself and closed the tin back up, her mind whirling with theories as to her friend's current mental state. Hadn't things been on the up and up? Katara knew this had to do with Toph - it _had_ to. And it wasn't just that she was sitting up front. Had something happened the night prior between them? No, couldn't be...Right after midnight breakfast, Katara had taken Toph straight back to the room and they'd both passed out for the night. And during the breakfast itself, they'd seemed...fine. Toph had been, well...still kind of abrasive, but Aang had seemed in a decent mood. Urgh, it wasn't adding up. What was she _missing_?

"Hey, Sis, what's the time?"

"Mmm...-" Katara swallowed her cookie. "Um, like...10:30? Ish?"

"'Kay. We're gonna hit New York in a while. You mind taking over for a bit when we do?"

"Yea, sure."

* * *

["~Would you call old friends you never see?~Reminisce old memories?~Would you forgive your enemies?~"]

Katara drummed her hands along the steering wheel as she glided down the highway, the traffic starting to pick up a bit in the early afternoon. Now she was the one in charge of the music and singing along. Christmas music got a bit old after a few hours straight, and after enduring Sokka's picking about her song choice, she was enjoying the non-holiday song that had been most on her mind lately.

["~Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?~Swear up and down to God above that you'd finally fall in love?~If today was your last day~"]

Katara admired the glimmering afternoon, skies clear and sun bright.

["~If today was your last day~Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?~"]

Jane callously observed dead, snow-covered cornfields with crossed arms, her eyes sharp as her mental gears ground together about something Katara couldn't discern.

["~You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars~Regardless of who you are~"]

Toph strummed her fingers through the air, playing a bit of air guitar in time with the song.

["~So do whatever it takes~'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life~"]

Aang was stuck in the middle seat, stirring in his thoughts. His expression had changed from earlier. Katara knew this look he wore - it was the look he got whenever he was thinking about his family.

["~Let nothin' stand in your way~'Cause the hands of time are never on your side~"]

Sokka was leaned back to Aang's left, a wide grin on his face as he texted on his phone.

["~If today was your last day~And tomorrow was too late~Could you say goodbye to yesterday?~"]

Katara made a turn as she hit the corner of the field, the sun now at such an angle that it got in her eyes, shining off the snow. She pulled down the sun cover, noticing an old photograph of her mother and father in their younger years. A needle poked at her heart and she pulled it out, focusing on the ride once again.

* * *

"Come on, Aang. You haven't eaten anything all day. You have to be hungry by now..."

"I ate at the midnight breakfast, so...it's not like it's been _that_ long..."

Katara drummed her fingers on her hips with a scolding eye. Aang's own eyes glanced sideways with concession.

"OK, OK, yea...I'll eat something..."

Katara gave him a sly grin of victory as she accepted her change and the grocery bag from her purchase at this gas station store and pointed him to the snacks.

"C'mon, let's pick something out for ya."

As they waddled to the correct aisle and Aang scratched his head at the selection, Katara popped the question she'd been meaning to approach since they had entered the store.

"So, um...Are you doing better?"

"Not really..."

"Oh...Uh...Is...everything OK?"

"No." Aang eyes remained focused on the packaged food. He was definitely being evasive.

"Did something happen last night?"

"What does it-...?" He began, jaw tightening. He exhaled slowly, wiping his hand over his face in frustration. "I found something out," he blurted. "Something I didn't want to know..."

" _Oh_..." Katara's brows bent down as her perplexed mind reeled with possibilities.

"I'll...tell you about it later," Aang decided quickly, tossing the matter aside. "Now's not a good time."

"Y-yea, OK. Fair enough."

"Here, I'll...take these." Aang nonchalantly picked a small package of rice cakes. Katara giggled at his choice. "What?"

"Haha, it's-...Ah, I just think it's funny, is all."

"Nothing's wrong with rice cakes..."

"No, no, you're right. I'm sorry, I don't know why I thought it was funny. You're...the only person I know who eats those, I guess."

* * *

"Soooo...I got here a little early, then?" Korra paced through the kitchen, hands stuffed in her jean pockets.

"Yea, the kids are still a ways out," Hakoda replied as he swept pine needles into a dustpan. He had been settling the pine tree into the living room when she'd arrived.

"Ha. Kids, huh?"

"You got me," Hakoda chuckled. "I know, I know...They're about grown up now. I guess it's hard for me to remember that some times. They're still in school after all."

"True..."

"I actually need to head back into the station in a bit here. But you can make yourself at home."

"Just like old times."

"Haha, not exactly, but...-"

"So what about Gran-Gran?"

"She won't be showing up until next week, once we're closer to Christmas."

"Ah...Damn. It's gonna get pretty crowded in here..."

"Heh, you said it. But I'd rather it be too crowded than too empty."

"Yea..."

"So how are things going over in Toronto lately, anyway?"

"Ch. They're been better," Korra grumbled, leaning against the kitchen doorway.

"Oh?"

"I've been running into some problems with the owner of the bar I work at."

"Aren't you the manager?"

"I'd like to _think_ so, but the owner's been bustin' my balls lately."

Hakoda smirked at Korra's figurative statement as he dumped the fallen needles into the kitchen's trash bag.

"So I'm not sure where that's gonna go," she continued. "I've been lookin' into other options, but-...Feh. We'll see."

"I certainly wish you good luck. You're a hard-worker, Korra, and you don't take 'no' for an answer, so I'm sure you're bound to find something worthwhile."

While Hakoda had been talking, Korra's text-tone had gone off, and as she nodded to his words, she opened it up.

[From: Aang]  
[u were rite -_- ]  
[Sent: 5:09pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[about what?]  
[Sent: 5:09pm]

"Well, I should be off. There's still coffee in the pot if you'd like some."

"Yea, thanks, Uncle."

"See you tonight!"

"Yep!"

[From: Aang]  
[bout what you said mightve happend...]  
[Sent: 5:10pm]

The side of Korra's face tensed up for a moment in pity of the guy. Deep down she had hoped her guess has not been true, as it had just been a hunch based on personal experience.

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[shit, man. that sucks. you guys talk?]  
[Sent: 5:11pm]

[From: Aang]  
[not yet stuk in car all day]  
[Sent: 5:12pm]

Korra poured herself a mug of coffee, still hot from Hakoda's fresh batch while he had been home. She contemplated the circumstances, and didn't like the prospects. College students and their damned drama...She counted herself lucky for having skipped out on that part of life. The only school she'd attended since 12th grade was bar-tending school, and that had been all she'd needed.

* * *

"Hey, Twinkles, you startin' to miss me back there?"

"..."

"Twinkle-Toes?"

Katara leaned over to see him leaned against the window. The bright lamps from the gas station they were parked at revealed that his eyes were closed and he was motionless.

"I think he's asleep, Toph."

"No, I'm awake."

"Oh..." Katara felt a lump forming in her throat as she leaned back in her seat at his side. He had spoken with some controlled anger. It was unnerving.

"What's your _deal?_ " Toph grouchily inquired, turning her head so her ear was directed at her boyfriend. "Everyone's doing fine but _you_. What's the issue? You need to me to sit with you or something?"

"Why don't you ask Douglas what the issue is?" Aang grumbled.

Katara's stomach lurched. That sounded ominous. She scanned Toph's profile to see the girl's lip hang open just a bit, her eyes widened for a moment before she raised a brow.

"What does _Dougie_ have to do with anything?" she wondered. Katara heard Jane laugh through her nose and saw her cross her skinny arms with some contempt.

"I had a _feeling_ you didn't tell him," Jane cockily sighed, shaking her head.

"Tell him _what_?" Toph snapped. "What are you guys-?"  
"He apologized, you know," Aang cut her off. "About what happened. And how do _you_ know?" Aang demanded of Jane.

"Doug, right?" Jane checked. "'Violin' Doug. Short kid. Freshman."

Aang and Toph responded simultaneously.

"Yea."  
"What _about_ him?" Toph deflected.

Katara leaned back in her chair, clearly out of this loop. This wasn't going to end well, she just knew it.

"Dougie's my neighbor in the music building," Toph explained. "He practices violin in the room next to me. We talk sometimes. Like...you and that raspy girl."

"Mai?" Aang testily specified.

"Yea, her," Toph quickly agreed. "We're like you guys. We're colleagues."

"As opposed to...-?"

"I dunno, Aang, you tell _me._ "

"Doug's a Freedom Fighter," Jane tossed in. "Calls himself 'The Duke.' He told me what happened a few days ago. I had to set him straight. Glad the little twerp had the balls to confess."

"You knew?" Aang groaned. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Hell _no,_ I didn't. It's not my place, _or_ my business," Jane defended herself. Aang's anger at her evaporated as he saw her point.

"Yea, you're right..."

"OK," Katara growled, flashing her palms up. " _What_ happened?"

"Doug got _lied_ to, that's what happened," Jane scoffed. "And now Aang's gettin' lied to, as well."

Toph was facing straight ahead, hiding behind the seat. They all drowned in thick tension for a moment as Sokka merrily strode out of the station, guzzling a fresh bottle of Mountain Dew.

"Toph?" Katara called out calmly.

"I...kinda had a thing with...that kid," Toph begrudgingly confessed.

" _Kinda_?" Aang snipped, staring out the window as Sokka popped open the gas cap. "Doug wrote me an e-mail last night and told me what happened."

Oh, boy. This was the last thing anyone needed right now. Katara's insides boiled with aggravation while the gears in her brain cranked out the logistics.

"OK, OK!" Toph groaned, squeezing her head with both hands. "Dougie and I...spent some time together this month."

"Doing _what_?" Katara snapped with some hostility, her voice trembling with disappointment. Sokka swayed back and forth outside, pumping the car full.

"Are we in fuckin' high school here?" Jane sighed, rolling her head back. "You _cheated_ on him, Toph. Christ, just _say_ it."

"Fine! I did," Toph spat. "I cheated on him. And...and I'm sorry, and I shouldn't have and-...What the fuck else do you want me to say?" she whimpered, her voice peaking in tone.

"I can't believe this," Katara groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, it's not like I was getting any from my _boyfriend_ ," Toph grumbled under her breath.

" _Excuse_ me?" Katara seethed. "Are you...-? What, is that...your _excuse_?"

Aang's fury had dissipated and he had retreated back into his shell.  
 _No, Aang, don't think like that..._

"Don't try to justify it," Jane lashed out. "You did it. It's done. Aang doesn't fuckin' deserve that after all he's put up with."

"No, he _doesn't_ ," Katara agreed, steaming.

The door opened and Sokka ignorantly poked his head inside.

"Yo, sorry to cut into whatever debate you guys're getting so _excited_ about, but, uh...-" He laughed through his nose and took a sip from his bottle. "Anyone else need somethin' to drink before we hit the last leg here?" Sokka eyeballed the group's intense expressions and his face drained a bit.

"Could I have some water?" Aang choked out.

"Er, _yea,_ 'course ya can," Sokka nervously sputtered, shutting the door and heading back to the building ahead. The heavy silence hung over everyone for a few moments.

"I'm _sorry_ ," Toph solemnly professed, slowly turning her head in an attempt to direct it at Aang, who wasn't looking. "Aang...Babe," she pleaded, her white eyes glassy, tears building. "You know that...Right?"

"Yea," Aang darkly replied, not moving an inch. Toph extended her arm out to him, but he ignored it outright.

Katara's head was shaking with disapproval.

"Unbelievable," she muttered quietly, her eyes burning. She knew she didn't really have the same right as the boy to her left, but she felt betrayed herself. At least she'd gotten the answers she'd been wanting, and now Toph's strange mood as of late seemed to make sense.

Toph took her untouched hand back and let it sag into her lap. She sniffled, covering her face with her hands for a moment.

Sokka arrived, still cheery but a bit shaken by the silence. He passed Aang his bottle of water and started the car up.

"Uh...Everybody OK?" he direly wondered.

"Oh, yea, business as usual," Jane was quick to scoff. "Toph did something stupid. Again."


	46. Need

_What I Learned at SRU_ __  
Chapter 46 - Need  


* * *

\- Saturday, December 18th, 2010 - First day of Christmas break

"-so I was like, 'Aw, fuck _this_ ,' and called over Big Kostya." Korra stretched her arms out. "Now, seriously, Big Kostya's, like... _this_ big - no lie - so he goes to the guy and he's all, 'Vee godda prohblem here?' Oh, _man,_ bastard looked like he was gonna shit his pants. Took off like _that._ " She snapped her fingers with a satisfied grin, and Jane laughed at her story. "Haven't seen him since."

"Ha, wow. What a creep," said Jane. "Good thing you had a spare Russian friend around, right?"

"Fuck yea. You always keep a Russian man in your corner. They've got your back."

"You need it with weirdos like _that_ guy..."

"I've dealt with _all_ kinds..."

"Yea, I've had some odd run-ins myself," Jane bragged, watching Katara pour herself a mug of eggnog.

"You want some?" Katara asked, holding up the cartoon.

"Erm... _Yea,_ sure," Jane complied.

"So are people crazier down south?" Korra wondered. "I've heard some weird-ass stories..."

"Heh...I wish I could say they weren't true, but...yea, everything's bigger in Texas, including the fuckin' whackjobs."

"People's hearts must be bigger down there, too, though," Katara slyly worked in the thought, handing Jane a filled mug.

Jane shrugged, then finally nodded.

"Yea, I mean...People are more outgoing and...stuff. Sure, yea. Like...hospih-...Hosspih-tibble...?"

"Hospitable, yes," Katara giggled. She sipped some of her drink, savoring its thick liquid. "Oh, _God,_ so good," she dreamily hummed.

"Hey, hey, hey," Sokka called out from the living room. "You guys better not drink all the 'nog! Save some for me!"

"We can always get more, ya crybaby," Katara taunted.

"Yea, yea...Anyways, guys, the Tangerine Bear is gonna be on in a few minutes."

Jane's eyes bulged with confusion.

"The _fuck_ is the _Tangerine Bear_?" she chortled.

"Lord," Korra sighed. "And so it begins...He _still_ does this?" she asked Katara, who was smiling wide, eyelids lowered with warm nostalgia.

She nodded in reply and took another sip, making her way to the living room.

"Sokka has this big thing about watching all the kids' Christmas movies every year."

" _Tradition!_ " Sokka decreed boldly as Katara came in and sat on the couch beside him.

"Christ," said Jane, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Sometimes I worry about that cousin of yours, Korra."

"We _all_ do," Korra assured, digging a box of cigarettes out of her back pocket and popping one out. "I'm goin' out for a smoke. You want one?" she offered Jane. Jane bit her lip and shut her eyes with a nervous laugh.

"I quit a while back, I'm trying to stay off it."

"No kiddin'? Good for you, man. Good _luck._ Frick, I don't think I could. Not yet, anyway." Korra zipped up her leather jacket and stuck her winter cap on, heading out into the backyard.

Jane took a large gulp of the spiced eggnog, enjoying the almost alien taste. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had it. She flopped onto the couch besides Katara, who she could giving Aang a worried stare as he drew quietly in the recliner off to the side.

"How are you doing, Aang?" Katara asked. "You thirsty?"

"Nuh-uh...I'm fine."

"What're you drawing?"

"Oh, just...sketches. Just fiddling around."

"Ah. Cool..."

"Where's Gimpy at?" Jane muttered, eyeballing a car commercial on the screen before them.

"Upstairs," Sokka explained.

"She still asleep?" asked Jane incredulously. "It's two in the afternoon..."

"She probably just...-" Katara shrugged, trailing off. "I dunno, probably feels guilty," she concluded with some bitterness.

"Good," said Jane.

"Let her have some space, then," Sokka grumbled. "Have some time to think, all that. Anyway. Bear. With the upside-down smile. It's starting."

* * *

"I'll go get her," Aang sighed, setting down his sketchbook and groaning as he finally removed himself from the recliner. He'd been practically glued to it all afternoon, leaving multiple pages filled with various doodles. Katara passed him by with a steaming hot pan of cornbread, while Sokka was in the kitchen, stirring the tuna salad. Aang trudged across the living room and to the stairs, crawling up and finding his way to Katara's bedroom. The door was closed, so he knocked twice before entering. She was sprawled on her stomach, chin wedged into Katara's pillow, her large green headphone stuck over her head.

Aang hesitated for a moment, studying her profile for a read, but her bangs covered what part of her face wasn't buried. He slowly approached her, calling out her name. She didn't reply, or even budge. Must not have heard him. He extended an arm and tapped at her shoulder. She slowly rolled onto her side and removed the headphones.

"Yea?" Her voice was rusty and small.

"Hey...It's, uh...time for dinner."

"Oh." Toph's brows arced with regret at the sound of his voice and she turned off her iPod, leaving it on the bed as she scooted off. "Would...you help me downstairs?" she mumbled hopefully.

"Sure," Aang complied, taking her hand and leading her along. He was careful not to let their sides touch, staying ahead of her all the while.

They exchanged no words until reaching the dining room, where Toph eked out a "Thanks" before sitting herself down.

"You hungry, Toph?" Hakoda asked, aware of the social situation.

"Actually, yea."

"Good, good. We've got a pretty nice meal set up tonight, so I hope you've brought your appetite."

"Mm..." Toph fiddled her thumbs together.

"Damn, that smells so good," observed Korra with anticipation, pulling up a metal folding seat and sticking herself to Toph's left, rubbing her hands together.

"Hey, is this that homemade cornbread I had last time?" wondered Jane from across the table.

"Sure is," Katara boasted with pride from the living room behind Toph. "My mom's recipe."

Toph's mind was locked onto the impatience of waiting for Aang to sit down. Small talk continued as the table was filled with a few different dishes. At last, the seat to Toph's right scooted, and she heard him sit to her right. She immediately stuck her hand over into his lap, but as it touched, she quickly realized that it was Katara's leg, not Aang's, and her friend's soft hand rubbed itself over her wrist and carefully removed it.

As Sokka and Korra dug into the tuna salad, Katara folded her hands in her lap and bobbed her head, closing her eyes for a moment of silent prayer, her brows furrowing with focus. As they opened, she inhaled peacefully and watched as the others gathered their food. Jane was across from her, with Aang across from Toph, and Sokka and Hakoda residing on each head of the table, while Korra had squeezed herself in between where Toph and Sokka sat. It was a bit of a tight fit, but they had managed to get everything on the table.

"So, how did you guys spend your first day of freedom?" Hakoda inquired, chewing into a leg of chicken.

"We watched some weird Christmas cartoons I never knew existed," said Jane.

"It's just the beginning," Korra warned, scooping a healthy portion of tuna salad onto her plate. "Just you wait, Fitzpatrick. It only gets worse from her."

"I have _barely_ begun," Sokka maniacally announced, raising his hands like a mad scientist.

"God save us all," Hakoda joked.

"I think it's too late for _that,_ Dad," snickered Katara, cutting a square of cornbread out. She watched Aang timidly accept the pasta bowl and scoop his salad out, and noticed Toph was sitting, head bobbed, hands stuck between her thighs. "You...want some cornbread, Toph?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Sure."

Katara gave her slice and glanced across the table.

"We've got some chicken and tuna salad, you want some of both?"

"Yea."

"OK."

Katara did her best not to let out a wary sigh. Aang was acting fairly unresponsive today, while Jane was still antagonistic toward Toph. Even Korra seemed to be ignoring the blind girl, which Katara figured understandable given the context - Korra only knew Aang, not Toph, after all. Sokka was being himself and thus staying out of any and all awkwardness and side-taking, which left Katara feeling responsible to try and look after Toph. As a friend, a roommate...hurt and surprised as she was, she still felt like it was her duty. The afternoon had given her time for her temper to calm down, at least enough to be OK assisting her friend.

Dinner was an odd affair, with Sokka and Korra dominating the conversation, each seemingly trying to verbally out-do the other. Hakoda shared a story about a hobo dressed as Santa that had to be physically removed from a Tim Horton's coffee shop, Katara and Jane shared their experience playing songs at the Fire Cave bar, and Aang and Toph both remained pretty silent throughout, offering simple responses when asked questions and occasional laughs when humor got the better of them.

After dinner, the group ended up huddling around the living room to watch various programming and unwind and when midnight hit, Katara was ready for bed. Everyone's sleeping arrangements weren't ideal, but certainly workable. Sokka and Aang shared the boys' room, while Katara and Jane shared her bed, Toph opting to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag Katara had once used for camping. Korra took the couch, which Katara felt bad about, but her cousin insisted up and down that it wasn't a problem. As she drifted off to sleep, she contemplated how to approach the next day.

* * *

\- Sunday, December 19th, 2010 -

"You sure?" Katara asked with some disappointment.

"Yea, I'm...just not in the mood," Aang yawned, scratching his lean stomach as he followed Katara into the kitchen. She was still in her pajamas, waiting on her coffee to finish and her toaster pastries to cook.

"Oh..." She frowned thoughtfully, drumming her fingers on the counter. "Well, um...I don't think anyone else is going to come, so...m-maybe _I_ shouldn't go, either..."

"Up to you," Aang shrugged with indifference, sitting at a stool across from her.

"Mm. I suppose I'll stay home, then," she decided with some guilt. The Sunday before Christmas, skipping out on church? As far as she could recall, she'd never done such a thing. But going to church alone simply didn't feel right, and her father - the only other one besides Aang she knew would go - was still in bed, resting up from a late night before. "So. Aang. You want some coffee?"

Aang shook his head.

"No, thanks...My stomach's been acting up lately...Coffee would make it worse."

"Maybe some tea, then?"

Aang shrugged drearily.

"Sure..."

Katara eagerly grabbed their water-heater and filled it partway, then plugged it in and switched it on. Her pastries popped out, and she decided to let them cool off as she grabbed a pair of mugs from the hooks above the kitchen counter. Across the way in the living room, Korra murmured something inaudible in her sleep and rolled around, burying her face into the small, decorative couch pillow.

"Sooo...You doing OK?" Katara quietly asked, pouring her coffee. Aang watched her hands, avoiding her inquisitive and concerned gaze.

"Not really," he answered honestly.

"Anything I-... _we_ can do to help?" She scooped a couple spoonfuls of sugar into her drink.

"I don't know."

"All right. Well...I'm...really _worried_ about you two." Katara opened the fridge door, pulling out a container of mocha-flavored creamer. "I mean, you and Toph have been struggling lately as it is, and...-"

"No kidding..."

"I'm just...-" Katara sighed, dumping some creamer into her coffee. She pulled out a spoon from the silverware drawer, shaking her head. "I want what's best for both of you guys..."

"What do you think that is?" Aang asked with a hopeless huff.

Katara stirred her coffee, her insides trembling with doubt and fear for her two friends.

"Um... _Not_ fighting all the time? _Not_ cheating? You both deserve to be happy..."

"Seems like neither of us _are_..."

"Yea..."

Katara couldn't bear to look at his distraught expression and instead diverted her attention to the steaming plastic pitcher behind her. She switched the heater off and unplugged it, filling the second mug with piping hot water.

"Listen, I...-" She hesitated, reaching into the cupboard for an Earl Grey teabag. "Aang, I'm not you, and I don't know what's best, but...I _do_ know you and Toph pretty well by now..."

"And...?"

"And...W-well, it's...-" She sheepishly shrugged, dipping the bag in and out of the water. "I just think you two should... _consider_...that maybe this isn't working..." She treaded very carefully with her words for right now. She wasn't going to try and decide what the correct way was to go about this situation, because she knew there _wasn't_ a "correct way," and she didn't really want to see her two friends go through a breakup...But she couldn't ignore the possibility, and she knew Aang was too loyal a person to seriously consider the idea without someone else bringing it to his attention.

Katara slid the coffee mug across the island to her friend at the stool and studied his face. When she'd brought up the idea, his lips had briefly tightened at the pain of the concept.

"I-I'm not saying...that it's what you should do," she was quick to clarify. "I-I mean, this...this is...a big deal, and...I _know_ you love her. And I know she loves you, too...But it's...you know...a good idea, to...to be open and consider all your options...Th-that's all I'm saying."

"I know," Aang calmly acknowledged, nodding his head as he wrapped his fingers around the mug's handle. Katara fidgeted with her hands, her foot tapping nervously on the tile floor. She took a sip of her coffee, still too hot to gulp down.

"It's-...You know, it's really important in a relationship to...to be able to, like, work stuff out. So you can't just...drop things the second they...they head south, I mean, that's-...It'd be stupid." She sighed in spite of her own rambling and pushed disheveled bed bangs from her eyes. "I really think you two-..." She drank a bit more. "Well, I mean, you need to...try working this out, you know?"

"Mm-hm..." Aang sipped at his tea.

"I'd just hate to see you two keep...being stuck in...in a place where you're both hurting..."

"Yea."

"A-anyway, so...that's-...I mean, I don't know what else to say."

"It's OK. You're right, we... _seriously_ need to either change something, or...stop trying..."

"Exactly. Right. And, like...you've _seen_ how she's been: she's torn up. She feels really bad."

"Yea, well...She does _now,_ after she's been caught..."

"I know, I _know_...But she loves you so much, Aang."

"Obviously not _enough_ ," Aang disagreed with some resentment. "And it's, like...she's _right_ , though _._ "

"Huh...?"

"I'm so...freaking...I dunno, like, I'm so messed _up_ that I'm not a good enough boyfriend where I can't make her happy, and...she needs to-"  
"No, stop it."

Aang's down-putting rant was cut short, and he looked up at Katara as she firmly shook her head.

"This isn't your fault. It's _not._ " She glared at him, sapphire eyes ablaze with adamant resolve. "Don't you even _try_ blaming this on yourself, Aang Leekpai."

He frowned at her, and her eyes welled up at the sight of his self-doubt.

"I'm not _perfect,_ Katara," he insisted coldly. "I've made mistakes, too."

"But...that doesn't mean you _deserve_ this." Now she was beginning to get shaky, her fingers quivering around her mug, which she set down.

"Yea? Well...Toph should have a boyfriend who's...going to give her the attention _she_ deserves..."

"That's-...Who says you _can't_ be that person?"

"I...I don't _know_ if I can," Aang grumbled.

"What about what _you_ deserve? Huh?" She thrust her palms up, her head pushed forward. "You're so-...Argh..." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. This wasn't even her relationship, why was she getting so worked up? "You know what your guys' problem is?"

Aang raised a discouraged brow, allowing her to continue.

Korra groaned in the background, and Katara blinked at the couch for a moment until the noise settled. She lowered her voice and leaned over the island counter, pointing her finger at Aang and rattling out her thoughts with a rushed, heightened whisper.

"You're so...freaking worried about giving Toph what she wants that you're ignoring what _you **need.**_ And then...then you can't be yourself, and... _then_ you can't be the Aang that _Toph_ needs. And...like... _she's_ so wrapped up in what she _thinks_ she needs, she's ignoring what _you_ want. Maybe you should stop thinking about Toph for a minute and think about _you,_ and let her think about _her._ Because...I mean, if you two can't be happy with yourselves, how can you expect to be happy with _each other?_ " Her thoughts spilled out into the open, she puffed out air through her flared nostrils and rubbed at her eyes, turning away and letting the steam billow out. She was getting super involved here. The 'Katara-needs-to-fix-everything' complaints started buzzing in her ears. "I'm sorry," she muttered a few moments later, staring out the back window. "But I'm so sick of seeing you two get hurt," she reiterated her cause.

"It's...it's OK, Katara, we'll...figure this out. I-I mean, I might just not...be...-" Aang grimaced and shrugged. "-... _manly_ enough, or something. M-maybe I need to grow up and try-"  
"You're more manly than you think," Katara insisted, that fire back in her eyes. "A lesser man would've ditched her the second they knew she'd cheated. But you-...It's like that didn't even occur to you."

"I...guess. Yea...I want to try and make this work...You know?"

"For you, Aang, it's like forgiving her wasn't even a choice, it's just how you _are_." Katara turned around to see his face brightening at her words. "Maybe you don't get it, but...that's _hard_ for most people." He popped his shoulders up at this comment.

"W-well, some things are...hard for _me,_ too, like...being all...intimate...with my own girlfriend...I mean, jeez...Who has trouble with _that_?"

"It's not the _same,_ Aang. And, well...don't let that get to you, different people go at different paces. Listen." She squinted, veiling her eyes with her fingers for a moment. "Being...a _man_? It's...not about all that crap, anyway. OK? It's about being true to yourself. That's how you _usually_ are. You need to stop letting yourself doubt who you really are, and stop letting other people tell you who to be. _That's_ how you act like adult. You know how everyone says how girls need a guy who's confident, right? Well...It doesn't mean someone who's _full of himself._ It means someone who's happy with who they are."

"O-OK..." Aang was staring at her with wide, confused eyes.

"You are... _such_ a great guy. You should be happy with who you are. Stop being so... _down_ on yourself. Yea, you make mistakes. Everyone does. Don't get so hung up on that. OK?"

Aang nodded quickly, and Katara could see she had his attention.

"Stop letting Toph push you around, and just...be _you_. You're upset, but you haven't yelled at her about it, you haven't cheated on her, and frankly, you haven't given her reason to cheat on _you._ She made that choice, _not_ you. You're handling this...more maturely than most people your age would. Pff. More than most people in general. And anyway, if Toph can't appreciate you the way you are _right now,_ just who you are in this moment, she's _never_ going to be happy with you."

"But...but aren't people supposed to grow and change and stuff like that? I thought we're supposed to make each other become better people..."

"Of _course,_ Aang. Yea. Definitely. But you need to both be happy with who you are right _now,_ or there's no point." Katara swallowed more coffee as she recalled the doubts she had about Jet the first day they'd dated. She'd thought he'd change, get better, and that had been incorrect. "You can't... _expect_ people to change..."

"So...So what do I _do?_ What do both me _and_ her do?"

"I...don't _know,_ " Katara spat, slurping back at her coffee. She waved her arm while she gulped, and continued after she pulled the mug away. "There's no right answer here, Aang. You and Toph need to figure out what's best for both of you..."

"And I just...need to follow through on my own decisions," Aang deciphered. "That's what you're saying."

"Yes. That's what I'm saying."

"So I should think about what I want, not what Toph wants?"

"Well...Right now? _Yea._ "

"Hm..."

"What _do_ you want, Aang?"

" **...ahrrrghmmm...** "

Korra's head lifted up and she yawned, stretching out her arms.

"God," she grumbled, crossing her legs and wrapping her blanket around herself. "What are you two arguing about?" she whined. "Isn't it...too early to argue...about shit...?"

Katara's jaw dropped a bit as her eyes darted to the digital clock on the stove.

"It's...almost eleven," she defended. "And...we weren't _arguing..._ "

"Psh...yeah, _OK._ Makin' a lotta noise, what _ever_ you're doing..."

"Sorry," Aang quickly apologized, swiveling the stool's seat to face her.

"It's fine, it's fine," Korra settled, flashing out her hand. "You college kids can have your damned drama for all I care..."

Katara's lips tilted with resent at the statement. She bit her tongue and refocused on her toaster pastries, still patiently waiting to be eaten. She took them out and slapped them onto the plate she'd set down.

"Um...So, you hungry?"

"I guess..."

"I'll make you a couple of these. Sound good?"

"Sure."

Katara took a big bite out of one, the gooey berry filling a relief through this stressful encounter. She retrieved Aang's breakfast and plunked it into the toaster. Another bite, another sip, watching him wallow in his realization of the difficult choice ahead of him.

She walked around the counter and, without warning, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his back, squeezing tight.

"Everything's gonna be all right, Bud. We're all here for you. For _both_ of you. OK?" She lifted herself off and patted his head affectionately, watching him nod.

"Thanks."

"Any time."

"Yo," Korra called out, staring at them with a grumpy, bewildered expression. "Kat, can you get me a Molson from the fridge?"

Katara nodded courteously and went to the fridge, her mind not quite processing her cousin's request with everything else going on. When she got there, she gawked around, confused.

"Wait, um...What was that, again?"

"A Molson? The beer? Should be some in the door."

Katara picked up a bottle and shook her head, walking over to the living room with a humored expression.

" _Really?_ " she teased. "You're drinking beer first thing on a Sunday morning?"

"Breakfast of fuckin' _champions,_ Cousin, haha..." Korra pulled out her keychain from her pocket and popped open her bottle, letting the cap fall to the living room floor.

"Oh, my word..." Katara smirked at the sight of the young woman, huddled under a blanket, guzzling the bottle like a thirsty infant.

* * *

Sokka burst through the front door, grunting as he dragged the black case in along with him.

"The hell have _you_ been?" Jane wondered, crunching on some caramel popcorn from the couch.

"Made a stop to Uncle Bato's place." Sokka kicked off his boots.

"Who's that?"

Sokka pulled off his coat and hung it on the coat rack as he replied.

"Er, technically, he's not our uncle, but he's a friend of the family."

"Ah. So...Why did you bring a guitar case...?"

Sokka nodded with a smirk and scanned the living room, which only contained Jane and Korra.

Sokka popped open the case and pulled the weathered acoustic instrument out.

"I thought maybe having a guitar to play might...I dunno, help Toph out a bit..."

"Oh..." Jane instantly became disinterested, which Sokka expected. He wasn't terribly keen on Toph's actions of late, either, but at his sister's advice, he figured he'd try and show some good will by giving her an outlet to occupy herself.

"Shit, is that the one Bato used to play when we were _kids?_ " Korra chuckled incredulously, noting the familiar device.

"One and the same," Sokka proudly declared. "He said he hasn't touched it in ages, so he didn't mind if we borrowed it for a while."

"Why didn't Toph bring her own guitar if she wanted to play?" Jane asked.

"Well, er...We didn't really have _room,_ remember?"

"Oh...Right..."

"And it's not like she can really watch TV...Where _is_ Toph, anyway?"

"Upstairs," Jane bobbed her head, her gaze remaining stuck to the screen before her.

Sokka lugged the antique upstairs and saw that Katara's door was open, her room empty, while the door to his own room was closed. He knocked twice and entered, seeing Aang and Toph sitting side by side on his bed, both wearing disparaging looks. Sokka's instinct was to make a joke about how they'd better not have been doing naughty things on his bed, but his self-restraint kicked in just in time to prevent this reflex.

"Hey, guys," he calmly greeted. "Er, I didn't mean to...-"

"It's OK," Toph muttered. "We were just, uh...-"  
"Talking," Aang finished her sentence.

"Right."

"OK." Sokka raised a brow at Aang, who shrugged, eyes drained of energy. "So, yea. I managed to get that guitar for ya, Toph."

"Oh...Really?"

"Sure did. It's right here." He carefully extended it to Toph's lap, and she took it with the same caution one does an infant.

"Thanks," said Aang to Sokka, who nodded. Aang turned back to Toph as he stood up from the bed. "That's cool, you can...play your music and stuff." He spoke with some tired relief.

"Yea..." Toph grasped the instrument and plucked a few strings with her fingers.

"And...yea. If you want to record something, we can do that, too," Sokka added, hands in his pockets.

"'Kay. Thanks, MeatHead."

"No problem."

Aang glanced at Sokka with some trepidation, and he could see the worry in his friend's face quite clearly.

"Hey, er, Aang...Why don't we let Toph jam a bit and...we'll go get some lunch?"

"Sure. Toph, you want us to...make you something? You hungry?"

"Oh, uhh...Y-yea. Kinda."

"Anything...in particular?"

"Nah, just...Ya know. Whatever."

"All right..."

The boys filtered out, closing the door behind them as guitar strings vibrated from within the room. Sokka was glad to be out of the bubble of social awkwardness, at any rate.

" _So._ You guys...talked?"

"Yea, it's...weird. I don't even know what we're doing..."

"Sounds tricky."

"Mm-hm."

"Well, hey, man, just don't forget that we're all here for both of you guys. Ya know?"

"Yea." Aang took a deep breath as they hit the bottom of the stairs. "Thanks, Sokka."

"Hey, where'd Katara go?" Sokka suddenly inquired as they entered the kitchen. Aang shrugged, brows up to indicate his lack of knowledge.

"She went for a walk," Jane explained.

"She was...freaking _out,_ " Korra iterated.

"Huh?" Sokka was perplexed.

"What _was_ she yelling about?" Jane asked with curiosity. "I could hear you and her from upstairs for a bit there..."

"Nah, it was...stupid, she was overreacting," Korra dismissed. "I told her she should take a walk, cool hr jets. I dunno what her issue is today..."

"She _did_ seem kind of...like...touchy," Aang mumbled, nodding with some agreement. "This morning, I mean," he clarified to Sokka.

"Yea, she fuckin' woke me up," groaned Korra. "Isn't she supposed to get _better_ when school's over?"

"Whh...-" Sokka gave pause, contemplating what could be the matter. "Uhhh, yea. I-I mean, usually. What did you say that got her upset?" he asked Korra with a tint of suspicion.

Korra rolled her eyes and turned her head away.

"I don't know, she just...blew a damned lid. _You_ know how she gets..."

Sokka caught a glance of Jane who was churning equally suspicious thoughts in regards to the situation, as if she seemed to have an idea. Korra huffed off the whole matter.

"I'm sure she'll be better when she gets back," Aang concluded, eager to put everyone at ease. "So, Sokka...Lunch?"

"Oh, right."

* * *

"She's all set, Dead-Eyes."

"'Bout damned time, I thought you were fallin' asleep over there, Snoozles."

"Nah, that'll happen once I start hearing you _play_."

"Ohhhh," Toph mocked. "Funny-funny."

"Anyway, yea. So just tell me when you want me to start recording."

Toph fidgeted on Sokka's bed, sitting cross-legged in her sweat pants and T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Everything look...good?" she wondered dubiously.

" _Well,_ I mean, as good as we can make _you_ look..."

"Haaaahaaa- _shut up._ Dick..."

"Callin' 'em like I _see_ them," Sokka joked mercilessly. "I guess it'd be hard for you to, like...get that. Since you can't-"  
" _Yea-yea-yea._ Cut the chatter and let me get to my work."

"Whoaaaa, OK." Hm. The humor angle didn't seem to be playing out quite as well as Sokka had hoped.

"Where's Aang?" Toph testily grumbled.

"Downstairs."

"Right. Could you, like...make sure he doesn't come up until I'm done?"

"Huh?"

"I...don't want anyone interrupting me," she murmured with a frown. "OK? Just...Yea."

"Sure, no problem. You got it."

"'Kay. So...You can start recording. And leave. I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Uhh...Sure." Sokka pressed the button on the video recorder and flashed a thumbs-up, immediately realizing this was a useless gesture in this case. "You're on."

He took a few steps back, opened the door, and closed it, remaining inside the room. Toph sighed, her brows arced with irritation.

"Hey, Asswipe, I know you're still _here_ ," she growled. "I need solitude here. Ya fuckin' mind?"

"Worth a shot," Sokka squeaked, swiftly exiting the room. He took some slow steps toward the bathroom and closed the door, but remained in the hall, curious. He could make out her talking to the camera but couldn't hear what she was saying. The guitar strumming picked up, though, and she sung.

"~Yesterday~all my troubles seemed so far away~Now it looks as though they're here to stay~Oh, I believe in Yesterday~"

Sokka soaked in the gentle chords and her voice, lamenting the circumstances his friend was stuck in.

"~Suddenly, I'm not half the girl I used to be~There's a shadow hanging over me~Oh, Yesterday came suddenly~"

He suddenly regretted peeping in on her music, now comprehending why she was needing privacy.

"~Why she had to go, I don't know, she wouldn't say~I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday~"

Sokka knew Toph was a stubborn one who didn't really let him in - or most people, really - and he now understood that this was her way of getting those things out.

~Yesterday~love was such an easy game to play~Now I need a place to hide away~Oh, I believe in yesterday~"

He carefully made his way down the stairs, scratching at his head as he considered what he could do to help his two romantically troubled friends. He came to the living room to see Aang drawing more doodles, the television set on a channel that was playing recordings of Christmas carols. He quietly rested himself onto the couch and took in the powerful orchestra like one takes in a warm hot cocoa after a walk in the cold. Oh, wait - maybe he felt like that because Jane and Katara ere drinking some over in the kitchen. He suddenly had an urge for some, but was too lazy to get up now that he was relaxed. And for that matter, he couldn't hear their discussion, but he could see the look in their faces that it was some manner of girl-gossip.

"Ya know," he said to Aang peacefully. "This is nice."

Aang looked up from his drawing and smiled at his friend, who was pointing his arms out to the Christmas tree, its gentle lights casting a glow across the room. The ornaments weren't yet hung, as was Kesuk tradition, but the tinsel and lights were still a elegant sight.

"Yea. It is," Aang agreed with a satisfied nod before they both went back to appreciating one another's company in the bask of the holiday spirit.

Over in the kitchen, Katara was fuming, but keeping her voice low enough where it'd be drowned out by the music.

"Seriously. Can you _believe_ she'd say something like that?"

"Heh, _yea,_ I can," Jane chuckled. "Your cousin seems pretty blunt."

"No kidding."

"Kinda ignorant, too. I mean, it's not like she _knows_ all of what's going on."

"Right? I know...Exactly. So it just-...Urgh. It made me so _mad,_ that she would accuse me of that..."

"Yea, yea. I get it. I mean, it's not _like_ that, right?"

" _No_! Not...not at all. Of _course_ not."

"So she's just assuming shit. Don't let it get to you. She doesn't know any better and it doesn't do anyone no good."

"Yea..." Katara huffed, running her hand through her hair and setting her mug down on the counter, arms crossed.

"Prolly was just trying to look out for you."

"I guess..." Katara grumbled, her eyes smoldering with indignation.

"Hey, Kat. Listen, uhhh...Are you _sure_ you're OK?"

"What? O-of course I'm OK. I'm fine. Fine."

"'Cuz...Just saying...you seem really on edge today..."

"Wh-? No, no. I'm...a little worried. That's all. About Aang and Toph."

"Yeeaa..." She skeptically scratched her chin. She knew this was true, but still... "Everyone's been saying how...I-I dunno, how you seem to be overreacting a bit...To everything."

"That's...-! I'm-...I don't know what you're talking about, things are...-" Katara's grip around her own arms tightened, and Jane placed her own mug down, grabbing her friend's hands and making them detach.

"You takin' your meds?" Jane sternly asked in an even more hushed tone. Katara's eyes popped wide with surprise for a split-second before her brows furrowed.

"What does that...-?"

"Soooo...That's a 'no,' then," Jane swiftly concluded with a snarky look that said, 'You wanna keep playing the lying game? 'Cuz I'll win.'

"I don't...see why it _matters,_ " Katara bitterly groaned. "It's _my_ meds, it's _my_ business. It's not like I need them..."

"But if you don't take 'em it's gonna...cause some _issues,_ " Jane pointed out, jabbing Katara in the breast with a sharp finger. "If I didn't take _my_ meds, it'd give _me_ some problems." She pointed to herself now. "You wanna see that?"

"N-no, of course not," Katara quickly complied, knowing full well about the hormonal medications Jane had to take regularly because of her condition.

"Right. So...When was the last time you took _yours?_ " Jane knew they were supposed to be taken daily.

"A...a few days ago." At least she was being honest again.

Their conversation was interrupted by Sokka, who belted out loud song lyrics from the couch with the enthusiasm of a sugar-hopped tike.

" **~DON WE NOW OUR GAAAAAAY APPAREL!~** "

Both girls turned their heads to gawk at Sokka with perplexation, and he goofily stared back with a toothy smile.

Katara rolled her eyes and huffed, Jane shook her head, and back they went to their serious conversation in quieted tones.

" _So._ We don't like seeing _you_ fuckin'...wiggin' out 'cuz you're being stubborn. Take your pills, Kat." She let go of her friend's shoulder with a solemn stare. "I mean it."

"Y-yea, OK," Katara hurriedly assured, jittering her hands around as she spoke. "I'm...sorry, I-I didn't realize...-"

"Hey, _whoa,_ chill. Just...take your medicine. And feel better. And shit." She snickered. "OK?"

"R-right." Katara sputtered a nervous laugh.

As the TV started playing "Jingle Bells," Hakoda and Korra entered the house, each bearing a paper bag of groceries.

"Hey, guys," greeted the man of the house. "Ah. Looks like we're really getting into the Christmas spirit, eh?"

"Damn straight," Sokka cried, getting up from his seat. "You guys need any help?"

"Nah, we're good," Korra dismissed him. "Back to your laziness."

"Don't gotta tell me twice." Sokka gleefully plopped back down.

Katara quickly grabbed her cup and rounded through the kitchen doorway, into the living room space, and sat at one of the stools, making room for her family to put things away. Jane followed suit.

"Hey, ladies," Korra greeted putting her bag on the island before them. "You doin' better, Kittie-Kat?" She winked at her cousin, who grimaced.

"Don't call me that," Katara groaned with a sigh.

"Sorry, sorry," Korra spat out. "Messin' with ya, Cousin. You OK?"

"I guess," Katara grumbled with a tinge of irritation.

"Hey...Forget that stuff I said earlier. All right? Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers."

"Oh, that's...-" Katara's face flushed a bit, her eyes darting to the side. "Thanks," she muttered out, supposing this was Korra's way of apologizing. "And, um... _I_ didn't mean to...totally freak out."

"Done and done, no harm, no foul."

"So it's going to be some leftovers for tonight, guys," Hakoda announced. " _But,_ I did pick up some mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert."

"Woo!"  
"Nice!"

"Haha, the boys sure are easy to please, aren't they?" noted Hakoda.

"Little things amuse little minds," Jane loudly decreed.

"Aw," Aang cried.

"Damn, Shamrocks! It's the season of _joy_ and _love._ Why must you be such a bitch?"

"In my blood, I guess." Jane grinned, finishing off her hot cocoa.

"One of these days," Katara advised sneakily. "you ought to show that stupid brother of mine why they call you 'Fighting Irish.'"

" _Oh,_ you can count on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> The Tangerine Bear:  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=beGhi_CQrtg
> 
> Yesterday by the Beatles:  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=T_SDHfswB30
> 
> Christmas Carol Medley:  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=_CA2vdo9eOk


	47. Cut Loose

_What I Learned at SRU_  
 _Chapter 47 - Cut Loose_

* * *

\- Monday, December 20th, 2010 -

" _Ohhhh,_ come _awwwnnn_ ," Sokka roared at the TV screen. "I swear, the computer has it out for me..."

"That's why it's called 'Chance Time,'" Aang teased. "There's a chance you can get screwed."

Sokka fumed, gripping his controller in his hand like an angry drunk holding a half empty bottle.

"Yea? Well...Princess Peach is...a whore," he grumbled. "Sooo...Hmph. Who needs her, anyway? Stealing my damned stars...grumgpllgflff..."

"Now we can both have zero stars _together,_ " Aang laughed.

"I _never_ beat you at Nintendo stuff," Sokka whined. "I was finally _winning_ for a change, too..."

"There's still, like...ten turns left," Aang shed optimism. "We still got this. Now c'mon, there's another minigame coming up."

"Aang had brought his Nintendo Wii along for the vacation, and Sokka had decided that morning that it was high time to make use of it. The two of them were knee-deep in a retro game Aang had downloaded onto his system, sitting on the floor in front of the TV.

"Dude, you guys are losing," Korra observed casually as she came from the kitchen, munching on a package of snack crackers.

"Not for long," cried Sokka as the screen changed.

"Whoa, what the _hell_? You're...riding in tanks?"

"We sure are," Aang chuckled, navigating his slow vehicle with care, a green shell with treads, a canon, and a Yoshi head sticking out on top.

"You guys are _still_ playing that?" Jane mumbled with a sigh as she and Katara came from the stairway.

"It can take a while," Aang explained.

" _Ahahaha_ , suck it, Peach!"

"Nice one, Sokka."

"Oh, oh, ohhhh! Who's gonna win?" Korra called as Aang and Sokka were the last two left, firing canon shots at one another. Sokka's Donkey Kong tank was sent flying through the air in a comical fashion, leaving Aang the victor and the recipient of some cheers.

"You got _served_ ," Korra picked on her cousin.

"Second place is better than third."

"Anyone else want to play?" Aang wondered, receiving some shakes of the head. "We could save and turn this off and put on something else," he added.

"Like bowling?" said Katara.

"Haha, like bowling."

Katara gave Jane a curious glance and Jane shrugged in compliance.

"Sure, I'm down."

"Let's do it, then," Aang declared, entering the Wii Home menu and exiting the game.

" _Heyyyy,_ we weren't done!" Sokka groaned.

"It saved our progress, crybaby," Aang poked, smacking Sokka on the arm. "We've been hogging the TV for a while. We should share."

"Yea, yea, OK..." Sokka let out an exaggerated huff and shrugged. "I _guess_ women are allowed to play video games, too..."

"You _guess_?" Jane snipped, giving her friend a sharp jab on the back.

"I _guess_ ," Sokka reiterated. "Besides, what do you need to worry about? You don't count as a woman, anyway."

Jane flashed him a surprised look of offense and punched him again.

"All right, _children_ ," Katara mocked them as she sat down beside Korra on the couch. "Let's settle down."

"Yes, _Mother_ ," Sokka taunted back.

Aang booted up Wii Sports Resort and dug out his Wii remote, handing it to Katara.

"Hey, you guys can play, I'm gonna go check on Toph," he explained to her quietly while Jane and Sokka traded insults.

"Yea, all right," Katara gently responded, taking the controller.

As Aang quietly retreated upstairs, he could hear Toph plinking away a gentle melody. It was cut short, started back up again, stopped...She repeated the part she was tripping up on a couple of times before she took off. Aang lingered just outside the door and listened for a bit, taken by her voice, the bare emotions she sung out as he recalled their talk from the day prior.

"~I took my love and I took it down~I climbed a mountain and I turned around~"

His hands reaching out, only to be pushed aside. Rejected. Undesired.

"~And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills~'Til the landslide brought me down~"

Guilt on her shoulders like a massive weight. Insecurity over his head like a thundercloud.

"~Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?~Can the child in my heart rise above?~"

_"What do we do from here, Toph? Where do we go? What can I do to...make this better?"_

"~Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?~Can I handle the seasons of my life?~"

 _"Well, maybe you need to...fucking_ grow up, _Twinkle-Toes...Shit happens..._ I _don't know...Why are you asking_ me? _"_

"~Well, I've been afraid of changing~'Cause I've built my life around you~"

A sigh from her cold lips.

 _"Like I know what the hell_ I'm _doing...I thought_ you'd _know..."_

"~But time makes you bolder~Children get older~And I'm getting older, too~"

His body lunging forward, squeezing her in a rough embrace.

 _"All_ I _know is...I'm afraid of losing this, Toph..."_

"~I'm getting older, too~"

Aang cracked the door open slowly and entered. Toph's fingers continued to pluck away, her eyes glazed and solemn.

"Who is it?" she forced out over her own music.

"It's me."

"...Hey..."

"That's, a...er...It's a nice song. Kind of...sad..."

"Yea...Kinda the point. I guess."

Aang cleared his throat and laid down on the bed behind where Toph sat on its side.

"So, uh...You can, ya know...keep playing. I'd like to hear the rest."

"Y-yea. All right..."

* * *

\- Tuesday, December 21st, 2010 -

"Between us, I'm honestly thinking of quitting before the year is out."

"Say what? _Quit_?" Jane seemed appalled. "Why would you quit?"

Korra shook her head, staring thoughtfully at the floor.

"The big cheese and I don't see eye to eye, which is gettin' outta hand. And I need to stretch my fuckin' _wings,_ ya know? Try somethin' new, be my own boss."

"I hear ya..." Jane paused, contemplating an idea that popped into her mind. "Ya know, hell, you should look into the bar downtown by our school. They need new management."

"No shit?"

"Yea. They literally got shut down 'cuz the old manager got the boot. I _bet_ they need a new one."

"Damn." Korra tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I'm not picky right now, and there's _nothin'_ out here for me, no openings right now."

"Seriously, look into it. And hey, you'd be right nearby, we'd get to see you all the time."

"Heh, not sure I want _that_ ," Korra laughed, shoving Jane on the arm.

"What don't you want?" Katara inquired blindly, coming into the kitchen from the living room, where the others were watching a Christmas comedy.

"Oh, ha. The Irish one here says there's bar near your school that needs new management."

"Oh?" Katara cast a curious glance to Jane.

"Yea, the Treetop," Jane quickly confirmed. "Sneers got the boot. Fuck, he got _arressted_ ," she added with a satisfied chuckle.

" _Really_?" Katara was instantly intrigued.

"The whole Freedom Fighter op is done. Over."

"Wow...That's...great. How did you find out?"

"It was in the newspaper," Jane was fast to explain.

"Oh, wow." Katara nodded, crossing her arms thoughtfully.

"Wait, say what now?" Korra mumbled, lost.

"What _happened_?" Katara asked, brows furrowed.

"Uh, well, the paper said some serious shit went down. Shots fired, whole nine yards."

Katara's eyes popped wide.

"Whoa...W-well...God, is everyone OK?"

"Er, I-I'm not sure, some got put in the hospital, and...-"

Katara glared at Jane with concern with a look that expressed fear for Johnny's safety.

"Johnny got...pretty messed up," Jane sheepishly admitted.

"My God, I'm sorry," Katara murmured, rubbing Jane's shoulder.

"Who are we talking about?" Korra firmly demanded with impatient.

"Oh, the Freedom Fighters, they used to be this gang that hung out at the bar all the time."

"Yea, Jane used to be one of them," Katara pointed out. "Good thing she _left_..."

"Yea, no kidding," Jane sighed, feeling queasy at maintaining a veil of ignorance about the entire thing. Perhaps she should've been more careful about bringing the whole thing up and waiting until Katara wasn't around. Too late to take it back, though.

"Whoa, wait...This the same gang that...-?" Korra gave cautious pause.

"Yea, my ex," Katara mumbled with dismissal, filling in Korra's blank.

"It's how I met Kat," Jane explained solemnly.

The television teamed up with laughter from the next room to interrupt their conversation.

[" **PUT DAT COOKIE DAHOWN! _NOW_!** "]

" _Whoa,_ don't get between a man and his _cookie_ ," Toph giggled.

"Yea, no kidding," Sokka agreed.

"Sounds like he cares more about the cookie than his _wife_ ," Aang observed, humored.

Katara lingered her attention on their banter in an effort to avoid confronting her memories.

"So, erm...About the bar, then," Korra poked in, setting things back on track. "I should call this guy, you're sayin'?"

"Totally. Couldn't hurt. Would you _really_ wanna make the move, though, if you got it?"

Korra balked at Jane's concern.

"Listen here: I'm sick of this place I'm working at these days. Retarded hours, psycho customers, blow-hard boss...And I can't find a God damn opening anywhere around here. Skipping town wouldn't hurt a bit. Fuck, probably would be a _good_ thing."

"Have a history you're trying to get away from, too, huh?" Jane theorized with an observant glance.

"Maybe," Korra conceded with a shrug.

"Heh. I know how _that_ goes...Let's go hop on one of the computers, look up the guy's number for ya."

"Let's do it up." Korra strolled out to the living room to ask Aang if they could borrow his laptop.

"Hey, uh...Kat?" Jane tapped her friend on the shoulder, stirring her out of her stupor. "I'm gonna go help your cousin and crap. You, uh...need anything?"

"Huh? Wh-...No, I'm fine." Katara gave her a perplexed glance, as if to ask what it is she looked in need of. She briskly pushed it aside. "Yea, go ahead and help her."

"Go take a seat or something," Jane eased. "'Stead of standin' around the kitchen staring into the next room like an idiot." She slapped Katara's back as she took off, and Katara smiled warily.

"Yea, come watch the movie with us," Aang called out to her.

Katara gave in and entered the living room while Korra and Jane scurried upstairs. Toph was on the recliner while Sokka and Aang sat on the couch with Hakoda. Hakoda rose up with a yawn and passed by his daughter, giving her an affection pat on the arm.

"This old man needs his sleep," he groaned. "Try not to stay up too late tonight, guys. I've got an early start tomorrow."

"No problem, Dad," Sokka assured. "We'll head to bed as soon as this movie's done."

"Good night, everyone." Hakoda waved as he entered the hall where the stairs rested.

"Night!"  
"Good night, Dad."  
"Good night."  
"See ya."

Katara plopped herself down inbetween the boys and ignored the ongoing film for a few seconds to relish the moment: it was like good old times the year prior, the four of them and a movie - Toph was even off to herself, just like she had used to be in the earlier days. It had been a year since the blind girl had joined this group of theirs, and while a lot had changed, the past few weeks had seen a lot revert to the way they had once been. Katara couldn't help pondering the possibilities of what another year could rearrange.

* * *

\- Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 -

"Say _what?_ I've been...-" Toph's jaw dropped. "We can _drink_ out here?"

"Uh, _yea_ ," Korra muttered with a shrug. "Why not?"

"I thought we weren't old enough!"

"Didn't you just turn, like, twenty?" Sokka recalled.

"Yea..."

"Oh, _ha._ " Sokka chuckled and nodded his head up at Korra. "Down there they have to be twenty _one_ to drink."

" _Shit,_ that's retarded..." Korra rolled her eyes. "OK. We're going out tonight, and I'm gettin' everybody some drinks. That'll be my Christmas present to all you."

"Sounds good to _me_ ," Toph cheered.

"I'm down," Jane concurred with a grin.

Katara, hiding in the back of the crowd, scowled at the prospect. The age for drinking in their region meant that everyone present was officially legal.

"Let's go, then," Sokka encouraged calmly. "You comin', Sis?"

"Uh...I, um...-"

"I think I'll go, too," Aang decided after some hesitation. With affirmation, he set down his sketchpad and wandered to Toph's side, clutching her hand. Her excitement was diluted at their contact and she calmed herself with a sullen sigh. Katara got the inkling that Toph wasn't expecting Aang to come and his presence made her feel less excited about it.

"You're not going to stay here alone, are you?" Hakoda skeptically wondered from the kitchen while everyone shuffled into their coats. "Go on, Katara."

"But... _Dad_ ," Katara grumbled, leaving her brother's side and sneaking to her father in the adjacent room. "You...You're OK with this?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Be-because-...Well, it's-...What about...-?"

"Katara." Hakoda gave his daughter a quick hug. "Your brother's learning to cope with it. I think you should, too. Go out, you'll have fun."

Katara shrugged and offered a nervous smile.

"Sure...Y-yea, I'll...give it a shot."

" _Ha_ ," laughed Toph. "She means _literally._ "

Katara's eyes dulled at the comment. She had no intentions of drinking any shots, she simply wanted to be a part of the social event. As Katara sighed to herself and trudged behind the group that was piling out the door, Hakoda bid them farewell.

Since Akiak was a pretty small town, the bar that Hakoda had suggested Korra visit was within walking distance, so the group made smalltalk as they trudged through the bitter winter evening. Sokka made sure to point out that they had yet to watch through the "proper" Christmas films and bragged of how he still had VHS tapes containing the 60's classics "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman," while Katara pointed out that if they were going to watch those then "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" were musts, as well.

"If we were Winnie the Pooh characters," Jane theorized, "then Katara would be Rabbit."

" _What?_ " Katara whimpered.

"You know it's truth," Jane countered, squeezing Katara at the hip and smirking at her blush.

"That makes me Tigger, then, doesn't it?" Sokka boasted.

"Then Aang's _Piglet,_ " Korra teased.

"Hey, Piglet is awesome," Aang contested. "Don't diss Piglet."

"Well, who am _I,_ then?" Toph demanded.

"Gopher," Sokka decided quite quickly. "Obviously."

"Who's _that_?"

"The guy who whistles when he talks?"

"Hm..." Toph frowned, clearly confused.

"Korra can be Roo," Katara concluded, "And if I'm Rabbit, that makes Jane..." She slyly tapped at her cheek. "...Kessie."

"Who the fuck is _that_?"

"Heehee."

"Why do I feel like I'm being mocked?"

"Who's _Kessie_?" Aang wondered.

"Are you making up Winnie the Pooh characters?" Sokka called her out.

"No way!" Katara defended. "It's not _my_ fault none of you are up on your Pooh lore."

"Good _God_ ," sighed Sokka.

"Hey, don't even give me that," snipped Katara competitively. "You had your...your Digimon obsession, and your-"  
"Hey, I grew up when Digimon stopped being cool."

"Winnie the Pooh never _stopped_ being cool," Katara defied with a boisterous "Hmph."

"What about a Charlie Brown Christmas?" Aang inquired.

"Have that one, too," Sokka complied. " _Of course._ Another classic."

"The only Christmas cartoon _I_ ever liked was the Grinch," Korra scoffed.

"Have you covered, as well."

"What, do you collect kid's movies, or something?" Toph accused with amusement.

"I did when I was a _kid,_ " Sokka clarified. "No use throwing away perfectly good films, you know. What about you, then?"

"What _about_ me?"

"Didn't you have any Christmas stuff you liked as a kid?"

"My parents weren't exactly big on getting together around the TV with me, for _obvious reasons._ " She suddenly bit with a defensive tone.

"Er...Y-yea, sorry," Sokka eased. "No worries, we'll introduce ya to some good ones."

"A lot of the classics have lots of music," Katara tossed in. Toph sighed at this, blowing her bangs from her face.

"We take a left here?" Korra probed, slowing to a stop at the street corner they reached.

"Yea," confirmed Sokka, pointing out their destination in the distance.

"Ya know what I need to do?" Korra randomly threw her thoughts out.

"What's that?" Jane took the bait.

"I need to go fucking _snowboarding._ "

"You snowboard?"

" _Oh yes._ Hell yes, I do."

"Bad-ass."

"Why, do you?"

" _Baha,_ like hell I do," Jane chuckled. "I've never even been on a mountain, or...snow...boarding place."

"You're missin' out, man."

"I have to agree with Korra, for a change," said Sokka. "There's nothing quite like the icy outdoors."

"You Canucks are fuckin' _crazy_ to live out here," Jane belittled with a shiver.

"Yea, it's _cold,_ " Toph concurred. "Like, _more_ cold than PA. I'm not a fan."

"We gotta get some spirits in you kids," Korra taunted. "That'll warm ya right up."

" _Kids_?" Toph questioned with skepticism. "Aren't you just a few years older than us?"

"Hey, while all you have been takin' classes and livin' in dorms, I've been out in the _real_ world makin' my way," said Korra testily.

"Come to think of it," Aang once again tried to break the tension, "Korra, how come you're not spending Christmas with your family?"

"I _am,_ Aang. Hello?" She spread her arms to her cousins.

"No, I mean...Like, your parents."

Korra shrugged and turned her head back to the sidewalk.

"They live too far away," she explained simply. "Over toward the west coast."

"Oh, wow," Aang muttered. "How'd they end up over there?"

"Once I graduated high school, I was ready to tear it up, take care of myself. Guess they...had plans elsewhere." She stared up at the sparse street lamps they passed.

"You always _did_ need space," Katara sympathized.

"Ain't _that_ the fuckin' truth?" said Korra quietly in recognition. "Enough about that. We're here," she announced as they approached the steps to the bar.

"Woot-woot," Sokka chimed with glee. "Time to cut loose."

* * *

"Noooo, no-no-no," Katara moaned as she shook her hand, her head spinning. She rested it in her arms on the counter and sighed warily.

"Bahaha, we've finally _done it_ ," Korra declared pridefully, setting down the glass she had been trying to push on her cousin.

"Whudwee doo?" Jane wondered from Korra's left, scratching her scalp roughly.

"We got Kittie-Kat drunk," Korra affirmed, nodded her head to her cousin on the opposite side of Jane.

"So freegin _bawss_ ," Sokka cried from Korra's right. "How...-? Howzit do it?"

"Say what?"

"Howz...-" Sokka waggled his finger. "Wit da drunk. Howz it get drunk?"

"I'm...I'm not _drunk_ ," Katara insisted, lifted her red-faced head from the counter with a huff. The world seemed constantly off-balance by just a bit - enough to make walking require effort.

" _I_ fuggin am!" Toph squealed with a maniacal giggle.

"Yes. Yes, you are," Aang patronized her with a gentle shoulder pat. He seemed to be the only one who was clearly sober, having only taken a single drink a while back.

"Twinx. Yo. Yo, Twinx," Toph pushed at his arm, gripping it tight. "I ever sed how bewtifool yer eyes werr?"

" _Huh?_ "

" _Hahaha!_ Awwwww, fuggin' _kiddin'_ dood. I can't... _seeeee_ anything! Geeeezz, idiot..."

"Drunk dohn feel so bad, rite?" Jane encouraged Katara, nudging her knuckle on Katara's arm. Katara smiled sheepishly, running her hand through her hung down hair.

"It's, uh...It's different," she admitted. "Not as...Um...It's not so bad as I thought it'd be..."

"You really _have_ never been drunk before, have you?" Korra realized.

"Haha, nope. Nope..."

"The _hell,_ woman? Why not?"

"I just...-" Katara shrugged, her eyes drooping as her head bobbed around slightly. "-... _ya_ know. Never drank enough. At...at once, I mean..."

"You're a pansy, you need girlie drinks," said Korra. "Some fuckin' flavored vodka. That's what you drank. That's your weakness."

"Heh. I...guess so," Katara admitted.

"I liek drung Kat," Jane's raspy voice concluded. "Yer all...reelax and shit."

"Pff. I'm...freakin' _dizzy_ , I don't have a choice," Katara belted out, humored by herself.

"Myyyy lil' siss is _grownupp!_ " Sokka wailed. He choked out dramatic sobs. "Sheez founduh joyz o' _booooze._ "

Katara felt a pang of guilt form at his words from within her somewhat inebriated stature. Even in her slight stupor, she couldn't understand why her brother could go from being so dead-set against alcohol to encouraging his sister and friends to become intoxicated.

"Aang!" Korra shot out her index his way, her movements a bit slow and off balance. "What's this? Huh? You don't look drunk at all."

"Errr, I-I'm doing fine," Aang shakily replied.

"Naww, come _on,_ we're here to have some _fun,_ Kid."

"I _am_ ," Aang insisted firmly.

"He's happy," Katara assured Korra. "Just...leave him be."

"Mehhh, you wimps..."

"Oooooh," Jane suddenly hooted, dredging up her cell phone. "Kat-Kat-Kat...Kenya texx?"

"Huh?"

"Texxin', how good kin ya texx when yer drunk? Eh?"

"Oh, haha..."

Katara followed suit and got her own phone out. She opened it up.

[From: Jane]  
[woooooooo yrr fruunkl]  
[Sent: 11:12pm]

Katara burst out a laugh at Jane's illegible words.

"Wh-...What is _this_?" She chortled.

"Iz me cheern ya on..."

"OK. OK." Katara shook her head and navigated her buttons to form a text herself. She focused and managed to type out a complete sentence with no errors, just as she normally could...It was just a lot more _difficult_ when her hands moved like they were weighed down. "There...I can still...text right," she bragged.

[Sending...]  
[Sent!]

"Oh, shoot," she spat, slapping herself in the head.

"Whut?"

"I just...told everyone on Facebook that...that I'm drunk," Katara sheepishly mumbled, hand over her eyes.

"How is it that the _Irish girl_ can't hold her liquor as well as _Kittie-Kat_ can?" taunted Korra.

"Heeeyyy, yeaaa," Sokka chimed in. "Are you _suuuure_ yoor drunk, Siss?"

"Pfff..." Katara nodded, still clutching her head as it stung for a moment. "I'm...sure as hell not _sober_..."

" _Ha!_ HA! **HAHA!** " Toph trilled. "Shoogah-Queen said a bad werrd! Hoohoo..."

"Shut up," Katara giggled with embarrassment. "You guys are a bad influence..." She gestured her hand around herself.

"Mohsly mee. Mohsly I am," decided Jane, pointing to her own collarbone as she sucked down another shot.

" _Yea,_ mostly you," Katara laughed. "A hell-raising ruffian," she referenced an earlier conversation with a sly smirk.

"Whhrrr," uttered Sokka, scratching his fuzzy chin as she eyeballed Katara cautiously. "Shee _duzz_ seem pritty relaxxed..."

"Yea, she _must_ be a bit smashed," Korra agreed with him. "How is she holding it down better than _you two_ , anyway?"

"Aapphhhhblll," Sokka spat - literally. "I've...bin dringen _sooo much_ moar...Helloh?"

"Yeh, yeh," Jane agreed. "I been...takin' shotz, n' shit..."

"I've only had three drinks," Katara held up her fingers.

"You drank 'em _fast_ ," Korra pointed out.

"They... _tasted_ good," Katara squeaked with a shrug. Her sight blurred even more and she planted her head back into her arms on the counter.

"Sweetniss needz _sweetniss_ in'er drinkies," said Toph, slamming her empty bottle of stout on the wood.

"K-Katara, you OK?" Aang checked.

"Mm?" Katara rotated her head to look up at his concerned face. In her leaning down on the counter her body had tilted over toward him, and he seemed bashful at her proximity. This hadn't been her intention, so she corrected herself and scooted over to the right until she seemed straight. "I'm just...really dizzy," she mumbled dismissively.

"We needa make ya _morre_ dizzeh," Jane grunted.

"Noooooo," Katara whined playfully.

"-way more than you."

"Whuuuh?" Sokka growled. "No way. Noooo way..."

"Face it, Sox, I can hold it down better 'n you."

"Mehhhhh..."

"You drunk-dialed your girlfriend yet?" Korra picked.

"Psshhh... _Dat_...is a grate idea..." Sokka slyly tapped his finger against his nose and pulled out his phone.

Katara's attention was pulled back to her left.

"...Noo, no...I _meeeen_ it. I'm...so fuggin' sorry," Toph was near bawling, her arms wrapped around Aang's waist. "Gawd, luv yoo so much...'M a fuggin' bitch...I am..."

"H-hey, it's...it's OK, Toph..." Aang rubbed the back of her neck solemnly.

"'S _not_ okayy. How kin...-? Fuuuckkk. Imma worss gurlfrend ever...fuggin'... _urgh._ " Tears were building in her eyes, while Jane and Korra laughed at the message Sokka was leaving on Suki's voicemail.

"Everybody messes up sometimes," Aang comforted with a sigh.

"Argghh, so sorry, Baybe...so fuggin' sorrie..."

"I know..."

Katara admired their moment of bonding, her hope for them rekindled. They were still trying. That was more than others in their position would've done. A surge of snickers brought her back to the right, where Sokka chirped out his farewell.

"'Kay, I luv yoo **bai-bai~** " He hung up and let his own laughter spill out.

Katara smiled at her brother's foolishness and rested her head back down with a peaceful sigh. This really wasn't so bad. Maybe not something she'd want to make a habit of, if only for the sake of those around her having less self-restraint, but...This was fun.

* * *

\- Thursday, December 23rd, 2010 -

[ **Facebook - Katara Kesuk** ]

[ **Katara Kesuk** would like to prove that she is perfectly capable of texting complete sentences while intoxicated.]  
[12 hours ago]  
[Korra Kesuk, Jane Fitzpatrick, and 6 others like this.]

[ **Hakoda Kesuk** \- Sounds like you had fun after all right?]  
[3 hours ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- -^_^- Maybe... ]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Suki Kyoshi** \- haha, tell your brother he's a complete idiot. now it makes sense.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- wooooww did you get drunk? for reals?]  
[47 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Tylee Moretti She sure did. ;D Suki Kyoshi If it makes you feel any better, I meant every word.]  
[43 minutes ago]

[ **Suki Kyoshi** \- how would that make me feel BETTER? :P ]  
[34 minutes ago]

* * *

"I already did my Christmas shopping," Katara pridefully remarked with a wink. "I'm all set."

"Aagghhh," Jane growled. "I haven't been able to do most of mine yet..." She scratched her head in contemplation. She'd only gotten Katara's present so far, but she wanted to get the others something, too. "What about you, Aang? You need to go do shopping?"

"Nope," Aang calmly responded from the recliner, drawing away. He clearly wasn't just scribbling this time because he was using his fancier pencils. Prior to his drawing, he'd asked Korra what her favorite animal was, seemingly out of thin air, so Jane had a pretty good idea of what he was doing.

" **HAPPY _BIRTHDAY!_** " Sokka shouted along with the snowman on the television.

"You fuckin' memorized _all of these_?" Toph picked on him.

"I could take you," Katara offered to Jane, sidestepping the conversation Sokka and Toph were having.

"Sure," Jane immediately agreed. "Sounds good."

The morning had consisted of lots of water drinking to help alleviate the varying degrees of hangovers the group experienced. Aang was entirely free of this burden, naturally, and by now the only two still feeling the effects were Sokka and Korra, the latter of whom was taking a shower to wake herself up. Katara finished off her coffee and nodded her head to Jane.

"We can head out in a few minutes, get it out of the way."

"Awesome."

"Make sure you're not out too long," Hakoda advised. "Your grandmother will be here this evening."

"Yea, no problem. We should be back in time," assured his daughter. "Anyone else need to go out and get stuff?"

"I'm set," Sokka called.

"Actually..." Toph crossed her arms thoughtfully. "I, uh...haven't gotten everything yet."

"OK," Katara was quick to agree. "Then we'll make it a girl's day out."

Jane didn't approve of this but wasn't going to make waves. If Katara was willing to go out to a bar, then Jane was going to be willing to go out shopping with girls and...crap like that. As long as no nail-painting was involved.

* * *

"So, yea..." Toph took a bite of her fast-food french fries. "I've had his ready since Thanksgiving break..."

"That sounds...really sweet," Katara cooed, sending Toph her encouragement. "I'm sure he'll really like it, Toph."

"Yea..." She sighed with a sullen slump, leaning her head against the window in the backseat.

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Jane asked. There was a moment of silence with no reply. Katara gave Jane a quick sideways glance of confusion. "About Aang," Jane clarified. She laughed through her nose. "I mean, you really fucked things up, Dead-Eyes..."

Toph's expression hardened.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" she snarled. "It's none of your _business,_ back the hell off..."

"You don't _know_ what you're gonna do," Jane concluded. "You better get your ass in gear soon, then, or he's gonna have no reason to stick around."

"Jane..." said Katara with disapproval.

"You have some shit you've been meanin' to say?" Toph barked back.

"Guys, come on, let's not-"  
"No, _let's_ ," Toph hissed. "I _know_ you're all talkin' about me behind my back, you oughtta let it all out."

Katara sighed, her fingers adjusting around the steering wheel of the car while Toph munched more of her fries down.

"We're talking because you _fucking cheated on Aang_ ," Jane snapped. "And I'm sorry you can't _see_ it, but he's _heartbroken_."

"I know that! You think...that I don't _know that?_ "

"Then stop trying to pretend like nothing's wrong and _do something_ about it!"

"I'm _trying!_ OK? Christ!" Toph shook her head as she dwelled on her thoughts. "I mean, what am I _supposed_ to do? Huh?"

"Show him that you're still interested, maybe?"

"The hell does _that_ mean?"

"I think what she's talking about," Katara butted in as gently as she could, "is that you seem to be keeping Aang at a distance. Like you don't want to be around him. He's been trying to...well, you know...initiate. Things. And it's like you don't want any of it."

Toph winced at this truth being shoved in her face.

"Gah...It's hard, I don't-...It's so damned difficult. I can't stop thinking about how I've hurt him..."

"I know you feel guilty, Toph," Katara sympathized. "But if you keep trying to avoid that, you're going to avoid _him,_ and he's going to give up..."

Toph huffed and went about her eating.

"I'll level with ya," said Jane. "I'm pissed at you. OK? I thought you were _better_ than that. I've been cheated on. Dumped his sorry ass the second I knew."

"Jet?" Toph guessed.

"Yea," Jane grunted. "But Aang, that guy's a...God damned _nice guy_. He should've kicked you to the fuckin' curb by now. But he didn't. You need to be working your ass off to show him that he's not making a mistake by giving you a second chance."

"I've kinda got a lot going on right now," Toph snapped. "It's not so easy."

"Don't even _give me_ that," Jane countered. "Don't act like you're the only one who has to deal with shit. We _all_ do. Grow up and get on with it."

"Hmph..."

"Toph. I'm serious. Listen, I don't _like_ having reason to want to punch your face in. You're...cool. Your whole...being ' _you_ ' thing. And not giving a fuck what anyone else thinks. That's sweet. I dig it. But sometimes you can't pull that shit. If what Aang thinks _does_ matter, then you gotta prove it."

"W-well...Maybe if Aang told me what the hell was going _on_ with him I'd know what to do..."

"Toph, Sweetie..." Katara glanced at her frustrated face through the mirror. "I think Aang feels like when he tells you how he feels, you just...put him down."

"What do you mean?"

"Like...W-well, I mean, you're always making fun of him for...for being a 'pansy,' and...and things like that..."

"That's...-! He needs to...man up a bit! I mean, I don't get his _deal,_ he gets all fuckin' wishy-washy any time I get anywhere _near_ his schlong. What kind of guy _avoids_ that?"

"Toph, how could you _say_ that?" Katara sighed. "After what he's been through?"

"I just...ugh. I don't get why that would stop someone from...-" She trailed off.

"You don't _get it,_ do ya?" Jane growled. "Ya know, I see it now. You're the kind of girl who's always on top, huh?"

Toph's face turned pink and she frowned.

"Yeaaaa. Ha. Yea, you're one of _those._ You don't get what it's like for him."

"Oh, like _you_ do?"

Jane paused, her teeth grinding together as she settled herself from bursting out.

" _Yea,_ I think I _do._ I don't know...exactly what the guy's gone through...Because if that's my business, then I'm sure he'll tell me. But I don't _need_ him to tell me to know what it's like."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"All right, Toph. I'll tell you. But not a God damned _word_ to anyone else, OK?"

"...Fine."

"I was raped," Jane bluntly explained. "That kind of thing, that...changes how you feel about that stuff."

Toph's mouth was slightly agape now.

"Fuck," she mumbled. "I...didn't know..."

"Now ya do. I'm tellin' you this because I _know_ how hard it can be when you're with someone who doesn't give you _space,_ who tries rushing you into that crap."

"But...I've been...trying really hard to be patient..."

"Toph, you've been, just...-" Katara bit her lip and considered how to phrase this. "You're either hot or cold with him. Either you're pushing him too much or you're keeping him away. He tries to be affectionate and you just...reject it."

"He does the same thing!" Toph objected.

"I-I know, I'm-...That's what I'm _getting at_."

"I've got _needs,_ ya know? I can't be...putzin' around forever."

"Yea, _clearly,_ " Jane bitterly remarked. "And ya put your needs before his."

Toph puffed out angrily, her head bobbed.

"It feels like we're running on different engines," Toph grumbled. "Whenever I'm ready to go, he needs a pit stop, and...when he gets in gear, I'm outta gas."

"Not on the same wavelength," Katara commented.

"Exactly...I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

Jane shrugged and shook her head, while Katara drummed her fingers along the steering wheel.

"Maybe...-" Katara squirmed through her words hesitantly. "I don't know, Toph...I-I mean, have you considered that...that maybe this isn't _...working...?_ "

And here she was, presenting to Toph the same notion she'd brought to Aang's mind.

"Sometimes," Toph timidly admitted. "But I'm not gonna just give up. That's for losers."

"R-right, I wasn't...meaning to say that...-"

"You think we should break up or something? That's bullshit, Katara."

"No, no, I didn't mean-"  
"You love someone, you fuckin' work it out. You stand your ground."

"Y-yea, that's...what you two should try doing."

"Just a second ago it sounded like you were saying somethin' else," Toph testily observed.

"I know, I'm sorry...I was just...bringing up the possibility, because...W-well, sometimes there's things you _can't_ work out...Right?"

"This ain't like that," Toph insisted. "If Twinkle-Toes didn't think we could fix this, Jane's right - he woulda took off by now."

"Of course, he's...a great guy. He wants to make things better, too," Katara hastily agreed, regretting her decision to bring up the possibility. "I just want to see both of you happy, that's all."

"I don't see how breaking up would make us _happy_..."

"If you're so fuckin' determined about it," Jane cut back in, "then follow your own advice and _do something_ about it."

"I will!"

"Good."  
"That's great, Toph."

"What do I gotta do to get you two off my back?" Toph confronted. "I'm fed up with this soap opera bullshit."

"Maybe tone down the attitude," advised Jane. "Face up to your mistakes, be a God damned grown up."

"Toph, I hate to say it, but I'm with her. You've been...really acting immature, and...saying a lot of hurtful things lately."

"Is this about that God damned birthday party?"

" _No,_ Toph. Urgh. See, this is what we're _saying_!" Katara slapped the steering wheel in frustration and had to let her foot up on the pedal as they dipped over the speed limit. "You need to turn everything into this, like...personal battle. Yes, OK? I was ticked off about the birthday thing...I put a lot of time and work into that, and it was...-"

"You just shitted all over it," Jane concluded.

Katara sighed but nodded.

"Yea...It _really_ got on my nerves..."

"OK," Toph complied. "I...was in a pissy mood, and...maybe I shouldn't have been such a bitch. I'm sorry."

"I appreciate that," said Katara with some relief before continuing. "But, Toph...this is way more than that. It just seems like you're practically trying to start fights with everyone, and you're always passing the blame."

"I guess," said Toph begrudgingly.

"And it's like...it _isn't_ all your fault, you _are_ going through a lot, and we _know_ that. What makes it so hard is that when we try to _help_ you, you bite our hands off..."

"That's because I didn't _ask_ for anyone's help. I don't need anyone taking care of _my_ problems."

"That's... _fine._ Then I... _won't_ try helping you, if it's such a freaking problem..."

"Katara," Toph snorted. "I meant, like...I'm trying to take care of myself, I'm sick of feeling like I need to rely on everyone all the time."

"Part of being an adult is knowing when you _do_ need others to help you," Katara advocated.

"Thanks for the lesson, _Mom_."

"Toph...Drop it, OK? Drop this _tough_ act. For five seconds. Just hear me out."

"...Go on, then. Say what you gotta say."

"We all love you, Toph. I know it's hard, your family's...kind of gone. Aang knows what that's like."

" _I_ know what that's like," Jane added.

"Right. And me and Sokka, we've lost some family, too. We get it. That's why we're this...tight group, you know? We have each other's backs to...I don't know...to compensate, I guess."

"Hm."

"Being part of the group means...-"

"-being part of that, too," Toph finished Katara's oft-recited line.

"Right. I mean, we're all...still learning."

"I sure as hell still am," Jane sympathized. "I'm used to only lookin' out for myself, this whole process has been...odd."

"What I'm getting at, Toph, is that if you need us to do something - or need us to _not_ do something - you need to be more open about it, instead of just...barking at us when we screw something up. That goes double for Aang, because I know he's not feeling too great about all of this, he's lost."

"I guess..."

"It's like you've given the worst to him because he's the closest to you."

"Yea...I've been quite a heartless bitch," she chuckled to herself. "Every other guy's smart enough to take a hike once they get that."

"Aang is _not_ every other guy," Katara commended her friend with a smile.

"He sure ain't," Toph sighed longingly.

"Things look bleak right now, Toph, but they'll get better. I promise."

"Yea..."

"I've been pissed at you, Toph," Jane further explained, "because I see you giving shit to Aang, giving shit to Kat, here. You wanna give _me_ some? I'll take it. And I'll give it back. We're both like that. But the other guys, they don't do that. I'm not gonna sit around and let these goody-two-shoes get dumped on when they don't deserve it. You get that?"

"I get that," Toph repeated her understanding. "I'm sorry, guys," she groaned, grabbing at her forehead. "I don't wanna keep doing this, the arguing and...crap."

"It's going to happen once in a while," Katara knowlingly cautioned. "But I'm trying to be here for you."

"I _know,_ I can tell..."

"And I'm a fellow bitch, I feel ya," Jane laughed.

"Yea, thanks for that," said Toph, humored.

"So let's try puttin' this bullshit behind us," Jane decided. "And then we can save Christmas, or whatever the hell."

"Sounds good to me."

"Here, stick out your hand so I can fist bump you."

" _Ow_ , that was my _hand._ "

"Geez, Dead-Eyes, you're supposed to be _tough._ "

Katara felt some peace as the clouds in her mind cleared a bit, the banter between Jane and Toph reminding her of earlier days. She realized that from the beginning of the conversation, it had been Jane, in fact, who had brought all of this up, likely with the intent of this very result. She felt pride at how her red-headed friend was changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Appropriate cover of Landslide by Fleetwood Mac:  
> youtube.com/watch?v=2uBO1cBKH3A
> 
> Ahnold loves cookies:  
> youtube.com/watch?v=8lKz5Bd54RU


	48. The Spirit

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 48 - The Spirit  
_

* * *

\- Thursday, December 23rd, 2010 -

"No, yea, _haha,_ laugh it up, good times, hardy-har. But dude. Guys. I'm fuckin' serious." Korra stared down at them over the couch's spine as they played their game of Mario Party, awaiting the girls to come back from their shopping. "How do you put _up_ with the bullshit?"

"Korra." It wasn't his turn, so Sokka glanced up at her solemnly. "Katara's my _sister._ She's been a drama llama since she was _five._ I've got a lotta practice. But you gotta understand - as much trouble as it can be, it's this 'college drama' you keep talking about that made this group what it is."

"Don't think I'm following."

Aang sighed and offered his own two cents, eyes still on the screen as he concluded his turn.

"Korra, the reason why our group can be...'dramatic'...is because we all really care about each other."

"Yea," Sokka chimed. "I mean, that's why people like watching 'drama' on TV, right? Because, like...you really care about what's going on. And crap."

"So it's a _good_ thing? That's bullshit."

"No one said it was a good thing," Aang firmly clarified. "But bad things...can _lead_ to good things. When you let them."

"Aren't _you_ the little philosopher, eh?" Korra picked.

"I'm just saying, Korra...sometimes these things bring people together. I think that's what happens with us."

"Orrrrrr it tears you apart," Korra objected. "Don't act like that doesn't happen."

"It's happened to _you_ , huh?" Sokka guessed.

"Maybe," Korra grumbled, obviously not keen on things being redirected back at her.

"It _does_ happen," Aang acknowledged.

"Katara lost a lot of friends in high school because she's...well...how she is." said Sokka in passing as he tapped away at his controller.

"I believe _that_ ," Korra mumbled. "She's wound tighter than a...er...really tight. _Thing_."

"Good one," Sokka awarded a dry compliment.

"She just really cares a lot," Aang defended with a smirk as he won the minigame they had been playing.

"Bitch," Sokka seethed in quiet competition at his neighbor on the couch.

"She doesn't want to see people get hurt, but she doesn't want to get hurt herself, it's...-" Aang sighed and scratched his head. "I don't know. It's just her way, I guess."

"Seems like she just puts everyone on edge."

"But she's also what holds us together," Aang insisted. "She's always the one reaching out, you know? Trying to keep everyone happy."

"Ha, yea, no way _I'm_ gonna do that," Sokka sneered. "That's too much damned work."

"You can't let Katara hold _everything_ together," Korra pointed out. "Like this shit with you and your girlfriend? I feel like Katara's doing more about it than _you_ are, Little Man."

Aang's face twitched with some resentment at her nickname that she kept using for him.

"I've been _talking_ with Toph about all of that," Aang grumbled. "What do _want_ me to do? I don't know where to go from here."

"Aaaaand now we're officially gossiping, I think," Sokka sighed.

"Dump her ass," Korra dismissed. "She fuckin' _cheated_ on you. If she could do it once, she'll do it again."

"You really believe that?"

"Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"Yep. Totally gossiping now..."

"Toph's not a bad person," Aang defended. "She's just...made some mistakes. I have, too. We all do."

"Yea-yea-yea, but that's a mistake that shouldn't get made. Period. You weren't enough for her, so she went searching elsewhere. I get that, whatever. Excuses are _still_ excuses. If she can't give you loyalty, don't fuckin' give it _back._ "

"Korra, I _love_ Toph," Aang proclaimed, turning his head to glare at her from the couch. "I can't just... _leave_ her like that. Just because she made a mistake."

"Maybe she 'messed up' because she doesn't _really_ love you back."

Aang huffed at this and turned back around as Sokka played out his turn.

"You guys _do_ realize you're being drama llamas right now. Right? This very moment?"

"Whatever," Korra defied in a grunt. "I'm just sayin', if my boyfriend cheats on me, then obviously I must not be _good enough_ for him, so he can fuckin' take a hike for all I care."

"Maybe you don't have a boyfriend because you don't forgive," Aang theorized.

"Or _maybe_ it's 'cuz all the good guys out there are retarded like _you_ are and stick around with chicks who shit on them."

"You don't _know_ me, Korra, and you _definitely_ don't know Toph."

"Do I need to?" Korra pointed her finger at Aang's face sharply. "We can all see it in your eyes, Aang: she broke your squishy nice-guy heart. Trying to hold onto that is pointless. She's just going to do it again."

Aang snorted out a huff and turned back to his game while Sokka sheepishly swallowed, wary of what might happen next.

"I never asked for your advice, Korra," Aang coldly informed. "You may think you're...an 'adult,' but...I don't think you understand how adult relationships work any better than I do."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means that real relationships are about...working through stuff when they're bad, instead of just quitting."

"Aang. Bucko. There's a difference between 'quitting' and being given the _shaft._ Being betrayed."

"Urgh, I wasn't... _betrayed._ "

"Oh? Really? So your trust hasn't been broken? Not one bit?"

Aang tried to ignore her and play the video game with Sokka - watching the AI celebrate its victory - and Korra shrugged.

"Yea, I thought so," she sighed. "Stop defending her. She fucked up. No, that doesn't make her...some God-awful person. I get it. But she _still_ fucked up, Aang. That has consequences."

"We done now?" Sokka growled. "Cuz, I know you're...trying to help. And stuff. That's great, and all that, but...Let's face it: being sympathetic ain't exactly your strong suit, Korra."

"This isn't about _sympathy,_ Sokka, it's about getting your pal here to realize that if he doesn't nip this in the bud he's just gonna be worse off later on."

"OK! I get your point!" Aang cried in aggravation. "Everyone seems to have a freaking opinion! And they all...contradict each other! I'm sick of it. There's no _right way_ to do this, so...Why can't everyone just let me make my own decision? Huh?"

Korra crossed her arms and paced out of the living room, toward the kitchen. Sokka gave Aang a good pat on the shoulder.

"Hey, dude. Keep it chill, all right?"

"How can I...-!" Aang took a deep breath, restraining himself. When he spoke again he was calmed. "Sokka, how can I 'keep it chill' when everyone's ramming their ideas down my throat?"

"Everyone here is just concerned about you two. They're tossing their two cents into the bank, but...it's _your_ money, Bud. You decide what to buy with it."

Korra came back with a bag of pretzels and munched a couple down, sitting in the recliner besides the boys.

"Listen to your idiot roommate," Korra advised casually. "Sometimes that crazy brain of his has a good idea or two."

"Thanks?"

"Aang. Dude, hey...I didn't mean to piss you off."

Aang didn't look at her, nor did he reply in any way. She continued.

"Seriously, I say this 'cuz...I've never seen a relationship where someone cheated and...it worked out."

"Doesn't mean it can't happen," Aang meekly protested.

"Didn't say it can't, just...sayin' I've never _seen it._ Toph seems like an all right girl, she's just...bein' a klutz. It happens. I've sure been one, in my day. I may not know you too well and shit, but I _do_ know that you're a softy, and softies get walked on. I think it'd be smart if you stuck with a decision, whatever it's gonna be, but if that girlfriend of yours won't grow up, then it's not gonna _matter_ what you decide: she's going to keep being stupid."

There were a few moments without dialogue while the music and sound effects from the TV drizzled over them.

"I guess," said Aang at last.

"You boys can keep playing your video games and pretending like nothing's wrong and all that kiddie shit. It's not gonna change anything, though. If you're gonna hang out with drama llamas then stop standing around watching and...I dunno, be a fuckin' shepherd. Reign 'em in. Or something."

Sokka scratched his goatee in contemplation at this remark while Aang sighed quietly through his nose, clearly wanting to be done with the whole conversation. A few quiet minutes passed by, Hakoda came downstairs and made himself some late lunch, and the girls arrived, Katara rushing to hide the couple of bags of presents in her room.

"Yea, I know," Hakoda spoke into his phone, slapping tomatoes onto his toast. "But she's doing OK?" He added the couple of strips of bacon he'd just fried up. "Good, that's great." Last came the lettuce. "I just hope she hasn't been causing you too much trouble..." Hakoda planted the other piece of toast on top and crushed the whole BLT together. "Ah, all right. Good. Thanks again...Mm-hm. See you soon."

"Who was that?" Katara wondered brightly, retrieving a mug from behind him.

"Oh, it was Bato."

" _Ohhh_ ," Katara murmured quietly, her eyes shifting to the living room, for she knew what was being discussed. "Right." She smiled sneakily.

"Mm-hm."

"That's going to be awesome."

"I sure hope so."

"So, um..." Katara nodded her head, wandering to a new topic. "Gran-Gran hasn't shown up yet, huh?" she asked with some trepidation.

"Not yet, but I'm pretty sure she'll be here soon."

"Ah. OK." Not an ounce of excitement came from Katara.

"You guys still playing that stupid game?" Toph groaned, standing by the door, getting her boots off. She reached out her arms to her side, and Jane grabbed her by the back, leading her to the living room floor and setting her down in front of Aang. No one replied, and Toph twiddled her fingers in her lap for a moment. "Where you at, Twinkle-Toes?"

"I'm here," Aang calmly responded from directly behind.

"Oh. Hey," she greeted with a lighter disposition than she had been as of late.

"Hey," Aang came back with his same, somewhat dulled voice.

Toph carefully scooted back until she gently bumped into Aang's knees.

"Hey, uh...Toph, we're kinda trying to play..." Aang tugged at his controller, and Toph could feel the cable being pulled from under her rear end. She hopped off and let him take his cord back. "Thanks." Hm. He didn't seem much in the mood at the moment. She decided she'd try exercising some patience.

A half hour passed before the doorbell rang and an elderly woman with white, frizzled hair in a bun was welcomed in by Hakoda. The two hugged before Hakoda brought her in to a crowded living room.

"Gran-Gran!" Sokka greeted with enthusiasm, springing up to give his grandmother an embrace.

"Hello there, Sokka," her weathered voice chimed. As they broke apart, she glanced across the living room. "And where are my granddaughters?"

Katara lingered, standing beside the couch, while Korra jumped from the recliner and offered yet another warming gesture to the elder relative.

"Ah, Korra, it's been too long," said Gran-Gran with vigor.

"It has," Korra agreed, some family affection sliding out from her otherwise ardent attitude.

Aang caught a glance of Katara's irate eyes glancing to the floor. He nudged her arm with an expectant look, and she perked up, staring at her grandma with a grin Aang recognized as as a plastic one for show.

Katara approached, hands tucked behind her back.

"... _Hey_...Grandma," she burst out with a tint of awkwardness, oozing out civility.

"Hello, Katara." The nice manners were reciprocated.

They hugged in a brief, more formal manner than the others before Gran-Gran quickly refocused her attention to the rest of the room.

"And these must be those college friends I've heard so much about."

"Yup." Sokka nodded and pointed them out. "We got Aang - he's my roommate. And then the red-head's Jane, and the runt on the floor over there is Toph."  
" _Hey_ , who you callin' a 'runt?'"  
"She's Katara's roommate," Sokka explained overtop Toph's indignation.

"My, quite the busy household we have this Christmas," observed the woman, unbuttoning her winter coat with care. Hakoda took it and hung it on the rack while Korra swiped the nearly empty bag of pretzels from the recliner, offering Gran-Gran a seat.

"Yea, we managed to get people to show up this year," Katara pointed out with a dash of passive-aggressive snark, her arms still behind her back. Hakoda gripped at her shoulder and raised an eyebrow down at her, which she caught for a moment, only to quickly avoid.

"I won't be a bother to anyone," Gran-Gran assured. "It'll only be a few days you'll have to tolerate this old hag"

"Don't you worry about that," Hakoda insisted. "If you need anything, just ask for it."

"Yea, you hungry? Or thirsty?" Sokka rapidly checked. "You look thirsty. Ya know? I'm gonna go make you some tea."

"Haha. You get to it, then, Sokka. I'd be foolish to turn down your offer." She squinted her eyes at the television. "What's this, now, that you're watching?"

"Oh, it's, uh...-" Aang scratched his head and shrugged, Toph's head wedged between his knees with a pleased expression. "It's just a game we're playing."

"O _ho,_ I see. One of those..." She scanned the screen some more, trying to make left and right of the dimmed pause menu.

"We can...turn this off," Aang hastily decided, resetting the system back to its home menu.

"Do you want to watch anything, Granny?" asked Korra, digging her hand into the bag she held.

"No, no, that's all right. I'd much rather see my family's faces and hear about what they're all up to..."

"Korra's gonna be moving," Jane spat out with nonchalance.

"Ehhh, we'll see," Korra quelled with a hesitant shrug, popping a broken snack into her mouth.

"Oh? Where to?"

"She might be getting a job near our school," Sokka called out from the kitchen, where Hakoda went to join him.

"Down in the states?" said Gran-Gran with some surprise. "That would be quite a big move."

"It would," Katara added. "I'm sure Grandma could give you advice, Korra, since she knows all about moving far away."

Gran-Gran took this comment in stride and went with it.

"If there's one thing I'd recommend, Korra," she said with an uplifted index, "it's that you make sure you know why you're moving before you go anywhere."

"Erm..." Korra's eyes wandered and she ate yet another pretzel.

"Moving from one place to a completely different one can be very complicated and difficult. As long as you can remember why you moved in the first place, it will always give you a base to stand on when you have to make hard decisions."

" _Mm._ " Korra frowned with contemplation at the idea as she chewed, seeming to seriously ponder this.

"So, Korra, why _do_ you wish to move?"

* * *

\- Friday, December 24th, 2010 - Christmas Eve

"What are you drawing now?" Katara wondered, poking her head over the desk. Aang swiftly closed the notebook before she could steal a glance.

"Hey, hey! No peeking."

"Aha. It's mine, isn't it?"

"Yes. You can't see until it's done."

"All right." Katara smiled, humored by his defensive reaction.

"So, Sis," called Sokka from across the bedroom, sticking the small box in his dresser drawer. "You think she'll like it? I mean...I know she's not usually into jewelry and stuff..."

"Toph will like it just fine."

"What about the thing I got Jane?" Sokka went on. "You think she'll actually _use_ it?"

"Haha, she _will_ , Sokka."

"Oh, oh, and...-" He jerked his head to Aang, who was staring right at him.

"Sokka." Katara rolled her eyes and smirked, hands on her hips. "Everyone will like what you got them. OK?"

"Yea, you're probably right...But what about Suki? Oh, man, I just don't know..."

"Psh, OK, well, maybe you _should_ be a little worried about _that_ one."

"H-hey, I worked really hard on that!"

"Oh, I'm _sure_ you did," Katara chuckled. "That's what scares me."

Sokka pouted at his sister's teasing and shoved his drawer shut.

"Christmastime is supposed to be about _love_ and _kindness_ ," he seethed with drama. "And you're just being a devil-woman."

"Aw, poor Sokka," Katara picked.

"Actually, Katara, come to think of it..." muttered Aang carefully. "That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask...How come you're being...not so nice...to your grandmother?"

"Huh?" Katara turned to him with a sheepish grimace.

"What are you so mad at her about?"

Katara bit her lip and gave her brother a nervous look.

"Don't look at _me_ ," Sokka grumbled, bending down to pick up some dirty laundry he'd left at the foot of his bed.

"I guess...that I just don't think she should have moved away," Katara let slip her feelings on the matter.

"She used to live around here?"

"Yea."

"Why'd she move?"

"I...guess I don't really know, come to think of it..."

"Knowing _you_ ," said Sokka, tossing a dirty sock into his hamper, "that's probably part of the reason you're mad - because you don't understand why."

"Yea," Katara sighed in recognition of herself. "It just...makes me mad how after Mom died, she could just...leave Dad alone like that - her own _son -_ and then not even come visit him for so long..."

"Katara, Gran-Gran has devoted, like... _geez_...decades of her life to Dad. I think she deserves some freedom in her old age."

"I guess...but...Dad's all alone. I mean, who does _she_ have out in...Nova _Scotia_?"

"Maybe that's the point," theorized Sokka, sitting down on her bed. "Maybe she just wants to keep to herself in her later years. You've never wanted that? To keep to yourself for a while?"

Katara's eyes bulged with confusion.

" _No,_ " she blurted. "Never. Why would anyone want to be alone?"

"Ha." Sokka shrugged and shook his head. "Everyone needs some time to themselves, Sis. I'm sure even you do."

"I know it might seem like she's abandoning you in a way," Aang conceded. "But you shouldn't hold that against her. She's your family and I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt anyone. Like Sokka said...she's a grandma. And I mean, come on...you two are just about grownups by now. She's put in her time. Don't you think?"

Katara plopped down beside her brother and took a deep breath.

"Maybe you two are right..."

"Damn, I am _liking_ this whole...-" Sokka gestured his finger vaguely at Katara. "-...you... _listening_ to me and chilling out... _thing._ You've been doing it a lot this week. Keep that up and we're gonna just get along swimmingly."

"Sokka. We _already_ get along _'swimmingly_ ,' shut up." Katara smirked competitively.

"Seriously, you've been getting better, don't let ol' Granny keep you down. She doesn't deserve it, and you don't need it."

"OK, OK," Katara continued to concede. "I'll try..."

"'Atta girl." Sokka slapped her on the back.

Aang stared at them over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.

"What?"

"Katara, I can't finish your Christmas present if you're still _here,_ and it's Christmas Eve. Come on," he groaned with exaggeration. "Gotta get this done, right?"

"Heheh, all right, fine." She rose from the bed and waved them off with a prissy remark. "I get the hint: I'm just not wanted."

"This is the boys' room," Sokka announced. "No girls allowed, remember? Stop breakin' the rules."

"Behave yourselves," his sister mocked as she shut the door behind her.

"So how's it comin' along?" Sokka asked in a hushed voice, leaning over. Aang showed him the work in progress. "Oh, frickin' _sweet,_ it's got four arms and crap? _Nice._ "

* * *

"No, it's OK, Dad," Katara insisted quietly. "I'm over it. I'm sorry..." She took a moment to soak in the oldies music pouring from the living room's stereo set.

"I'm glad to hear it. It's all right." Hakoda extended his hand. "How about we forget all about it and you give your old man a dance, like old times?"

A smile found its way onto Katara's face as she accepted and slowly trotted across the tile floor with her father to the familiar, smooth-singing Christmas song.

["~I'm dreamin' of a white Christmas~with every Christmas card I write~"]

"Is that Bing Crosby?" Toph chirped from the living room.

["~May your days be merry and bright~And may all your Christmases be white~"]

"Eh, he ain't no Freddie Mercury, but he's got a sexy enough voice about him," she admired casually, seemingly to herself.

"Gag me," Korra mumbled. "I can't stand this old-fashioned stuff."

"Got a problem with the classics?"

"Meh. Just not my thing. I care about what's new, what this generation's into, I guess."

"Ew. So all that club-thumping dub step and shit?"

"Sure. I guess."

"Not really a music person, are you?"

"Ha, nope. I have to listen to whatever's on all day at work, I guess I just learn to tune most of it out."

"You sad, sad, person. C'mon, Granny Kesuk," Toph vied for support cocking her head over, "tell her what's what. She oughtta respect the old stuff, doncha think?"

Gran-Gran laughed and slapped her knee with a feeble arm.

"But she doesn't have to _like_ the 'old stuff.' In my experience, sometimes it's not healthy to cling onto what was. It might stop you from appreciating what's yet to come."

"But come _on,_ they just don't make music like they used to..."

"Of course not," Gran-Gran agreed slyly agreed. "Why should they? We'd be stuck in a rut. No one wants that."

Toph frowned and picked her finger in her ear, sprawled across the couch with one leg crossed over the other.

"Good point, old lady." Toph clenched her fist and whispered to herself, "You win this round...but the war rages on." Korra, who was within earshot of this comment, stared down at the blind girl with an off-put expression.

"What was that, Dear?" wondered Toph's 'opponent.'

"Nothing!" Toph sweetly replied.

Korra shook her head with a mixture of amusement and confusion as her glance turned to the kitchen. She watched her cousin and uncle wearing wide and warm smiles dance together and ignored the part of her that envied their connection.

Jane came back from the bathroom and listened to the song for a moment.

"Oh, heh. Damn, this'll be my first white Christmas in a _long_ time," she observed.

"Huh?" Korra gave her a curious glance.

"Janey-Jane's from _Tehksuss,_ " Toph explained with an exaggerated accent, rocking her foot back and forth.

"Heh, guess what they say is wrong, then," remarked Korra.

"What's that?" Jane wondered with suspicion.

"Everything _ain't_ bigger there, 'cuz you're a fuckin' _shrimp_!"

Jane groaned and rolled her eyes at the joke. Wait, what? Even the old _lady_ was laughing? What the hell? For one God damned day, could people stop rubbing in her face that she was a twig? She got the point the fiftieth time.

"Whatever, I'm just sayin', we don't get a lotta snow where I'm from."

"Bet you're damned sick of it by now," Korra guessed.

" _Christ,_ I sure am," deplored Toph with a huff.

"I like it," Jane admitted. "Not sick of it yet. Somethin' about the cold...I dunno. I enjoy it."

"Nice," Korra gave a redeeming nod. "Not too often I see someone from the states who feels that way.

"I'm not like most people..."

"By the way, what are Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum doin' upstairs still, anyways?"

"I dunno, Dead-Eyes. I heard some kinda techno music or some crap. And shouting. And I think an explosion?"

"Gah, probably more stupid internet stuff."

"Probably."

"So, Granny Kesuk," Toph wondered as Jane passed through to the kitchen. "Has Sokka _always_ been into all this dumb, nerdy stuff?"

"Heheh...Oh, yes. Always." She spread her teeth. "Star Wars, Lord of the Rings...all of these...strange Asian things. You know, I recall this one Christmas where he asked for cards. Lots and lots of cards. But not _normal_ cards - oh no, that would've been too simple and easy - these strange collector's cards, with elves, and wizards and monsters all over them."

" _Ha,_ sounds like Sokka to me," Korra scoffed.

"Whoa, whoa, _seriously?_ Sokka was into trading card games?" Toph flashed a mischievous look.

"He was incredibly particular about them for quite some time," Gran-Gran went on. "It astounded me how much it cost just to get the right ones for him. I mean... _really_...they're just cards. Pieces of paper with pictures on them."

"Heh, to each their own," Toph slyly countered. "Wouldn't want your grandson stuck playing Old Maid and Go Fish forever, right? Gotta let him try out the _new_ stuff. Eh?"

"Haha...Well-played, Dear," Gran-Gran saw through Toph's remark and

Katara came whizzing through the living room, beaming with anticipation.

"Where you...-?" Jane made to follow her but stopped with a shrug.

"Sokka! Aang!" Katara called. " _Guys!_ It's time to hang the ornaments on the tree!"

"Oh?" Jane turned to Hakoda.

"You're about to see one of the most honored Kesuk family traditions."

"Aha..." Jane nodded to him slowly, digging her hands in her pockets.

"Meh, I'll stay right here, if you guys don't mind," grumbled Toph.

"Haha, that's perfectly fine, Toph," Hakoda assured with some sympathy. "Is there perhaps a holiday favorite of yours I can put on?"

"Oh, a song request?" Toph's face contorted through the decision-making process in a split-second. "How about O Come Emmanuel?"

"Sure thing." Hakoda adjusted the CD's around while Katara and the boys came downstairs.

"So, _Snoozles_ ," Toph was quick to taunt from her relaxed position on the couch. "Your Granny was just telling us about your _card_ collection?"

"What?" Sokka raised a brow before realization struck. "Oh, heh, you mean my Magic cards?"

"Magic?" Aang mumbled with uncertainty.

"Yea, yea. Magic: The Gathering. Ya know? The card game?"

"Hm...Think I've heard of it."

"The hell is _that_?" Toph grunted.

"Uhhh, _well,_ I'd show you, but, eh...that'd kinda be pointless. Sorry, Gimpy."

"Pff. Yea, well...it's probably retarded, anyway."

"It's really good. I'd still play it if I had someone to play it _with._ "

"Well, you should show _me_ some time," Aang offered.

"You got it. Maybe tomorrow."

"Wait, you still _have_ your cards?" Jane asked with doubt. "The ones your Grandma got when you were a kid?"

"Hell _yea,_ I still have 'em!" Sokka boasted. "Hello? Freckles, _geez,_ by now you oughtta realize I _keep_ the things I get, because I only ever ask for awesome things." He raised his brows cockily.

"If by 'awesome' you mean geeky as all hell, then _sure,_ " Jane ribbed back.

"Well, I'm glad that my efforts are still appreciated, then," said Gran-Gran with some surprise.

"For sure, Gran-Gran! I still have, like, _everything_ you've ever gotten me for Christmas."

"Heheh." The elder nodded with a smile.

The mystic Christmas hymn Toph had asked for began playing, and the blind girl breathed out peacefully.

"Everyone ready to decorate the tree?"

"Everyone?" Aang was at a loss.

"Uh, _yea,_ you're helping, Aang," Katara encouraged, digging through the box of ornaments. "This is a family tradition, after all."

Aang shed a bashful smile and watched Katara sift through the relics.

"Here, Sokka, take yours." She stuck out an arm holding a plastic container with his name written on it. he swiped it from her. Katara divied up the ornaments - some for her father, some for herself, some for Gran-Gran. She gave pause at the last container and looked up to Aang with glowing eyes. She lifted up the final package of ornaments, labeled like the rest with black marker set on yellowed masking tape.

{ **Kya** }

"Here, guys...I'll split these up for you." While Sokka went about hanging his ornaments, Katara heard Toph humming the mystical melody playing in the background and hesitated. "Toph," she called. "You sure you don't want to hang a couple?"

"Hate to break it to you, Sweetness, but I'd probably poke my eye out on a tree branch before I managed to hang one up. Not like it'd make a _difference_ , but...Just sayin'."

"Well, it's...-" Katara stopped herself and bobbed her head to the side. "OK. I just don't want you to feel left out."

"Seriously, I'm good," Toph comforted with amusement.

"All right, well...Jane, you, too."

Jane shuffled over, bony hands still in her jean pockets while Katara plucked out a blue ornament with a waterfall hand-painted on its surface.

"Here, Aang, you hang this one."

"Whoa," whispered Aang. "Are these...your mom's?"

"Yea, they are."

"Gee, uh...Thanks. It's an honor."

"Haha, they're...Christmas ornaments, Aang," Katara dissolved, though he could tell that it was a big deal to her, too. "Here, Jane, you take this one." Jane accepted the styrofoam ball like the antique it was. It had a strap of red ribbon that stuck out on top, with a small round bell attached at the bottom. Jane jiggled it to hear it jingle and rotated it, carefully observing the messy child's writing that spelled out a word in green paint.

{M _O_ **M** }

Jane smirked.

"Cute. You make this?"

Katara blushed slightly as Aang stuck the waterfall ornament up behind her.

"Yea, when I was seven."

"Ain't that just freakin' adorable?" Jane dryly remarked.

The following few minutes were a cozy, humble affair of somber hymnal singing in the background while light jokes were made concerning the various ornaments hung. Korra was given some of Hakoda's to hang, her favorite being an old beer can, one she herself had given him a couple of years back as a makeshift ornament. Jane wouldn't let Sokka live down his yellow Power Ranger ornament, to which he had to defend that she was the "cutest" and thus the one he liked most. This comment seemed to overlook Jane's intent in picking on him about it in the first place. Aang was endeared by the Winnie The Pooh ornament that Katara hung up last, the chubby character wearing a Santa cap.

"We don't get to see you much, Korra," said Hakoda as he pulled out what was perhaps the oldest piece in their collection: an aged tree-topper star. "You should hang the last one up." The plastic gold star was set around a clear sphere which housed a nativity scene in the style of a stained glass painting. The topper had a plug that trailed around the back. Hakoda plugged it in for her and gently handed it over. She stared at it with wide eyes for a second.

"Isn't it supposed to spin?" she mumbled in recollection as the light turned on inside the center.

"The bulb will heat up soon, and the heat will make it rotate," Hakoda deciphered its technology for her.

"Wow, that's pretty neat," Aang awed.

Korra cautiously set it atop the tree, adjusting it to ensure it wouldn't fall over.

The group stood back and studied their handiwork while Hakoda clicked at the stereo buttons with a grin until the proper song played.

["~Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree~Of all the trees, most lovely~"]

"Oh, brother," Toph laughed.

"The right song for the right time," Hakoda insisted.

Katara nudged her elbow into Aang's rib as she whispered to him.

"He _always_ makes sure we listen to this song after we decorate it..."

"Nothing wrong with tradition," Aang concluded with a smile.

"All right, time to break out the eggnog and cookies!" Sokka cried with glee, rubbing his palms together as he made his way for the kitchen. Toph overwrote the lyrics of the song playing for her own.

"Oh, eggnog, please, Oh, eggnog please~Make me some freak-ing eggnog~!"

Aang came around the couch and flicked a finger at her nose. She yelped and flinched up her arms in defense. He took advantage of her weakness and poked her in the stomach, only to giggle as her arms moved down. He continued to poke at various places until she began swatting her hands out at him, opting to try offense rather than defense.

"Not liking this game!" she growled playfully as she continued to endure pokings despite her efforts.

Katara chuckled at their interaction and drummed her fingers along her arm thoughtfully.

"She's sure doin' better today, huh?" Jane murmured underneath the racket.

"Yea, I think everyone is." Katara rubbed Jane's back twice and nodded to herself. "I was worried this moment wouldn't be...the way it's supposed to. But it is. You know?"

Jane shrugged, not entirely sure what Katara meant.

"Whatever you say, Kat."

"Heehee, I meant, like...Here we are, Christmas Eve, the tree's hung up, we're about to all...settle in for the evening, and everything...And everyone's _happy_. Everything feels... _right._ Like a proper Christmas."

"Oh. Well...yea. Didn't see _that_ coming with the way things were going before."

"Exactly!" Katara gave her friend a victorious wink. "The Christmas Spirit conquers all!"

" _Psh._ Yea, O _kay_ , there, Sugar-Plum Fairy."

"Come on, Jane. Even _you_ are feeling all warm and fuzzy, I can see it in those brooding eyes."

"Oh, I'll be feelin' warm and fuzzy, all right, once we get your cousin to spike my eggnog."


	49. Twinkly

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 49 - Twinkly  
_

* * *

\- Saturday, December 25th, 2010 - Christmas

Katara's eyes creaked open as trickles of morning sunlight poured inbetween her window's shutters. She blinked at the dust particles drifting through the calming sprinkle of rays and yawned deeply, stretching out her legs and flexing her toes. She was careful not to budge her right shoulder too much, as a warm ball of orange fur was planted over it. Katara carefully squirmed out from under her friend's head, smirking at Jane's agape mouth as her face sunk into the pillow with a snort. As she slid out from under the covers, she wrapped her arms across herself and shivered. She exchanged her socks for padded, wool ones and threw on an ugly but warm winter sweater from her closet. It had the general shape of a reindeer knitted into its material with abstract lines around in an assortment of colors that baffled. An old floorboard beneath the carpet creaked from her weight as she crossed over it, and Toph stirred a bit from a few feet away, pulling the sleeping bag over her head. Katara breathed out, expecting a cloud of vapor, but was thankful that she didn't see one. That meant someone else must've already turned the heat on. She grabbed her phone from her nightstand: [ **9:48am** ].

Downstairs was quiet and serene, the dim sunlight passing through the windows. The tree was sparkling with all of its lights on, a batch of presents nestled underneath. Korra was in a lump on the couch like usual, while Hakoda was in the kitchen, Aang sitting on one of the stools at the counter that divided it from the living room.

"Good morning," Katara greeted them.

"Merry Christmas," said Aang with a yawn.

"Ha. You, too."

"You guys sleep well?" asked Hakoda, spreading some cherry preserves on toast.

"Bleh," Aang sputtered.

"Sorry, Bud." Katara rubbed his back gently. " _I_ slept all right."

"We're going to need to get everyone up soon," Hakoda advised. "Bato will be here soon with a certain _package_." Hakoda said in a hushed voice to his daughter while he gave Aang the light breakfast snack he'd prepared.

"A _ha_ ," Katara knowingly replied. "All right. I'll go wake the girls in a few minutes."

"Do you want some toast, as well?"

"Yes, please."

A few minutes of small talk later, more toast was ready for more housemates, and Katara had managed to drag the girls out of bed while Aang was struggling to get Sokka up.

"Sokka, come on. Gotta get up. Christmas-time. Presents."

"Yea, _come on,_ Snoozles!" Toph shouted from the hall. "Get your ass outta bed!" she teased.

While Jane trudged downstairs, Katara left Toph in the hall for a moment to assist Aang.

"Here, I'll show ya a trick," she said with mischief, reaching out her hands and wedging her fingers into her brother's armpits. His body tightened and squirmed, holding back snickers. "That's right, get _up_ ," Katara taunted. Sokka suddenly burst out a laugh, popped open his eyes and breathed out a plea for her to stop. "There ya go, Aang. I give you permission to abuse this in the future," Katara slyly advised her friend as she headed back out of the room and led Toph down.

"Whyyyyyy?" Sokka gasped desperately, clutching at his sides with a yawn.

"Haha, that's what happens when you won't wake up, I guess," Aang picked. "And _I_ won't be afraid to use this power, either."

"Grrraaahhh..."

As the girls traversed the stairs, Jane stood in the living room, gawking at Korra with some surprise. The young woman was stretching from her spot on the couch, wearing a white t-shirt with a red Canadian maple leaf on it. Jane couldn't help but notice Korra's shockingly muscular arms - she'd not seen her friends' cousin in anything but a long-sleeved shirt until now. Korra was pretty ripped to backup her boasts of being so tough. Jane found herself envious. Her muscles weren't what they had once been, and even at her leanest, she had never had such toned biceps on her own stickly limbs.

"What?" Korra grumbled with a grouchy frown at Jane's staring.

"Heh." Jane crossed her arms. "You awake yet?"

"Bah." Korra tossed her arm, scratching the back of her head. Her brown hair was in a hundred directions and she had dark bags under her eyes. "Merry fuckin' Christmas," she bid Jane with a snarky smile.

"Pff. Yea, you, too," Jane laughed. As Katara and Toph entered the living room, Jane shook her head at Katara. "Where did you get _that thing?_ " she asked, pointing to Katara's chest.

"Huh? _Oh._ " Katara shrugged and offered a humored smile. "Uh, yea, Uncle Bato got this for me a couple years ago."

"That man has _quite_ some taste," said Hakoda, walking through. "By the way, ladies, there's some toast and jam in the kitchen, feel free to help yourselves." He nodded to Katara. "I'm going to go wake your grandmother."

"Sure thing."

"Oh _, man_ ," Toph cried, rubbing her stomach. "I'm freakin' _starving_..."

"Haha, let's go get you some food, then."

"Food. I heard it, someone said food."

"Sorry, Sokka, no meat yet," Aang eased him as they descended. "But that cherry jam is really good. I've never had it before."

"Oh, cool. I forgot we still had some of that...It'll have to make due for now."

"We'll have a proper meal after presents," assured Hakoda. "Bato will be showing up in a little bit, so we need to be ready."

" _Oh right_ ," Sokka whispered, wide-eyed. A childish glee spread over his face, and Aang raised his brow. While Sokka cupped a hand over Aang's ear and gave a short explanation, Toph was crunching down her toast.

"Haha, hey, careful, you're gonna get crumbs all over...-" Katara gave up with an amused sigh as Toph didn't heed her any mind, making a mess of her food, licking sticky preserves from her fingers when she was done. While she smacked her lips together with a satisfied grin, she flinched at Katara's calm hands sweeping crumbs from her sweatpants and sweatshirt. In her tending to her friend, she noticed the girl's bare toes were pink. "Aren't your feet cold?" she worried.

Toph shrugged.

"Maybe a little, I dunno."

"Um...Do you...want _socks?_ "

"Nah, I'm good."

"I'm...going to go get you some socks, you goofus." Katara pushed Toph's bangs out of her face before heading upstairs. Toph lingered while the racket of the others eating filled her ears. She supposed that her feet _were_ pretty chilly...

"So Twinkle-Toes," said Toph casually, standing in the middle of the living room. "You _better_ not have made me a drawing, or you're dead."

"Haha..." Aang laughed off her threat, but didn't clarify.

"No son of mine is going to sleep on a chair," Gran-Gran could be heard from the stairway a moment later. "You're a hard-working man, you need your rest more than I do."

"It's fine, Mom," Hakoda put her at ease. "I'm not going to have my own mother sleeping on the floor. You can use my bed while you're here."

"If, um...If it's a problem, maybe we can let Gran-Gran borrow _my_ bed?" Katara offered timidly from the base of the stairs, a pair of fresh footwear in hand.

"Now, now, you and your friend don't need to be throwing out your backs while you're still young."

"W-well, I didn't know Dad was sleeping on one of the chairs," Katara mumbled with some guilt. "I mean...-" She turned to Jane as she entered the living room. "Jane, would you be OK sleeping on the floor for a while?"

"Oh, erm..." Jane shrugged, talking quietly. "I-I don't mind, but...I mean, do we have enough blankets, and...stuff?"

"It's fine, we can just keep sharing," Katara whispered back, not wanting to let her grandmother know anyone was being inconvenienced. "I mean, if you're _OK,_ I don't want you feeling weird, or...-"  
"No, nah, it's-...I'm good, things have been fine." Jane nodded quickly, pushing

"You're sure?"

" _Yea,_ yea...It's cool."

"OK," Katara called back with a louder voice as she passed socks to Toph. "Here ya go," she muttered in passing before going back to her relatives. "Yea, me and Jane can crash down here."

"What about me?" Toph muttered, rubbing her hands across the socks as if to test that they were up to standards.

"Oh, w-well, there's room for all three of us, I mean...once we get the presents out from under the tree there'd be space over there for you, if you want."

"Sure, whatever works," Toph complied as she strutted forward, blindly finding the coach and plopping down.

"Thank you, Dear," Gran-Gran expressed to Katara. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble when you have company up."

"N-no, Gran-Gran, it's...totally OK. We're...heh...we're _college_ students, we...have slept on the floor before. It's no big deal."

"Sokka, just so you know," Hakoda began as Sokka pulled out a banana from the fridge for his snack. "You'll probably want to leave some room in that pit of yours tomorrow."

"What's that?"

"Because your gift from me is that I'm taking you out to a proper buffet downtown."

"Downtown?"

"Found a place in Toronto. It'll be a father/son trip. Sound good to you?"

Sokka grinned wide as he peeled the banana.

"Sounds like a good present to _me!_ "

"Sooo...What're we all doin'?" Toph wondered. She could hear paper crinkling straight ahead, behind where she knew the coach sat.

"Sorting stuff out," Aang explained. He hefted a long box from under the tree, taking care not to knock anything off the pine branches.

{To: _Aang_ }  
{From: _Katara_ }

"Whoa, what the...-?" He was baffled by its size. Definitely wasn't something they had brought with them on the way over.

"Heh, so she really _did_ get one...I don't know _what_ Kat was thinking," Jane skeptically mused, scratching her chin.

Aang raised a brow to her and shrugged, passing Jane the clump of gifts labeled with her name.

"Hey, you find what I got ya yet?" Toph wondered.

"Nope, not...not yet," Aang grunted, bending down to crawl under the tree. He finally found what he'd been looking for - it had gotten pushed back. The small box wasn't wrapped but had a tag with Toph's name written on it. Aang stared at it, his expression waning with doubt for a moment. He took a deep breath and got up, trotting over to Toph. By now Katara had come back and was forcing Toph to stick pink and white striped socks on.

As he waited for Toph to finish this, he glanced at Katara with a fretful look. She smiled reassuringly back at him and nodded, gesturing him to go ahead.

"Hey, er...-" Toph was sitting on the coach at this point, wriggling her toes to test the comfort of the socks. "Here's your gift." Aang placed the box right in Toph's lap and she immediately grabbed it, touching its surface with all her fingers. She popped it open and carefully poked her index into it. Squishy padding. A split-second later, she came across a smooth, dry texture. Round. She pinched it with her pointer and thumb and carefully pulled it up from the box. It was...definitely a ring. Not metal, though. She found it most curious.

"Whoa..."

"Uh, yea, it's...-"

"Wood."

"Right. I, uh...I made it."

"You made this?"

"Heh, yea...I needed some help, but, uh...Yep. I hope it's the right size..."

Toph thumbed it with care. Its surface was smoothly sanded and pleasant to the touch. She slipped it onto her right ring finger. Its shape wasn't a perfectly circular ring, but it fit snugly.

"Feels pretty good," she observed. "Wow...This is...really neat, Twinkles."

"Cool. I'm...glad you like it."

"Why wood?"

"Huh?"

"Well, like...How come you made it from wood?"

"Oh. W-well, I mean...I wanted to give you something I made, and...I dunno. For some reason, wood seemed...like a good choice."

"Grows from the earth," Toph mused.

"Haha, yea."

"I got you something _I_ made, too."

"Oh?"

"Yea...Hey, Katara, could you...-?"

"Right." Katara retrieved a square, nearly flat package and gave it to Aang. It was inscribed with Katara's handwriting, unsurprisingly.

Aang opened it up with careful curiosity, revealing a jewel case with a cover. It was a photo of Toph frowning with a Santa Claus hat pushed over her face. The title of this album read:  
{A Very Twinkly Toed Xmas}  
{ _The Blind Bandit_ }

Aang burst out a laugh from the unexpected bizarreness of this present.

"Jesus," Toph sighed. "I really _do_ look retarded in that picture, don't I?"

Katara leaned over and Aang twisted it for her to see, still slapping his leg and snickering. Katara snorted out through her nose in humor.

"Wow, Meng did...a pretty awesome job with that cover, Toph," she complimented. "Picked the perfect picture for you."

"Yea-yea-yea, it's not about the silly cover, it's about the music," insisted Toph impatiently. "C'mon, stick it in."

"OK, OK," Katara conceded with a chuckle, popping the disc in. "Little insecure there, huh?"

"Little insecure there, _eh_ ," Sokka corrected as he trotted in with a half-eaten banana in hand. "Come on, Sis, we're back in Maple-Land."

["So this is an album I made for old Twinkle-Toes."]

"What the hell?" Sokka muttered, immediately glancing at Toph while the girl's voice played through the stereo.

"Toph made Aang a CD," Katara briefed him. His brows raised and he nodded with surprise.

["Aaaand...yea. I dunno."]  
["Pfffff. Tophie, you're not so good at introductions."]  
["Blah...OK, hey...I got it."]  
["Yea?"]  
["We are the Blind Bandit, and we're here to sell-out and stuff! ONE! TWO! ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR!"]

Sokka exploded a laugh and Aang, who was already giggling from the cover, joined him. Katara smiled and rolled her eyes as guitar chords were strummed out.

["~It's Christmas at ground zero, there's music in the air~The sleigh bells are ringing and the carolers are singing while the air raid sirens blare~"]  
["rrrrooooooOOOOOOooooo..."]

"What the-...? Is that _Meng_ making a siren sound?" Aang blurted.

"We've got a full-on professional production goin' on here," Toph gloated.

Gran-Gran rested in the recliner and raised her frail arms, snapping her fingers and swaying slowly with a dry smile on her face.

"Granny likes it," Korra observed, still bleary eyed as she bent over to her small pile of gifts. She reached for one, only to have Hakoda rush over to stop her.

"Ah-ah, you have to open yours last," he taunted as Korra observed a huge present that looked like a potato sack of sorts.

"Whaaaat?" Korra whined. "The heck _is_ this, anyway...?" She rotated a thick, disc-shaped present from Sokka.

"You'll find _out_ ," Sokka belittled with a wink. "Have some patience, woman."

"I ain't no _woman_."

"Ya sure aren't a _lady_ ," Sokka countered. "Heyoooo..."

"Now, Sokka, that's no way to talk to your cousin," Gran-Gran scolded with a sneaky chortle.

"I'm _sorry,_ dearest cousin Korra," Sokka sweetly apologized with a stupid smirk. Korra punched him on the shoulder and he laughed through the pain.

"Jane, why don't you open what me and Sokka got you?" Katara offered, handing the packages over.

"Oh, um...Cool." As Jane tore them open, Aang discussed with Toph how he had never heard this song before, while she explained how it was about nuclear fallout. "Whoa..." Jane's eyes lit up as she opened the box from Katara. A pair of tall, boot-length converse greeted her - striped black and yellow. "You're shittin' me," she said with furrowed brows and a smile. "These are _rad_."

"Now you don't have to wear those gloomy big boots all the time," Katara suggested.

"Whoa, _dude,_ this is too cool," Jane cried as she lifted a metal belt buckle with a fat bee on it. "Thanks, man!" she said to Sokka.

"Pretty soon every frickin' thing you wear will have bees on it, you loon," Sokka warmly replied. "Aang, here."

Aang opened his gift from Sokka to find a classy white tie with the House of Aero logo toward the bottom and elegant, swirling lines running across it, like wind.

"Whoa, this is nice," murmured Aang.

"I figured since ya gave your last tie to Shamrocks over there, you needed a new one."

"Ha, yea...Thanks."

"No problem."

While Gran-Gran and Hakoda exchanged different articles of clothing - which seemed to be the trend this year - Katara opened up her box from Toph. It contained a black hoodie with a white section down the center, two eyeballs on the sides of the hood, and a beak pattern on the hood's end.

"Oh, _wow_!" Katara gasped. "A penguin hoodie? This is _soooo cute_. Thank you, Toph!"

"Yep. Glad you dig it. I just figured you'd want something like that."

"It's perfect, I love it..." Katara went straight to work pulling off her Christmas sweater and popping the hoodie over her pajama shirt. She then examined what Jane got her. She peered into the box, Jane staring at her with keen, narrowed eyes. Katara's face went red and she closed the box immediately.

" _Jane_ ," she whispered with amused embarrassment.

"Whaaat?" Jane reacted with a shrug. "You like penguin stuff, don't ya?" she teased with a mischievous grin. "Now you can wear penguin stuff inside _and_ out."

"You're...you're...-" Katara waggled her finger, smiling a goofy grin, but a conclusive statement never came out.

"I sure _am_ ," Jane dismissed with a laugh.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Sokka chirped, ripping open a familiar-shaped gift. " _Yesss._ Thank you, lovely sister. Thank you~"

"Haha, you're welcome."

"What is it?" Jane inquired.

"Only the _best film of 2010_!" Sokka decreed, stuffing the movie case at Jane boldly.

"Scott Pilgrim Versus the World?" Aang guessed.

"Ehhhh, that's so close. That's second place," Sokka admitted.

"Inception?" Jane read the case with a perplexed look.

" _Bluuuuu-Raaaayyyy_ ," Sokka whispered, stroking the case like an animal. "Oh, **GAWD,** brilliant...You are watching this. I am going to _make_ you watch this, Freckles."

"Sure, sure, _geez_...Psycho!"

"Sokka's easy to please," Korra informed Jane, leaning against the wall behind them. "Just get him movies. Or video games."

"Get Jane bumble-bee stuff," Toph announced.

"Katara collects penguin things," Sokka bellowed, just to join in.

"I guess we're all kind of easy to get gifts for, huh?" said Katara with a shrug.

"Since when did I become the _jewelry_ person?" Toph demanded, jiggling her foot in the air. A tribal-styled ankle-bracelet with small seashells was wrapped around it.

"I think that's just a coincidence," Katara decided, looking at Sokka with a smirk, for she knew what he'd gotten her, as well.

"Well, I _do_ like this, it's cool," Toph offered her gratitude.

"I figured that since you like to be barefoot a lot, it might look nice on you."

"Sure..." Toph tried to act aloof, but Aang could tell that she was liking the tactile presents.

"Toph won't look as nice as _you_ will when you put on what _I_ got you," said Sokka with a snarky eyebrow wiggle.

"Oh, God," Katara sighed as Sokka handed her a square box. She popped it open and her jaw opened a bit. "You think I'm gonna wear _this_?"

"Why _not?_ It'll look good on you."

"What is it?" Jane asked.

Katara, shaking her head, pulled out a red and black plaid fedora and stuck it dully on her head. Sokka shoved over and pushed the hat around, tilted it at the proper angle.

" _There_ ya go, much better," he commended with a pleased nod.

" _Whoa!_ Shit, Kat, that looks _awesome_!" Jane complimented, offering her friend a cat-call followed by a laugh.

"What the heck is it?" Toph asked Aang, who was gawking as Katara attempted to pose her hand over the hat and pucker her lips out theatrically, only to crumble apart into a giggle.

"Oh, it's...a fedora," Aang explained. "A very...freaky-colored one."

"Probably still works on Sugar-Queen, though."

" _Yea_ , actually."

"If she can make looking like a flightless bird 'cute,' then she can probably handle...whatever it is that hat entails, heh."

"Holy _balls,_ this is...heavy," Sokka grunted, pulling his gift from Toph out from beside the tree.

"Haha."

"What did you _get me,_ Dead-Eyes? How'd you even get it in the house?"

"I had some help, MeatHead."

Sokka tore open the box to find a few cases of various drinks. Not normal drinks, of course.

"Daaaaang, this is _sweeeeet~_ " He pulled out a can of Red Bull and a can of Monster. "Hm...Which one first?" He eyeballed each before crying out, "Rawr," and going for the Monster first.

"Just don't go fuckin' _crazy_ with 'em," Toph warned. "Don't want you running naked across campus again."

"Huh?" said Hakoda with a confused and concerned look.

"Funny story," said Katara as Sokka's face went red like a tomato. "I'll tell ya later."

Aang opened his present from Jane and smiled at the new notepad, pencils, pens, and erasers.

"Hey, Jane, thanks for the art supplies, I'll totally need these for the new semester."

"Yea, I couldn't think of anything I knew you could use, so I went for that."

"Seriously, thanks."

"No big deal."

"Oh! That reminds me! All of your guys' stuff I made you!" Aang bounced up from his seat and went to his messenger bag in the corner of the room while Jane opened her present from Toph.

"What was that you were saying about _jewelry_?" Jane scoffed, lifting up a pair of skull-shaped earrings.

"Ha, I asked Katara to help me find something with skulls on it. Seemed appropriate."

"Heh, well, at least I won't be entirely black and yellow, right?" Jane observed, pushing back some hair and attaching a single earring through the small piercing in her left ear. "Whatcha think?"

"Hee, it's cute," said Katara. "But we're gonna need to trim that hair down or else no one will be able to see it." She ruffled the opposite side of Jane's head. "Gettin' shaggy."

"So...What _is_ this?" Toph wondered, waving a silver-colored card in the air she'd opened. "Some kinda gift card...?"

"Oh, yea," Jane answered. "I didn't really know what you'd want, so, erm...I got you an iTunes card. There's $25 on there, I figured there was probably some kind of, like...musician you'd wanna support, or somethin'...Since you talk about that sometimes."

"Oh, cool..." Toph whapped herself in the forehead with the card. With her current state of being relatively money-less, it'd be cool to still be able to support a fellow musician. "Yea, I think I've got some ideas. Thanks."

"What duh?" Sokka spewed, staring at a cluster of tins of strong mints.

"Altoids," Jane explained. "You talk so damn much and eat so much junk...and with all those energy drinks rotting your teeth out, ya know...I figured-"  
"Heeeeyyyy."  
"Haha..."

"What's this, Katara?" Hakoda asked, holding up a leather bound journal.

"That's our journal," Katara informed.

"Oh?"

"I just thought that it'd be cool if we shared a family journal. You, me, Sokka...We pass it around and all write things in it over time. Then the next generation of Kesuks will have all of our knowledge in one place, right?"

"I see..." Hakoda opened the book and noticed the first few pages were full.

"Sokka and I already got you started," Katara explained.

{12/14/2010}  
{The semester's almost over, and I can't wait to head on vacation. Our college friends will get to come spend the break with us and it'll be a perfect time for our Dad to get to know them. When you have a Dad as amazing as we do, you can't help but want to share.}

As Hakoda read on, Aang showed Korra her drawing he'd made.

"I'm going to get these all framed for you guys when I get back on campus, he assured."

Korra stared at the serene, bold face of a polar bear, its black eyes stern and strong. It stood on all fours, noble and elegant despite its stature. The freezing arctic landscape rolled behind the beast, a mountain of ice far in the distance.

"Damn, Kid, you're pretty good," Korra muttered.

The next page had a bold warrior with fierce eyes standing atop a cliff, one greave planted on a rock. His head was covered by a leather helmet fashioned after a wolf's head, and his fur-edged cap rustled in the wind. He raised a glorious arm in the air, wielding a metal boomerang as he shouted a battle cry.

" _Whoamaigawd,_ that's me!" Sokka squealed like a girl. "Freaking _baller_!" Aang laughed at his reaction and flipped to the next page.

An adorable creature stared at Katara with beady eyes, whiskers poking from its pointed snout. It stretched out its four arms - flippers, really - and waddled along.

"That's so _adorable_ ," Katara cooed.

"It's an otter-penguin," Aang explained. "I remembered that you said otters were your _second_ favorite animal, soooo...I worked my magic. I think he turned out pretty neat."

"Oh, it's beautiful, Aang," Katara insisted. "You've gotten _better_ this semester..."

"I've been drawing a _lot_."

"It shows!"

"All right, then, please don't tell me you drew me some creepy bumble-bee mishmash monstrosity," Jane pleaded as Aang turned the page.

"Nope."

Jane stared at the detailed shading of the girl in the drawing. The drawing stared back with dull-set brows but a hopeful glimmer in her eyes, hair thick but groomed, no signs of acne but face dotted with spots. She was smiling, her cheeks blushing just a little.

"You little _creeper_ ," Jane laughed. "You drew a portrait of _me?_ How did you...-?"

"Remember when I took that picture a few days ago?"

"Oh- _ho,_ " she nudged his arm. "That's...I-I dunno, it...is awesome. I actually look fuckin' _decent_."

"Hey, you're cute, shut up," Katara scolded Jane's self-mocking comment.

"Yea, Katara's right, you have a really unique face," Aang explained.

"Oh, _that_ ' _s_ great, that doesn't make me sound ugly, or anything..."

"No, I meant...-!"

"Haha, you can't talk with Jane from an artist's perspective," Katara warned Aang. "She's too sensitive," Katara grinned and tugged at Jane's ear, causing her to blush.

"I mean that you have a face that can send off totally different vibes, it all depends on how you frame it," Aang tried to encourage.

"So, like I said," Katara jabbed, "we chop some of that hair down a bit and then people can see that leopard-spot face better."

"Psh. Thanks," Jane sarcastically chuckled with an eye roll, looking away while her pale skin flashed pink.

"Man, you need some self-esteem boostin', army girl," Korra sighed. "Lemme show ya how it's done." She glowered over Aang, knuckles on her hips, eyes narrowed. "So, Aang - Short Stuff...Am I hot, or what?"

"Errrmmm..." Aang's face went pale as he grimaced, more from fear at her beefy biceps than anything else.

"Fuckin' _right,_ I am!" Korra cawed, smacking him on the back. "Jane, ya gotta _own_ your look. Ya get what I'm sayin'?"

"Whatever," Jane huffed, not appreciating the limelight being shoved in Korra's direction. It was easy for _her_ to make it seem so simple. She was clearly on the 'woman' end of the biological spectrum with curves and bosom and even fucking _muscle_ to match. Jane was a twig who had to take pills to remind her body that it was a girl, much less a 'woman.' Damnit all...

" _Hey,_ now," Toph snipped, leaning her head over the coach's spine. "I know lil' Twinkle-Toes here is a stud-muffin and all, but hey, back off, sisters, he's _mine_."

Korra frowned at this remark, clearly not so keen on such a comment given the recent history involved, while Katara smiled weakly and Jane nodded in approval, slapping Aang on the shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry, there, Gimpy, Aang's more _man_ than I think I can handle," Jane joked. Aang shook his head dubiously at their picking, pushing his bangs so they slicked to one side, and Katara gave him a quick side-squeeze before dragging over the large present she'd gotten for him as Gran-Gran tried on large, puffy ear-muffs from Katara.

"Here." Katara scooted the gift along the carpet to Aang.

"Oh, right, super-huge-weird present," Aang reminded himself. He was picked on for having trouble opening the box but when all was said and done he managed to pull out...

"A _skateboard?_ " Aang studied the device as if it were a pinup magazine. He rolled a wheel and smiled as it spun. He admired the design on top - black with a large blue arrow pointing forward. "Oh, _sweet,_ the college logo..."

"I painted that on there for you," Katara told him with some pride. "You like it?"

"Whoa, whoa, since when was Aang a boarder?" Korra called foul.

"W-well, I'm...I'm not," Aang admitted. "I just...kinda was always curious about it, but...just never got around to getting a skateboard."

"You remember back in the spring?" Katara pointed to him, straightening the fedora on her head. "You said how skateboarding always looked cool to you, and if you _had_ one, you'd learn how."

"Y-yea, I-...That _does_ sound familiar..."

"So now you have an excuse to go out and get some exercise when it gets warm out."

"Totally! Thanks, Katara...I'll definitely use this...For sure."

Katara could see his eyes spark with a bit of ambition as he marveled at the gift. Maybe picking up a hobby like this could help him shake off some of this 'not-manly-enough' nonsense he let cling to him.

"Whoa, pretty spiffy," Toph congratulated her boyfriend. "Gonna have to watch out, you're gonna tear it up on campus when all the damn snow melts, right?"

"What do we have left?" Sokka scooped up the last two gifts that weren't Korra's.

"Hey, Toph," Sokka lightly bopped her in the head with the box before stuffing in her hands. She scowled at his brutality and opened it. Another jewelry case.

" _Christ,_ what's giving you guys the idea I'm a jewelry person?" She pretended to be offended, but her lips hung open when she reached the actual piece - it was long, a string composed of many pieces. They had straight-cut edges, but the sides of each stone had a rough, gritty texture. It was unlike any other stone she'd ever felt. " _Whoa,_ dang, what is this, some _space_ rock or something?"

"Haha, I _wish,"_ chuckled Sokka. "That's a bracelet made from _volcanic rock._ "

"Straight from the source," Toph observed with an impressed smile. "I dig it. 'Kay, let's slap this sucker on..." She felt the edges and found the clasps, then tried to wrap it around her left wrist. It was entirely too large. "Uhhh...Hey, Snoozles, did ya pick up one made for football players by mistake?"

"Oh, heheh, naw, Toph, you're, uh-...It doesn't go there."

"Say what, now?"

Sokka hesitated, but reached out and took the bracelet with care, slinging it around Toph's upper arm and connecting it.

"Damn, this thing...feels _awesome_ ," Toph squeaked, tightening her fists. "I feel like, even more bad-ass than usual now! With all this bling I've got goin' on."

"You _look_ a bit more bad-ass," Sokka acknowledged, stroking his goatee as he squinted at her arm critically. "I do believe I've contributed my superior fashion intellect to _all_ of you today."

"What does that make _this,_ a fuckin' tiara?" Korra joked, holding up the present from earlier.

"Ah, right, Bato's waiting outside," Hakoda muttered to himself, closing the journal he had been reading and slipping into a pair of boots as he fled out the front door.

"Last one's for Katara," said Sokka. "It's from Dad."

"Oh. Hm." After discovering the gift, Katara held it up in the air by its long chain for all to see. It was a rustic, polished pocket watch with an embossed lighthouse on its front.

Jane whistled in awe. "Wow, classy stuff."

"Whoa, is that an antique?" Aang wondered.

"I...I don't know," said Katara.

"That was your _other_ grandmother's," advised Gran-Gran with a sage finger. "Your father found it when he was doing some summer cleaning."

"What is it?"

"It's a pocket watch, Dead-Eyes," Sokka explained, humored by her constant inquiries.

Katara pressed the button on top to pop it open, studying the old mechanism at work, ticking the second hand along its axis of roman numerals.

"It's...gorgeous," Katara murmured with delight. Jane smiled at the childish glow in Katara's eyes. She pictured Katara in her black slacks, blouse, denim vest, wearing that odd fedora she had on, her wooden relic pipe in her mouth, suitcase in one hand, checking the time on this watch in the other. At least now it all added up - Katara collected old relative heirlooms.

"Now all ya need's a monocle and you'll be set," Jane teased.

"Huh?"

"With all the other stuff you've got, I mean. Old man stuff."

"Oh, _ha,_ yea, I...guess it's kind of a style I like, huh?"

"Because _that's_ not weird at all. Old-Man Style."

"Not as weird as a bumble-bee fetish."

"Uhhhh, you did _not_ just go there."

"Pretty sure I did."

"I will punch you," Jane threatened devilishly, balling her fist.

The front door was suddenly flung open and Hakoda and Bato entered.

"All right, Korra, front and center!" Hakoda commanded.

"Psh. Yes, _Sir_." Korra came up to them as Bato followed inside, greeting everyone with enthusiasm. He held in his hand a large box with metal grating - the kind one carries pets in. Korra's eyes bulged wide at this sight, and she glared at Hakoda with an incredulous expression.

"Remember when we stopped by town a while back?" Hakoda explained as the rustling of newspaper could be heard from inside the cage. "Well, heh...We knew you were feeling a bit lonely by yourself, so...we thought it was only sensible to get a companion for my lonely niece."

"No _way_ ," Korra mumbled with disbelief, slapping a hand on her forehead. "No fuckin' _way_..."

"Oh, yes. Very 'way.'" Bato set the box down as a tiny bark escaped. Gasps and 'Awww's' filled the room.

"That sounds like a dog," Toph cried out, eager to express her vicarious excitement.

"Well? Aren't ya gonna meet her?" Bato taunted. "Shouldn't leave her waiting any longer, she's been a patient little lady this whole time for you."

Korra spun around, hand still stuck to her forehead with shock as she stared at the rest of the group. She smiled sheepishly at them - the first time either Aang or Jane had seen such a look on her face. She whirled back around and unlatched the door. She yelped out in surprise as the infant dog raced out, nearly making a dash for the crowd by the tree. Korra scooped up the precious pet with both hands and held her up in strong arms. The creature had pure white fur and bright blue eyes.

"What kind of dog is it?" Katara asked.

"A Husky," Korra breathed with awe, trying to contain the critter as she squirmed around. "I always wanted one when I was a kid, but...-"

"Never too late to make a friend," said Hakoda, petting the puppy on the head as it gawked about curiously, confused at its captivity. Korra seemed equally perplexed as to what to do with the fledgling animal, and opted to try rubbing her palm across its head. It pressed down its paws into her bosoms and leaned forward as she grimaced from the claws scratching. Some frantic licks across Korra's face and all was forgiven.

"So what's this new friend's name?" Aang wondered.

"Er, sooo...-" Korra rubbed her cheeks on her shoulders to get saliva off and gazed into the energetic eyes of this companion. "We're gonna call you 'Naga.'"

"An appropriately odd but awesome name," Jane laughed. She seemed to be surrounded by people with strange names. Why wouldn't the dog have one, too?

"Makes me think of snakes," Katara muttered to herself out of nowhere.

"So, er...Is she, like, potty trained...and stuff...?" Korra wondered with some fear.

"More or less," Bato decided. "We've had a few weeks with her to get it out of her system, aaaand...all over the carpet a few times, haha."

"Can't _believe_ you guys," Korra grumbled with embarrassment. "I'm not _five,_ I'm _twenty_ -five..."

"And it's something you've always wanted," Hakoda reminded.

"No day but today," Toph chimed out.

Sokka shook his finger at his cousin.

"You _are_ always complaining about how lonely you are..."

" _Whaaat_? That's not... _complaining_ , that's...-"  
"Do we _need_ to pull up your Facebook and show you what I'm talkin' about?"

Korra glowered at Sokka with disdain, her pride chipped, as she carried her new pet over to the trio of presents in her name. Things immediately added up. She didn't even need to open them: a dish for food was the disc-shaped one, a bag of dogfood the huge, heavy one, and...probably a leash? Something like that for the last. Naga yelped out with eager energy, pushing her legs out, so Korra sunk to her knees to let the puppy roam.

"All right, _geez_ , there ya go..."

As Naga raced across the living room like a sugar-buzzed child, Korra got back up and bashfully hugged her biological uncle and makeshift one.

"Thanks, guys..."

"Glad you came for Christmas this year, _eh_?" said Bato. "I'd say it's a _boot_ time ya got yer own pet."

Korra snorted out a laugh at his exaggerated accent.

"Just _aboot,_ " she sarcastically replied.

"I can hear a puppy," Toph cried. "But it is not in my lap for to petting. Theez eez prohblem."

As Naga lost interest in Katara and went over to Aang, he scratched behind her ears and picked her up, carrying her over to Toph while Katara dialed the volume up on the stereo, which had been toned to a near mute level for presents.

["~From his beard to his boots he was covered with ammo~Like a big, fat, drunk, disgruntled Yuletide Rambo~"]

"You gotta get off the couch," he advised, to which Toph immediately slid onto the floor. Aang set the animal in Toph's lap and she laughed maniacally.

Sipping at his energy drink, Sokka glanced around the room, nodding to himself.

"I'd say that went well."

"Yea," Katara agreed.

["~And he smiled as he said with a twinkle in his eye~'Merry Christmas to all - now you're _all gonna_ **_DIE_**!'~"]

"Wow, Taters, you sound...a _little_ too excited singing this song."

"Heehee..."

"That look...isn't making you look any less crazy."

* * *

"Sounds like...uh...quite a time."

["Ha, you could say that."]  
["May-May. _Maaayyyy_ -May."]  
["What's _that,_ Tom-Tom? Huh?"]

"Haha, is he showing you his new toys?"

["Yea. That, emm...looks like a...fire truck."]  
["Ffyyy-tuck."]  
["Right. Yea."]  
["Voom."]  
["Uh- _huh._ Hey, Tom-Tom, Big Sister's on the phone right now, OK?"]  
["May-May fone."]  
["Yea. Go show Daddy that fire truck."]  
["Daddy fyy-tuck?"]  
["Right. Mm-hm."]  
["Voom!"]

Zuko was smiling wide at the sound of this interaction. Mai seemed to become three times more patient when dealing with her little brother. He wondered what he needed to do to get such luck.

"So I'm going to guess he's doing pretty well."

["Yea, he's a little loopy from cookies,"] Mai laughed. ["But how are things over there?"]

"Oh, they're...eh. You know. They're all right."

[" _Just_ all right?"]

"I don't know. It's kind of awkward. Azula's on the phone with our father."

[" _Oh._ I can...see how that'd be kind of weird."]

"She seems annoyed that I won't talk with him."

Mai sighed.

["Zuko, don't let her push you around. You have pretty good reason to not talk with him."]

"I know. I think...that Azula understands, she's just...being _her._ "

["Heh, yea, I know what you mean..."]

"But, anyway, so...I have some good news."

["Oh?"]

"I got an e-mail from the President a couple days ago. He wants to put me in charge of a new project."

["Huh? What _kind_ of project?"]

"Well, he...wasn't very clear, I'm waiting to hear back, but...some kind of, like...recreation... _thing._ "

["Whhhow, so very specific."]

"Ha, yea, I-...Like I said, it doesn't make much sense yet. But I guess he said he really liked how I was campaigning for unity across all the dorms, you know? He told me he thought I'd be the right man for the job. So, I'm guessing it must have something to do with that. Or something?"

["Hm. Yea, that could be kind of interesting, I'm sure. Well, congrats, Zuko. That's pretty cool, it sounds like the President sees what _I_ do in you."]

Zuko laughed nervously through his nose. "Thanks, Mai."

"ZuZu, are you done yammering with girlfriend?"

"Aaaand there she goes..."

["I'm not sure who has it worse off - me being a babysitter or _you_ being baby- _sat_."]

"Very funny."

["You have a Merry Christmas, Zuko. I'll talk to you soon."]

"Yea, you, too. Love you."

["Love you, too."]  
[ _Click._ ]

"What did you need, Azula?"

"You know, Father is very disappointed that his own _son_ refuses to speak with him on Christmas."

"Good, let him be 'disappointed.' Kind of an understatement considering how I feel about _him._ "

"So incorrigible," Azula muttered under her breath. "Regardless, Uncle is about to hurt himself trying to set up that gourmet coffee maker you got him. And why did you get him a _coffee_ maker, anyway? You _know_ he's a 'tea person.'"

"Iroh likes coffee, too," Zuko affirmed following Azula into the hall. "Just because he likes one doesn't mean he can't like the other."

"It just seems pointless to me," Azula dismissed.

"Why are you so snippy today all of a sudden?"

"What was that?"

"I mean, as snippy as you _usually_ are. You've been kind of relaxed all week."

"Hmph. Well, I have a real business to tend to, not some mock politics. So when something goes wrong it falls to me to resolve it."

"Something went wrong at work?"

"You're the one who didn't want to be involved with it, so I'll spare you the burden."

"Uh...O _kay,_ then..." Zuko and shrugged, letting it roll off.

"Aha, there you are, Nephew," said Iroh as they entered his kitchen. "I fear I may ruin my drink here..."

"Oh. Haha, no, no, Uncle, you...have to put the little cups-...See, these are the flavor for the drink, right?"

"Mm-hm..."

"You just put these in this compartment here, and then the machine makes it into coffee." Zuko prepared the device in a few seconds and had it start running while his phone vibrated.

"My, that's...much more simple than I expected," Iroh chuckled at his own ignorance. "Technology makes things so easy these days..."

"Heh...It makes some things more difficult, actually," Zuko muttered with a shrug as he pulled out his phone, still shaking.

[ **Incoming call...** ]  
[ **FATHER** ]  
[Ignore]


	50. Auld Lang Syne

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 50 - Auld Lang Syne  
_

* * *

\- Sunday December 26th, 2010 -

"Urgh, it just...makes me so _mad_..." Katara slammed her car door closed with a huff. Aang shrugged from the passenger seat.

"So just don't let them bother you."

"That's...really hard when they act so stuck up about it."

"I wouldn't...worry _that_ much about it, Katara. I mean, that's...how those kind of people are about that."

Katara sighed, drumming her fingers along the steering wheel in that way she always did when she was anxious.

"See? That's...the _problem._ Everyone just writes it off, like...'Oh, that's just Christians for you, they hate gays.'"

"But not all Christians are like that," Aang assured, trying to placate.

"No, I _know,_ it's just...ugh. I hate being associated with people who act like that. Like it's some awful thing."

"W-well...-" Aang shrugged again, unsure of what to say. "People will think whatever they're going to think. Just forget about it."

"You're right," breathed Katara, trying to purge out her irritation as she started the car. She clicked on the radio, readjusting it to find a station that came in as they pulled out of the church's parking lot.

"So when are Sokka and your dad gonna come back?" Aang wondered casually as different songs fizzled across the speakers.

"When Sokka fills that stomach of his."

" _Ha!_ Like _that_ can ever happen..."

"Hey, never say never." Katara managed to tune into a song halfway through.

["-of my heart takes time~Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you that I can't keep loving you~(can't keep loving you)~"]

Aang felt a knot in his gut as the song dredged up everything he'd been struggling to hide lately and he sighed, staring out the window as the small neighboring town they had come to for church was quickly fading away.

"So. Aang," said Katara blissfully, seeming oblivious to the undertones the music was setting in Aang's head. "What do you think about the whole...thing...where Korra might be moving to Wayward?"

"Er...It-It's cool, I guess. Sure."

["~Oh, with half of my heart~With half of my heart~"]

"What? You don't sound so happy about it..."

"Eh, I dunno. I thought Korra and I would...get along better than we actually _do,_ I guess..."

["~Your faith is strong, but I can only fall short for so long~"]

"Hm. Well, you and Korra _do_ seem pretty much like opposites, huh?"

"Yea..." Aang couldn't stop from focusing on the music.

["~Down the road, later on~You will hate that I never gave more to you than half of my heart~"]

"Hey, I wouldn't worry. I mean, you and _Toph_ are practically opposites, right? And _you_ two get along."

["~But I can't stop loving you~"]  
["~I can't stop lo...-"]  
Aang twisted the knob on the radio down to mute it, his face twitching in a grimace at Katara's words.

"Oh, sorry, was...was the music bothering you?"

Aang could hear it in Katara's voice - she was in the dark. Katara was usually so good at picking up on the details, and Aang was quite familiar with the tone she carried when she was being cautious about such things - a tone she was lacking in that moment. How could she have missed this?

"Yea, I...kinda don't like that song..."

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't...-" Katara shrugged, shaking her head. " _Oh._ " Ah, there it was. "Gosh, Aang, I didn't even think about...-"

"Don't worry about it."

"W-well, uh...We still have Toph's CD in the player, we could keep listening to that, maybe?"

"Nah."

"Right. OK, yea." Katara's head bobbed up and down in compliance with a wincing expression as if she'd said something horribly incorrect. "Sure, we...don't need any music, if you don't want."

"'Kay."

"Umm...So, did you...maybe need to talk about anything?"

"Huh?"

"You know...Because, I mean, if that was upsetting you, it... _probably_ means that something's on your mind."

"Yea, but...-"

"But...you don't want to talk about it."

"What's left to _talk_ about?" Aang's words ignited with a spark of anger.

"I-I don't know. N-nevermind, I wasn't...-"

"Me and Toph...We've spent the past week talking and talking and trying to pretend like there's no problem when there _is_."

"Yea..."

"And the problem is...is _us._ Just...just _all of it._ Argh..."

"M-maybe you two just need to...to get some time alone. Like... _real_ time alone..."

"Fff. Maybe. _I_ don't know..."

"Aang. I know this is all difficult, but...you really need to decide what it is you're going to do."

Aang stared out the window with no reply.

"Because, like...if you're really wanting to make this work, then you need to start acting like it."

"What?"

"Both of you, I mean. And if you...aren't feeling it, then...you should probably break things off before you both get too comfortable again."

"What are you...-?"

"Like, getting your hopes up and everything. You know?"

"You don't think we'll make it," Aang scoffed in recognition.

"Wh-? I didn't _say_ that, Aang, I...-"

"You're thinking it."

"Y-yea, _kind of_ ," Katara admitted. "But it's not _my_ relationship, it's not like I know what's best..."

"I'm thinking it, too," Aang huffed, burying his cheek in his wrist with gloom.

"Oh, Aang," Katara sighed. "You were feeling the same way a week ago. And then a couple days later, you were better. And then worse, and better again. It sounds like you really don't know what you want yet."

"Am I _supposed_ to know already?"

"N-no, not...not necessarily, but if it was _me,_ I just...-" Katara's eyes wandered from the road for a brief moment as she thought. "Well, if I was really in love with someone, I feel like it wouldn't even _be_ a decision, I'd be one-hundred percent about it."

"Even if they cheated on you?"

"Even-...Yea, even if that. If I _really_ was in love, then I'd know it was just...a one-time mistake. And I'd forgive them, and...and I'd work hard at fixing things. It wouldn't be a _choice,_ I'd just... _do_ it, because...because I was in _love._ You know? I-I'm not sure if that makes sense, or...-"

"No, it...it makes sense...I suppose."

"I mean, like...Do you forgive her?"

"What? Toph?"

" _Yes,_ you...you dork."

"Of course I do."

"See? You make it...sound so easy."

"Isn't it? When you love somebody?"

" _Exactly._ "

"So...then I _do_ love her."

"Oh, I don't think you should doubt that at _all._ But that doesn't answer all your questions."

"Rrm," Aang whimpered out a frustrated growl. "Yea...It's whether I'm _in_ love. That's the question."

"Yea. And, like I said...you really need to figure that one out, and soon. Or else...or else you two could just...make things _worse._ "

"Mm-hm..."

"I'm sorry, Aang, I didn't mean to make you worry about all this."

"No, no...You're right. I really need to make a choice and...stick with it." Aang sighed to himself. "Stand my ground," he mumbled wistfully.

"Yea...But, you know...Maybe for now, you should just try to relax and enjoy vacation. It's almost a new year, a fresh start. Right? Take it easy for a while."

"A whole year..."

* * *

\- Friday, December 31st, 2010 - New Year's Eve

The days to follow were calm and joyful as the group wasted their time away, forgetting the problems that school had brought. There will still Christmas movies to be watched even after Christmas itself was over, leftover cookies and ham to consume, and plenty of lazing about to be had. Korra continued to look into any job leads she could, having not heard back on the one in Wayward as soon as she would've liked. Granny Kesuk had decided to extend her stay at the request of her family, admitting that she didn't particularly have anything to attend to back home. Toph continued practicing various pieces, while Aang took a break from drawing. Katara had decided to get back into reading the Harry Potter books - a third time - while she had some spare time on her hands. Sokka had grown to miss his girlfriend and started chatting with Suki on the phone for an hour or more a day. Jane didn't really have much to do with herself, so Aang decided to try showing her how to play various Nintendo games, just to see which ones struck a chord with her. When New Year's Eve came around, though, the group decided they'd celebrate it the "proper" way by going out, having food and drink, and being merry.

The Fearsome Fivesome plus one headed over to the only bar in town - after Korra insisted on 'pre-gaming,' which only Toph and Jane seemed interested in partaking - and got to work cracking jokes and eating fish fry and drinking up.

"Wooooo!" cheered Sokka observing the clock as the bar grew louder in anticipation. "Ffffive minits, folx! _Fiiiiiive minitz!_ "

"Two-thousand-ten can suck it!" Korra roared.

"Damm strayt!" Jane jeered.

"Auuugghhh," Aang moaned, flinching his arms up. "Thaaaat's my ear..." With an exhausted breath, he gently nudged the dogged efforts of Toph away from his face, her tongue slacked out of her lips for a moment before she lazily wiped at her face with her sleeve.

"Heeee, iz a yummee ear..."

"Ew..."

"You _lyke_ it, Tinkles...Shudd _app_."

"Pfffbll." Aang attempted to blow a raspberry but it failed in a pathetic fashion.

"Doood," Sokka howled. "Aynng, yoo...man, yoo droolin'."

"Wuzza?"

" _Pssshh_ ," Katara snorted, slapping her hand on her flushed face and pointing to her neighbor, who was rubbing his wrist across his lips with a look that blended confusion with irritation. "Aang...I'm thinkin'...you've had _one too many_."

" _Yoooo_ havin' had e _nuff_ ," Jane grumbled, slapping her palm down and glaring at Katara from her left.

"Ha...I _don't..._ think I'll take advice...from the drunken crazy girl..."

"Not fuggin' _drunk._ Juss...buzz'd."

" _Bzz-bzz._ " Katara gave her red-headed friend a sly grin. "The Bee is buzzin'..."

"Buzzzzz."

"You are _drunk_."

"So _whut?_ Yer-..." Jane's eyes lost focus only to recollect their attention on Katara's forehead. "Hey, ermmm...How come yer hair's...not right?"

"Wha...?" Katara reached her hand up, trying to find whatever problem Jane was referring to.

"Yer...loopies," Jane grumbled out, twirling her finger near her own head. "No loopeez today...Wut the hell, man?"

"Uhm...I, uh...-" Katara shrugged, baffled by this tangent. "I undid them this morning, I...don't know, just wanted a break from them...I guess?"

"Maaaan, yoo juss look _beddur_ with 'em..."

"Uh...Thanks? Haha..."

"N' yer...necklace..." Jane jabbed her bottle's tip toward Katara's collarbones, where no jewelry rested. "Ain't been...wehrnit lately..."

"Oh, right...I just...-" Katara shrugged. Where was this coming from? "It's not like I _always_ wear it..."

"Blehhh...Yoo shood. Iz cute. N' yer mom...sheez like a part o' yoo n' stuff."

"I...Y-yea, I suppose..."

While Katara attempted to understand what this had to do with anything, Toph pestered Sokka down the row.

"Yoh, MeetHedd, tellmee...Izzee drunk?"

"Hummawhuh?"

"Twinx...He drunkerwut?"

"Uhhmm..." Sokka squinted at Aang, who was staring down into the bottom of his glass. "Errmmm...Dunno." He shrugged off Toph's inquiry, then asked louder, so Aang could hear, "Heeey, man. Aang. Bro. Dood. Face. Yoo drunk yet?"

"Um..." Aang's eyes were droopy as he blinked back. He shrugged and smiled. "Mmmmaybe? Heh..."

"Therez yer answer, woman."

"Rrmmm..." Toph frowned, crossing her arms as she grumbled at Aang, "Whyyy yoo no wanna kiss your jee-eff? Huh?"

"I...didn' say...I didn' wanna do...-"

"Mebbee yoo need moar booze. Huh?"

"Haaa...Nooo, I'm good..."

"Moar booze!" Toph pounded her fist with enthusiasm into the counter.

"Hey, whoa, simmer down, sister," Korra quelled Toph. "I'm thinkin' you've had good and plenty.

" _Chriiiissst,_ " Toph groaned. "Not meeee, _himm._ Need mah man good n' hammed."

"Hammered," Sokka corrected.

"Wutevah..."

"Hammers hurt," Aang whimpered.

"Heehee," Toph giggled mischievously. "Not _alllll_ hammerz hurt..." After a moment to ponder this, Aang finally caught wind of her perverted intentions.

"'Ayyyy..." Aang smacked her shoulder and she recoiled with laughter.

"Yoo two err _crayyzee_ ," snickered Jane, slapping her stomach.

"I think...we _all_ are," Katara decided before taking another sip of her drink.

" _Threeeee minnitz_!" Sokka announced with a belch, to which he was commended with light applause and cries of disgust.

"God, we must be buggin' the other people," Katara sighed to herself as an entertained smile fell over her face.

"Aw, fuggem," Jane protested, waving a wrist in dismissal. "Dringupp, _damm._ "

"Jane Fitzpatrick, is there a _reason..._ you want me to get drunk?" Katara suspiciously wondered, taking another swig.

"Sheeee juss wantsa take advantage of ya, Shoogerr-Queen," Toph jeered with a chuckle.

"Aaand...tha's a problim?" Jane countered sneakily.

"Ya know...wut _I_ think izz...-" Sokka poked himself in the forehead. "-...she juss wantz to see yoo do summin' stupid."

"Ohhh, no," Katara shook her dizzy head slowly, waggling her finger disapprovingly, though she was grinning wide. "You guys...are _not_ getting me to do anything dumb..." Jane whapped her shoulder roughly and Katara shook her head some more. "You're _bad_ ," she scolded Jane, who shrugged in reply, not interested in denying the claim. To her right, Sokka and Toph were playing a game.

"Rrrock, payper, sizzerz, _shoot._ "

" _Rock._ "

"Awwww, man..." Sokka sighed at his loss, his fingers drooping. "Threee outta five. Rrrawk, payper, sizz-"  
" _ **ROCK.**_ " Toph pounded her fist into the table.

" _Geeeezzz,_ you're...too friggin' _good_ at this..."

"Sokka," said Korra with a calm pity. "You're losing to a _blind_ girl."

"Buuut c'mon, dude, she's...so freakin' _goood_."

"I'm not a fuckin' dude. And she's just...doing _rock_ every time, man. And you keep doing scissors."

"Dat's 'cuz scissors are... _sharrrpp_ and awesome..."

" ** _ROCK_**."

"Heeeeeyy we're not... _playin' yet._ Dayumm, wooman!"

Aang chuckled at their odd interaction and turned to his left to see Jane guzzling down the last of a bottle of beer while Katara gaze starry-eyed at the TV screen, which depicted hundreds of people at Time's Square cheering, though it was impossible to hear the set with all of the commotion going on. While she stared at the screen, face bright and relaxed, Aang smiled at her, please to see his friend calm and at ease for a change. She noticed him staring and gave him a keen, raised eyebrow.

"Whhhyy are you smiling at me like that?" she asked, curious as to what he seemed to find so amusing.

"Oh...I was...smiling?" Aang came back, looking away to the screen and rubbing at his eyes. "Guess I should beeee...-" He yawned. "-...frrrrowning at you instead, riiight?"

"I _saw_ that look," Katara pressed with a sly index point as she adjusted her hat's brim. "Just 'cause I'm...wearing a silly hat...and getting... _slightly_ intoxicated...You think it's dumb."

"Pfff, nooo. It's _goofy._ "

"How is that not _dumb?_ "

Aang finally willed his glance from the screen back to her while Jane ordered another bottle.

" _These guys_ are dumb," he laughed, nodding his head as Toph jerked her arm off of the countertop.

" _Gawd,_ don't goh... _tuchin' me_ wiff yer grubby man handz, MeatHead..."

"Whaaa? Tha's...how you _play,_ " Sokka defended. "Payper gohz _over rock_."

"Rox _crush paperz._ Rock crushes _all_."

"OK, yea," Katara conceded with a snort. "They _are_ dumb..."

"Shuttit, _Sweetnizz,_ 'r I'll...punch yoor vagina."

" _Hey, hey,"_ Aang soothed, rubbing Toph's head like a dog. "We're jokin', Taters...You're gettin' cranky."

"We'll...get crankee if we _wantsss it._ "

"OK, there...Gollum."

"Damn," Korra scoffed at the group. "You guys are all loopy to _start_ with, but get you buzzed and it's just-... _Pff._ " She tossed her hand, unable to decide on the best word to describe the situation. She glared at the TV screen after making this comment and suddenly burst out, "And by the way, what the _hell,_ man? Why the fuck we watchin' _Times Square_? This is _Canada_!" Korra brooded over this while the others finished off their drinks and prepared for the countdown.

The group joined in on the count from 'ten' to 'one' with everyone else in the bar and millions others counting in tandem across the time zone. The unifying celebration of another year ending and a new one beginning bridged the gap across religion or culture, hearts ablaze with nostalgia and optimism as they clattered their empty mugs and bottles together in a flurry of laughs and hollers. The bar's manager adjusted the stereo system in the back, and the speakers hung above the counter started playing a soothing guitar melody while a Gaelic-flavored version of Auld Lang Syne poured across everyone's ears.

["~Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?~"]

"C'mere..." After slamming her mug down on the counter, Toph groped her hands to her left, secured them around Aang's waist, and leaned over him, the side of her head on his shoulder.

["~Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?~"]

"Happy Noo Yerz, Twinkle-Tohz...Luv ya."

["~For auld lang syne, m'dear~For auld lang syne~We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet~"]

"Happy New Year, Toph. Love you, too..."

["~for days of auld lang syne~"]

The two held onto each other in a solemn moment of bittersweet comfort while those around them continued to cheer.

["~We twa hae run about the braes, and pu'd the gowans fine~"]

"Happy _fuckin' New Year_..."

["~But we've wander'd many a weary fit since days of auld lang syne~"]

"Dang, Korruh, don'...soun' so friggin' _happy..._ Heh."

["~We twa hae paidl'd in the burn frae mornin' sun till dine~"]

"Hell, I don't get why _you're_ so happy, Sox. You're a senior. One more semester."

["~But seas between us braid hae roar'd since days of auld lang syne~"]

Sokka puffed out a long, drawn out sigh as he ran his hand through his hair, his intoxicated mind trying to process the gravity of that truth.

["~For auld lang syne, my dear~For auld lang syne~We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet~"]

"I'll...cummup wit' a plan," he assured, regaining confidence in himself.

["~for days of auld lang syne~"]

"Ah always do..."

["~And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp~and surely I'll be mine~"]

"Wow, it's a new year," Katara blurted out, shaking her head. "So much has changed in just one year..."

["~And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne~"]

Jane nodded, her head swerving up high and down down low as she rubbed at her eyes.

["~And there's a hand, my trusty fiere, and gie's a hand o' thine~"]

"Made another best friend," Katara said with a glowing smile, grabbing Jane's hand and squeezing it tight.

["~And we'll tak a right gude-willy waught for auld lang syne~"]

"Heh...Hooda fugga _thunkit_?" Jane muttered with a stupored smirk. "Black n' whyte...saltin peppurr..." Jane burped out a hardly audible spot of gas and pounded her chest.

["~For auld lang syne, m'dear~For auld lang syne~"]

"Peanut butter and jelly..."

"Naw, naw..." Jane waggled her finger knowingly and referred to a previous concept they had periodically brought up. "Peenud budder n' _piggles_."

["~We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet~for auld lang syne~"]

"Heehee...Yea. Ramen noodles and taco sauce," Katara agreed, remembering the conversation. She cocked her head to the side and stared at Jane's bright red face.

"Hehh...Dat's us," Jane concluded.

( [SRU - Auld Lang Syne](http://minuiko.deviantart.com/art/SRU-Auld-Lang-Syne-315736509)by ~[Minuiko](http://minuiko.deviantart.com/) )

["~For auld lang syne, my dear~For auld lang syne~"]

Jane stole a glance of Sokka, his face buried in a palm, while Korra stared at the TV screen and Aang and Toph, now both on their feet, swayed gently to the music. It was a euphoric atmosphere, music and laughter and merriment all around. Jane's drooping eyes wandered back to Katara's, and she found herself lost in the pools of curious sapphire.

["~We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet~for auld lang syne~"]

In her drunken, dreamy state, Jane's inhibitions had gone into hiding. She leaned forward the mere inches between their faces, arced over the counter, and puckered out her thin lips against Katara's. It was a quick, simple gesture, swift enough that it left Katara no time to react until the action had passed. Immediately after this long-desired act had played out, Jane retreated to the safety of her arms, folded across the counter, while Katara blinked with confusion, her lips slightly stuck out in sheer instinctive reaction to the contact.

She stared at the fuzzy ball of orange before her, whirled a glance over her shoulder to conclude no one else had seen, then turned back.

She tried to speak, but her insides quivered from shock and nothing would come out until she cleared her throat.

"Ummm...I, uh...I have to... _go_...to the bathroom," she squeaked awkwardly, her eyes widening as her slowed-down mind finally caught up with what Jane's affectionate feat entailed. She wobbled out of her seat, head spinning from alcohol and fear, and pushed her way into the public restroom.

_What just happened? Where did that come from? Was it...just Jane goofing around? Yea, of course it was. Right? I mean, she's...totally drunk. And we're all just being silly._

Katara sucked in a gasp of air and forced it out slowly, scratching an itch on the back of her head while she suddenly noticed her own petrified expression in the mirror.

_Let's not kid ourselves, Katara. No use trying to ignore it any more._

Katara washed her hands just to give them something to do while her mind rushed in circles around this elephant in the room she'd eased into the corner. She struggled to come up with kind of explanation as to why Jane had decided that _now_ was the time to express this in the open. Perhaps more importantly, Katara was aggrevated with the prospect of concluding what she herself had done to convey that kissing out in public, out of nowhere, was something she would find acceptable...Was she presenting herself in some way that portrayed that this was something she'd be OK with? For the life of her, she couldn't think of any reason why. What she _did_ know was that it was stressful enough trying to help Toph and Aang patch up their problems. Jane had been doing so well lately, she had thought, and the idea of crumbling that progress apart was discouraging. Should she confront Jane about it tomorrow, when they were both sobered up?

At this notion, Katara realized how much her head was pounding, and how the water from the sink was still running, her fingers beginning to prune up a bit. She hurriedly shut the water off and dried off her hands, groaning to herself ocver the situation she was now being forced to confront.

As she came back to the bar, Sokka was loudly conversing with Suki over the phone, saying God-knew-what, while Korra seemed to be brooding to herself. Aang and Toph were speaking in somewhat hushed voices, and Katara keenly observed from their body language that they were both discouraged about something. As Katara took her seat, she looked over to her left to see her neighbor, who rotated her head just enough to reveal a curious, intent eye that drooped from exhaustion.

Katara stared back, her intestines wrenching with uncertainty.

"Uhh...Y-you OK?" The words tumbled out without any real thought.

Jane's single visible eye closed and she spun her head back around so it was hidden. Her body twitched from a hiccup, and Katara wanted to laugh at the endearing sight, but knew better.

"H-hey, uh, guys?" she called out across the counter to her right. It was still somewhat difficult to speak, her language skills hazed over in a cloud. "Maybe we oughtta...like...head out now...? I mean, it...it's midnight, and...-"

" _Whaaaaaat_?" Sokka groaned in reply. "Oh, _nooo_ -no-no," he rapidly spat into his phone. "Nnnnot you, Sooki-chan...Lil' Sis is, all, lyke...' **wee gotta go home, boo-hoo, iz layte,** ' n'... _stuff._ "

"You loons all look like ya need sleep," Korra agreed with her cousin's suggestion. "Let's pack it up and head out. Yo!" She waved her hand to the bartender so they could pay up for their drinks.

The walk home was a bit quiet, the group lulled and relaxed by their drinking and food, each ready to pass out and rest for the night. Fortunately, Akiak was a tiny town and they traversed the cold streets in a matter of minutes. They all funneled into the living room via the front door, and Sokka immediately trudged upstairs.

Aang and Toph hugged and gave each other a kiss - a longer one that was cut short when Toph yawned partway through it. This resulted in a quiet chuckle between the two. Jane flopped herself onto the floor in front of the couch and Aang went up to follow Sokka, leaving Katara to guide Toph to the back of the couch and unfold the sleeping bag she was borrowing. When Toph snug and secure, Jane curled up on the floor in _front_ of the couch, Korra spread herself out across the centerpiece furniture itself, and Katara hesitated for a moment.

"Yoo gohn ta bed yet?" Jane mumbled, half-asleep, flapping open the wide comforter she had been tangled in to allow Katara a space to lay down.

"Uhh...N-no, not yet, I'm...gonna do some reading," Katara decided, her brain still coping with damage from the tornado that had struck it back at the bar. The Christmas tree was still up, its lights casting a glow across the living room - enough light that she could continue her Harry Potter binge on the recliner. "Good night ladies," she said to the batch of them, receiving a cluster of mumbles in reply.

As Katara picked the book up from where she had placed it on the floor beside the chair, she carefully opened up to the spot where her bookmark had been tucked, found her place, and went about her reading. It took a only a few minutes until she began to tire of this.

{"I can't come with you," said Hermione, now blushing, "because I'm already going with someone."}  
{"No, you're not!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"}  
{"Oh, _did_ I?" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because it's taken _you_ three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one _else_ has spotted I'm a girl!"}

Katara sighed to herself and quietly closed the book, the all-too familiar sound of Toph's heavy breathing the only sound in the room. Katara could feel her consciousness drifting off. She hadn't taken her medicine yet tonight. Grah. Nevermind that. Despite her lack of desire to take them, Jane had been keen about ensuring she took them each night since the day she'd been confronted about it. Besides, she'd drinken a bit, probably didn't want to...go mixing drugs with alcohol or something, right? Either way, she was ready to sleep. She lazily tugged the afghan blanket that had been sitting over top the recliner and wormed her body beneath it, pushing back the chair as far as it would go so she could lay back in it.

* * *

\- Saturday, January 1st, 2011 - New Year's Day

" _Auuughhhlllgg **uuuhhh.**_ " Toph's theatric moaning could be heard emanating from the floor by the Christmas tree as she clutched at her head, curled into a fetal position.

"Sounds like someone had too much last night," chuckled Sokka from the kitchen, sipping at his coffee, his hair still damp from the shower he'd just taken. "You gotta drink some _water_ , Dead-Eyes."

" _Bleehhhh_..."

" _Yar-yar-yarp!_ "

" _AaAaAaAaugGhH..._ " Toph whimpered. "Puppy attack..." Naga scampered around, and Toph rolled onto her back, flashing up her hands to block any licking that she might receive. " _Hurrff!_ " she grunted out as Naga hopped onto her stomach and ran up her body, bouncing off with imprecise puppy legs and sprinting off toward the kitchen. " _Owwwww_ ," Toph continued to wail like a child. "Korra, your dog just trampled my boobs..."

" _Ksshh_ ," Korra laughed at Toph's misfortune as she stretched out her arms. She clapped her hands together and called for her fledgling pet in a normal tone. "Naga! C'mere, girl." The puppy ended up obeying, more out of being hyper and seeking attention than by recognizing her name.

"Fuck," Toph continued to whimper. "Now my head _and_ my boobs hurt... _aarrgghhh..._ "

While Sokka smiled at his hungover friend on the floor and shook his head, a messy-headed Jane trudged into the kitchen, head drooping, eyes glazed over.

"Well good _morning,_ Sunshine!" Sokka blissfully greeted her, eyebrows bobbing up and down as he swung his fist with enthusiasm.

He received a dagger glare, and Jane's nose wrinkled with disdain at his cheer.

"You look like you slept _well_ ," Sokka continued to mock her as she went about preparing her own cup of coffee.

"Fuck off," Jane grumbled with irritation.

" _Whoa,_ hey..." Sokka shrugged at her hostility. "Didn't mean to step on any toes, Freckles." He leaned over her shoulder as she dropped a single spoonful of sugar into her drink and asked her with a softer, more serious tone, "Hey, what's up?"

Jane tapped her finger on the mug's rim a couple times as she considered how to reply.

"Hey, umm...-" She cleared her groggy throat and drank a bit of coffee. "I do anything... _dumb_...last night?" she wondered in a whisper. Sokka cocked a confused brow her way and leaned against the counter.

"Heh, like... _what?_ We all did dumb stuff, Ginger..."

Jane rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Nevermind," she huffed.

"No, no, hey," Sokka eased. "Ya just...gotta be more specific." At this remark, Jane's face began burning.

"If you'd seen it, you'd have remembered it," she cryptically replied.

"Hm. Er...OK?"

"Nothing, just...whatever." Jane drank some more, savoring the warm, black liquid going down her somewhat sore throat. She stared out into the living room at the girl in the recliner.

About a half hour passed while the rest of the house woke up, Sokka and Korra were cooperating to create some breakfast.

"Oh-ho," came Gran-Gran as she settled herself onto the recliner that Katara had abandoned and tidied up mere minutes before. "Something smells quite delicious. Is that my grandson in the kitchen cooking up such a storm?"

" _And_ your grand-daughter!" Korra pointed out, waving a spatula in the air.

"Haha...You managed to get stubborn little Korra to help out?"

Korra dropped her arm and went back to flipping pancakes.

"I'm not a kid anymore," she complained under her breath to Sokka, who shrugged with nonchalance.

"Hey, now ya know how Aang feels when you call _him_ stuff like that," he coyly observed.

"Heh. Good point...Stickin' up for the little guy."

"Bros before hoes."

"You callin' me a ho?" Korra growled, flashing a competitive smile and a balled fist at her cousin.

"Foh shoh," Sokka mocked, tightening his arm to endure the pound it received.

"Katara, dear," said Gran-Gran with some concern as she watched her grand-daughter pace around the living, room, fretfully tidying it up. "What's the matter?"

" _Oh,_ it's...nothing, I'm just...just trying to clean up," Katara pushed the words out as she adjusted the couch cushions Korra had thrown out of balance. "So, um...So, Toph, you feeling any better?"

Toph, still on the floor, but sitting up now, was rubbing sand from her eyes, an empty glass in the other hand. She seemed to have made up with Naga, who was sitting in her lap, enjoying being pet.

"Dunno. Guess so..."

"Good. Those painkillers should help. Do you need more water?"

"Nah, I'm good..."

"OK. Here, let me take your glass."

Katara glanced around the room, noticing that neither Jane nor Aang were present - likely upstairs. She took the glass to the kitchen, gently placed it in the sink, and observed her brother hard at work frying sausage in a pan.

"Hey, um...Sokka, when you have a minute...could you let me know?"

"Yea, sure thing, Katara. You all right?" Sokka didn't bat an eyelash, but Korra shot a sideways glance.

Katara avoided Korra's inquisitive glance, still looking at her brother, who was intent on his cooking.

"Um, w-well, not really. I need to talk with you. It'll be quick."

"Sure. Hey, chill out, huh?"

"I'm trying..."

Katara sought shelter in the restroom, where she tried to fix her hair into something besides a frizzled mess. A bushy ponytail would have to serve her for now. After she did her business and returned downstairs, she found Aang and Toph at the counter chowing down on food while her brother and cousin finished the next batch of food. Jane was on the couch and Gran-Gran was already halfway done with her food on a tray in the recliner.

"Morning," Jane greeted.

"Hey..." Katara muttered back sheepishly, avoiding her friend's glance and making her way to the kitchen again.

"Good morning, Katara," said Aang at their first interaction of the day.

"Oh, good morning, Aang," Katara warmly replied in a moment of stirring out of her nervous whirlwind. She hovered over her brother's shoulder.

"Just about done here," Sokka advised her.

"I've got it," Korra offered. "Go talk with your sister. She's fuckin' weirdin' me out..."

"What?" Katara mumbled in offense.

"You're...skitterin' around, all crazy and shit. Calm down."

"Rrmm?" Toph uttered with curiosity, her face full of a hash brown patty that had been popped in a toaster.

"Anyway," Korra went on, taking Sokka's cooking tool from him. "I got this. _Git._ "

" _Yar-yar-yarp! Yarp!_ "

"Haha, I'll feed you in a minute, calm down..."

"OK, thanks," said Sokka as he let her keep the reigns. As they passed through the living room, Sokka told Jane, "Hey, Freckles, breakfast is ready."

"Cool."

"It's quite good, Sokka."

"Glad to hear it, Gran-Gran."

After they reached Katara's bedroom, she took a deep breath and exhaled while Sokka flopped casually onto her bed.

"So what is it _this_ time?" he sighed. Katara frowned at him, somewhat confused.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oy. You...always seem to have some kind of problem you need me to help you resolve. That's all."

"That's-...! Come on, Sokka, I'm not...-"

But Sokka's expression made it clear he wasn't going to be convinced otherwise.

"OK, OK...I get your point. But...This is important."

"And someone else's business."

" _No._ See? You always...jump to conclusions. I hate that."

"I call 'em like I see 'em."

"Ugh, you're sounding like Korra."

"And that's bad?"

"N-no, I just-...Listen, nevermind. Something happened last night, and...I need your advice."

"Hm. Did something happen with...Jane?"

"How...How do you know?" Katara's cheeks began the process of collecting the color of embarrassment.

"I _don't,_ " Sokka laughed. "But she was acting weird earlier, too, and mentioned something happening last night."

Katara huffed out a sigh, pulling her ponytail across to the front of her shoulder and tugging at it habitually.

"Well, yea, something _did_ happen. She, um...she kissed me."

"Ffff, yea, I figured it was some kind of practical joke like-"  
" _No,_ Sokka. She _kissed_ me."

Sokka's unamused, tired face morphed to perplexation and surprise.

"Like... _how_?"

"On the _lips_."

"Aaaand...you...did _what_?"

"I...I don't _know,_ it...it wasn't very _long,_ I didn't exactly have time to react, and...-"

"Like, _kiss_ kiss, or...just a peck?"

"W-well, I mean...I guess it was kind of just...a ' _peck_ ,' but...Sokka, that was-...Jane doesn't kiss people at _all_ unless it's...-"

"Sooo...You're thinking she's got a thing for you?"

"Ugh..." Katara groaned, still pulling at her hair, only now with both hands. "Y-yea, I...think she does..."

"Whoa."

" _Yea,_ 'whoa.' I-I mean, what am I supposed to _do_ with that?"

"Well, ermm...Who knows? I mean, like...I'm assuming it's not reciprocated?"

"Of course not, Sokka...I'm...not like that."

"Gay, you mean."

"Well, _technically,_ bisexual."

"Which is what we're learning Jane is." _  
_

"Y-yea, basically."

"Mm...That's kinda hot."

" _What_?"

"Hmm..." Sokka rubbed his chin hairs slyly. "You don't think...If Suki and I asked Freckles if she wanted to-"  
" _Sokka._ "

" _God,_ I'm joking, calm down..."

"Ugh. You're _always_ joking..."

"OK, OK. I'm being serious now. So it's just a one-sided thing, then."

"Right..."

"Aaaand...Somehow, you two haven't talked about it. Since it happened."

" _No,_ it was...like, right after the ball dropped, and...we headed home, and...everyone went to bed..."

"And you... _ha_...you're actually _avoiding_ talking something out with someone for a change."

" _Sokka,_ could you please stop...doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"That _thing..._ where you just, like...spin things around on me."

"Oh. Sorry, it...wasn't like that. Calm down, huh?" He grabbed her arm and pulled her to sit beside him. "For reals." She winced as she sat, finally letting go of her hair and grabbing at her forehead. "How are you sure it wasn't just...I dunno, like...some kind of drunken...impulse? I mean, she _was_ pretty out there last night."

"No, it...it's been there for a while. I just...never really acknowledged it until last night..."

"Either way, you really need to be all straight-up about it before you go assuming things."

"Hmph. Yea, you're right..."

"Besides, what the hell were you expecting _me_ to tell you?"

"I don't know!" She slapped her hands down into her lap. "I just...needed to tell someone. _God,_ I don't want more...awkwardness going on with us..."

"You and Jane?"

" _No,_ like...our whole _group._ Ugh, you...you and Korra are _right,_ we're just...freaking 'drama llamas.' We can't even have a vacation without _something_ going all... _stupid._ "

Katara dug her fingers into her forehead in anger and blew steam through her nose.

"If I didn't try so dang hard," Katara lamented, "maybe things would go smoother..."

"Maybe," said Sokka with an honest shrug.

" _Agh,_ but I can't just sit and...not do anything."

"I know. I get it. Hey." Sokka gave his sister a gentle push, rocking her over to the side to snap her awak from her turmoil. "Chill out. Geez."

Katara sighed and leaned over on Sokka's shoulder. He grabbed her side and pulled her into a sitting hug.

"Whole world's not on your shoulders, Sis. For real, relax."

"Yea..."

"New year, new semester...Ya gotta be all right with accepting change."

"Ha. I know...So do _you._ Pretty soon you're going to be all... _graduated_."

"Lord, don't remind me..."

"Still, this semester ought to be easier than the last one, right?"

" _Bah_. Katara, this is your third year of college. You don't seriously believe it ever gets easier, do you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Let's get a little bit of country in here, huh?  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=VLFa-co-0-8
> 
> Any fans out there catch the reference to the first episode of A:TLA?
> 
> Auld Lang Syne - one of the most well-known songs in the world, I'm sure. This is an old-fashioned take on it.  
> www.youtube.com/watch?v=acxnmaVTlZA
> 
> Book quote is from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


	51. Caution

_What I Learned at SRU_   
_Chapter 51 - Caution  
_

* * *

\- Sunday, January 2nd, 2011 -

[ **Facebook - Katara Kesuk** ]

[ **Katara Kesuk** "The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with caution." ~ Albus Dumbledore]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Aang Leekpai, Mai Chiao, Meng Beifong, and 8 others like this.]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- gotta love dumbles] - [Katara & Tylee like this.]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- I'm still not sure if I love or hate all of the sayings like this he had...But I do like this one.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- heeeee dumbles! ~heart~ cute aang =3 verrrrry cute]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- only you would give a beardy ol guy a nickname like DUMBLES, little man.] - [Sokka likes this.]  
[50 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Ha. His name is DUMB-ledore. Just saying.] - [Zuko likes this.]  
[42 minutes ago]

[ **Zuko Kurosawa** \- Snape's cooler, anyway.] - [Sokka and Mai like this.]  
[34 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- =O DISLIKE! Where is the dislike button? Albus is not dumb!]  
[22 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- i think youre all forgettin that neville longbottom is cool to the max.] - [Katara and Meng like this.]  
[13 minutes ago]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- omg neville! =D]  
[11 minutes ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- isn't he that pansy boy?]  
[8 minutes ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- yea he is. reminds me of someone...Aang Leekpai]  
[6 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- D: D: your such a jerk.]  
[5 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Haha, aww. =P I like Neville. He's cute. Nice guys like you and him are rare, Aang. And he's brave, too. You'll see, Jane. Few more months and that last movie comes out!]  
[3 minutes ago]

* * *

[ **Facebook - Korra Kesuk** ]

[ **Korra Kesuk** god dam! puppys are fuckin HARD WORK!]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Hakoda Kesuk** \- But theyre worth it!]  
[23 minutes ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- i'll admit it, she's a terror and i love her already. thanks uncle.] - [Hakoda likes this.]  
[13 minutes ago]

* * *

[ **Facebook -Jane Fitzpatrick** ]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** fml fml urrrghhhh...]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- whoa everything ok? :( ]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- stay solid, fitz. -fistbump-]  
[51 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- I love how we're within shouting distance of each other but are using FB to talk.]  
[44 minutes ago]

* * *

\- Monday, January 3rd, 2011 -

"Are you _shittin' me?_ " Jane growled at the television, slapping her controller against her crossed legs as she waited for her go-kart to land back on the ground. A whistle blew a couple seconds later. " _Damnit to hell,_ Waluigi, I fuckin' hate your ass!"

Another whistle, complimented by Aang's chuckling.

"Second time in a row he's taken first place from under your nose."

"Pointy-nosed bitch. Can we go back to the one where I can blow fire on everything?"

"Haha, sure..."

Aang went about switching discs while Toph yawned in the recliner, scratching her stomach and picking wax from her ear.

"So booorrrreddd," she moaned.

"Oh." Aang gave pause. "We could...do something else. What did you want to do?"

"I don't know..."

"Uhh...O _kay_..."

"Something."

"Well, like...what _kind_ of something?"

" _I don't know_."

"OK..."

"Hey, Gimpy," Jane grunted, "Don't act like it's _our_ fault you're bored."

"You two have just been playing video games all afternoon."

"We supposed to entertain you all of a sudden?"

"No, but..."

"Dead-Eyes," called Sokka from the kitchen, pouring food into Naga's bowl and petting her while she scarfed it down. "Boredom's your own problem. If you need something to do, you oughtta figure out what the crap you want first. Chill out."

Toph sighed and rubbed an itch on her nose while Korra and Katara came downstairs.

"-like he just dropped off the fuckin' face of the earth."

"Hm. That _is_ odd."

"So... _Fff._ Who knows what's up with that. But I've been applying to other places. Somethin' will pan out."

"Definitely. You just need persistence."

"Hey," Jane greeted them both, bobbing her head up while their game booted. Katara gave a light wave and Korra nodded as they passed by, heading for the kitchen.

"Oh, uh...-" Korra stopped at the back-end of her puppy, who was vigorously chewing away at dry food in her ball. "You feed her?" she asked Sokka, who was making himself a roast beef sandwich.

"Yup."

"I was just coming to...-" Korra gestured her hand toward Naga and shrugged. "You didn't have to feed her, dude."

Sokka and Katara exchanged a sly look and Sokka tossed his arm.

"I wanted to, Cuz. Don't sweat. Naga's a Kesuk, we've all got to look out for her."

"Yea, I'll remember that next time she pisses on the carpet. Anyway, there still any of that stuff left so I can make one?" She pointed at his half prepared meal and he nodded. "Awesome..." Korra rubbed her palms together as Katara wandered into the living room.

"Whatcha up to, Kat?" Jane wondered as Katara passed by.

"Oh, um...Nothing, really." Katara continued down her path, finding Gran-Gran making her way down the stairs.

["Bowser!"]  
["Pi-Pi-Pit!...Pit! Pi-Pi-Pi-Pit!"]

" _Christ,_ Twinkle-Toes, that's annoying!" Toph grumbled as Aang fiddled with the character select screen. He paused with a cautious, innocent look on his face.

["...Pit!"]  
["Bow-Bow-Bowser!"]  
["Pi-Pi-Pi-Pit!]  
["Bow-Bowser! Bowser! Bow-Bow-Bowser!"]

" _Uggghhh,_ I hate you bastards..." Toph growled, smashing her hands over her ears, though a smirk worked its way over her face as Aang and Jane shared a laugh.

At the base of the stairs, Katara asked her grandmother, "Is Dad up yet?"

"Yes. He's getting ready for work."

"OK."

Katara scampered upstairs to find her father in the open-doored bathroom, combing his hair.

"Hey, Dad."

"Ah. Hi."

There was an awkward moment in which Katara tentatively lingered outside the bathroom door, hands latched behind her back.

"Can I...help you, Katara?"

"Oh, I, um...-" Katara nodded hurriedly. "I know you're...getting ready for work, and...everything. I just... _really_ could use your advice on something..."

"All right. Well...Go ahead."

"Sooo...-" Katara rocked nervously, considering her circumstance. Suddenly the urge to tell him the entire truth was emerging. She decided against revealing the details. "Um... _Yea._ So, the other night, at the bar on New Year's. Something weird happened."

"Oh?" Hakoda was now straightening his tie.

"Mm-hm. Everyone was, uh...Well, we were...getting pretty... _drunk_. I guess..." Katara felt like slapping herself in the face. Probably not the kind of thing her father wanted to hear.

"Haha. Even _you_?" Oh, good. He seemed more entertained by this than anything.

"Heh, y-yea." Katara meekly shrugged. "A little..."

"And something embarrassing happened," assumed Hakoda with a knowing smirk.

"Right...Yea..."

"Haha...That sort of thing can happen on New Year's."

"It was, um...W-well, it was _super_ awkward, and...I-I don't know what to make of it. Everyone's acting like...nothing happened." Katara knew that this was because no one else seemed to _know,_ but she felt it best to be as vague as she could with this matter.

"Hm. And have _you_ acted like nothing happened?"

"Umm...Y-yes, I guess so..."

"Then maybe they're just following suit, which makes sense. If it's so awkward where _you're_ pretending like it didn't happen...then maybe they just want to spare you further embarrassment."

"Oh..." Katara scratched the back of her neck while her father adjusted his collar. "That, uhh...That _does_ make sense..."

"But it still bothers you."

"Mm."

"Why haven't you talked with them about it?"

"I...I don't know..."

"Kind of unlike you," Hakoda observed with curiosity. "Normally you're pretty confrontational."

"Yea..." Katara shrugged. She didn't really like that particular word to describe it, but...it _was_ pretty accurate.

Hakoda was slapping some cologne along his neck now. The familiar scent was comforting to Katara and she nodded in compliance.

"I'll, umm...I'll talk with them about it. When there's a good opportunity."

"I see. Well, just be honest, Katara. That's what you're best at."

"Haha...Right."

"I'm heading out now." Hakoda hugged his daughter and tidied up her hair a bit. "You take care. Hun."

"Hee. Thanks, Dad. Love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

\- Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 -

[ **Facebook - Jane Fitzpatrick** ]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** uggghhhh why am i so fuckin stupid!]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Sokka Kesuk likes this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- It's that Irish blood. It's in your genes.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick –** stfu.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- i dont know whats going on but we should play more ssb, maybe thatll help?]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- You're not stupid. Don't be so hard on yourself. ~hug~ ]  
[52 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- That's what she said. 'Hard-on yourself.'] - [Korra likes this.]  
[43 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- =_= ] - [Sokka likes this.]  
[40 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- why are you still at the library jane? get off the cpu and come play games with us. :) lunchtime!]  
[21 minutes ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- bleh fine. ok.]  
[10 minutes ago]

* * *

\- Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 -

[ **Facebook - Aang Leekpai** ]

[Aang likes Winnie The Pooh.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- I can't decide whether to laugh or cry.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai -** are you gonna say that every time i like something you dont think is manly?]  
[56 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Haha, did watching that movie remind you of how adorable the 100 Acre Wood is?]  
[46 minutes ago]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- hehehe! i think your roommates losing his grip on u aangy. dont let him win!]  
[32 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- He lets his girlfriend call him 'Twinkle-Toes.' That's not manly at all. I think he may be a lost cause, but I won't give up.]  
[28 minutes ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- Oh, no. Winnie The Pooh, Aang? I'm not sure if we can still be friends...;P ]  
[21 minutes ago]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- didnt u used to liek poohbear when u were little mai? i know you did...] - [Aang and Zuko like this.]  
[13 minutes ago]

[ **Korra Beifong** \- ok aang, this is getting out of hand. maybe we need an intervention? ;P ] - [Jane likes this.]  
[12 minutes ago]

* * *

[ **Facebook - Aang Leekpai** ]

[ **Aang Leekpai** does not like watching people fall in pits of needles. or being burned alive. or choking on poison. or cutting out their own necks...-_- ]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- D': waaat?]  
[54 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Had a good twist ending, though, didn't it?]  
[43 minutes ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- Sounds like my kind of movie.]  
[37 minutes ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- haha, maybe you'll think twice about liking kids cartoons on your fb from now on!] - [Sokka likes this.]  
[32 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk -** Geez, you guys are mean...^_^; Sorry, Aang. I tried to get you out of it.]  
[25 minutes ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- bah he's gotta face the dark side of humanitt sometime right?]  
[13 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Um...I think he's probably seen enough of it...=\ ]  
[8 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- could we stop talking about this? i don't want to see any more of those movies.]  
[3 minutes ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- aw, little man's afraid of scary movies. :P ]  
[1 minute ago]  
[ _Are you sure you want to remove this post?_ ]  
[Remove Post]

* * *

[To: Jane, Sokka, Korra]  
[Guys, I know that you were just trying to have fun today, but Aang's really sensitive about that sort of thing. I really don't think watching a Saw movie was a good idea for him right now.]  
[Sent: 7:04pm]

[To: Sokka]  
[And you! =[ Sokka, you should know better!]  
[Sent: 7:05pm]

[From: Sokka]  
[Sorry, Sis. I actually feel kinda bad about it now, after the fact...]  
[Sent: 7:08pm]

[From: Sokka]  
[Also. Don't forget the mint chocolate chip ice cream while you're out. Toph won't shut up about it.]  
[Sent: 7:12pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[She's going to get fat if she keeps eating like this. =P Anyway, how are her and Aang doing?]  
[Sent: 7:15pm]

[From: Sokka]  
[Hell if I know. Those two keep having their on-again, off-again nonsense. Today seems like an off-again.]  
[Sent: 7:20pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[=_= I'm really worried about those two...It's like they can't make up their minds over what they want.]  
[Sent: 7:30pm]

* * *

\- Thursday, January 6th, 2011 -

["Heya! This is Meng - but not _really_ Meng, it's her voicemail. You should leave it a message and Meng will probably-likely-pretty-possibly get back to you later."]  
[ **BEEEEEP.** ]

["Hey, Cousin...Uhh...It's Toph. Yea. Where you at? Gah. I need to talk with you, I need your advice. I'm kinda freakin' out here..."] A sigh. ["I'm getting worried Aang's gonna call it quits...The way he keeps talking this week, I just...ugh. And I keep thinkin', like...that there's someone else. Ya know? Agh. _Fuck._ I know, I'm...such a hypocrite? Right? Aang wouldn't cheat. He's too goody-goody for that. Ya know? Ah, _fuck,_ there it is again. See? I'm, like...saying bad things about him. Rrr. OK, just...gimme a call back when you can. 'Kay. Bye."]

* * *

Toph's snoring was loud from her side of the living room floor. Katara felt some guilt as she observed her friend tossing in her sleep. She'd nodded off early, having stayed up late the night before in what Aang had described to Katara as "a fight" but she had explained as being "a bunch of bullshit." Katara didn't quite understand the details, but it was frustrating to see her two friends both back to being irate and not knowing what to do about it. However, on this night, Aang, too, had fallen asleep early, and Sokka was upstairs in his bedroom chatting with Suki on Aang's laptop. Korra was out late doing who-knew-what, which left Katara and Jane, the latter of whom was wary of going to sleep while Katara read on the recliner.

"What's wrong?" Katara inquired with care.

"You keep staying up all night...fuckin' _reading,_ or whatever," Jane grumbled. "Shouldn't you come to bed and get some sleep?"

"Oh...I, um...I just...am getting so soaked up in it, and...-"  
"You've read those books already."

"Uh...Y-yea, I have, it's just...-"  
"So why are you avoiding me lately?"

"Huh?"

"It's about the other night."

"I, um...-"

"New Year's?"

Katara, struggling to swallow a lump in her throat, shot a worried glance at Toph, who mumbled in a grouchy tone and rolled from her back to her side.

"Where is this coming from, Jane?" Katara whispered out. "I mean... _all_ of it..."

The two stared each other for a moment of uncertain tension until Katara sighed and set her book down.

"OK," she concluded. "Why don't we...go out on the back porch? Or something?"

Jane huffed and flipped off the comforter, groggily getting to her feet while Katara headed to the door, popping on slippers and a coat. Jane followed her lead and the two shuffled through the kitchen door in the back of the house. Entering the enclosed back porch area, Katara admired the dim glow of the Christmas lights that were strung about the small, chilled room. Screen windows were all that separated them from the outside, and Katara smiled weakly at the gently falling snow in the faint light. She sat down in one of the two wicker chairs that faced the outside, and motioned Jane to sit down, as well.

They both took a deep breath and enjoyed a moment of tranquility before Jane shivered, sticking her hands in the pockets of her pajama pants. She was wearing a gray thermal shirt she'd borrowed from Sokka. It was kind of loose on her but it had its appeal – and more importantly to Jane, it kept her warm.

"So, erm...-" Jane shrugged, clearing her throat. "Whaddya thinkin'?"

"Huh?"

"Ya know...'Bout that...'moment'...we had. The other night."

"You mean...when you kissed me," Katara mumbled, the words flopping out with hesitation.

"Y-yea, when we kissed."

Katara coughed and cocked her head to the side begrudgingly.

"It was, um-...I mean, _we_ didn't really kiss. _You_ did the kissing..."

"Oh."

A few seconds of silence passed, and Jane stared at the ground. Katara watched her scratch her arm, her eyes shedding some scorn.

"So you're gonna try and tell me you didn't enjoy it," Jane concluded with a bitter tint.

"W-well, it's...not like I really _know_ if I...-" Katara trailed off, her hand falling into her palm. "Jane, it's just that I don't... _swing_...that way...?"

"'That way,'" Jane repeated her friend's phrasing, clearly irate. "So you've already tried that, then?"

"Hm?"

"You've already experimented," Jane clarified. "And it's not your thing?"

"Uhh, n- _no,_ I haven't...tried anything like _that_ ," Katara quickly explained.

"That's what I thought," Jane huffed. "So you wouldn't actually _know_ if you'd like it or not."

"What?"

"How would you know if you've never tried it?"

"Jane, what are you...-?"

"You're _honestly_ going to try and tell me the thought's never crossed your mind?" Jane grumbled, shooting Katara a brief glare. "That you _never_ considered it?"

Katara sighed and rolled her head back against the chair's spine.

"Jane, I...guess I _wondered_ about it. I know you haven't been super open about...being bisexual and everything, but...it's not like I didn't figure it out."

"And?"

" _And?_ And I...I'm _not,_ so...it's not like there was much to _consider._ "

Jane rolled her eyes at this and Katara sighed in frustration.

"What do want me to _say_ , Jane?"

"That's it, then, huh? Just gonna pretend like there's nothin' here between us now."

"There's... _not_ anything...like _that._ "

"Oh, right. So all of this time, being so concerned about me, and...and all the things you've done, that's...what? It's...'not anything?' I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Jane..." Katara pressed her wrist into her forehead. "I really care about you...And I'm _really sorry_ if...if somehow I said, or...or _did_ something that made you...made you think that I...felt something that...that I don't feel." She looked up with a despairing, apologetic expression to her friend, whose nostrils were flared as she glared out at the screen windows, visible vapor seeping from her nose in the cold.

"Ah. So it's...just too disgusting to even consider," Jane uttered with a bitter bite to her words.

"Gah, _Jane,_ it's not like that. You're beautiful just the way you are. OK?"

"Not beautiful _enough_."

"Stop it," grunted Katara, who was now growing irritable herself.

Jane huffed through her nose and shifted her position in the seat before Katara went on.

"I understand why you're feeling this way, Jane. And I never meant to hurt you. I guess I won't, like...deny the _possibility_? But...I just am not comfortable with it. You have to respect that."

Jane was stoic, with no reply to offer.

"We're...just so _different_. I didn't think you'd ever feel something like that."

"Well...Toph and _Aang_ are pretty fuckin' different, too..."

"They are," Katara sighed. "And...Well, that's not exactly working out so well for them, now, is it?"

"Opposites attract, and shit, don't they?"

"Sure. Y-yea, definitely, but...-"

"Whatever. Obviously I just...got my fuckin' hopes up..."

"I really didn't mean to send...the wrong kind of message."

"Mm-hm..."

"I-I mean, I thought that...you were still going to try and make things work with...-"

"Johnny?"

"Right..."

"He's dropping out. Going back home."

" _Oh..._ I, um...I didn't know. I'm sorry..."

Jane laughed in spite of herself, remembering Johnny's words the last night they'd seen each other.

_"There's someone else," Johnny muttered. The instant Jane's eyes widened and her lips cracked open, he quickly blurted, "Nah, nah...I get it. It's OK. Probably better for you, anyway..."_

Maybe not as 'better' as he had thought...

"I'm such a fuckin' idiot," Jane said to herself.

"What?"

"I let myself think things would work out. But they never do. I get my hopes up, thinkin' that there's someone who wants me in their life, and...then they don't."

"Jane..."

"I'm goin' to bed..." Jane rose from her seat, and Katara extended an arm.

"Wait a minute."

Jane paused, her back to her friend, and she awaited Katara's follow-up remark.

"I know this must be hard. What can I do to help?" She got up as well, making her way over to comfort Jane.

"I don't...fuckin' know," mumbled Jane, her lower lip quivering. Katara took Jane's shoulders from behind and eased her to rotate around.

"Just because I don't have feelings like that for you doesn't mean I don't love you," Katara insisted. "You know that, right?"

"Yea..." Jane's face was bright and hot, her eyes building up tears.

"Hey, hey..." Katara comforted, rubbing Jane's skinny arms. "It's OK..."

"Wh-? No, it's _not,_ " Jane choked out through a sheepish half-laugh, half-sob.

Katara smiled at her friend's sudden emotion and hugged her tightly.

"Look at you, Fitzpatrick, getting all teary-eyed on me," she teased, eliciting another laugh.

"Only _you,_ Kat," Jane huffed with humor, wiping at her face. "Your...God damned touchy-feely-ness is...rubbin' off on me...Tch."

The two held one another in a sympathetic embrace for few moments until Jane nudged herself out with a deep breath, scrubbing her eyes dry.

"Better?" checked Katara.

"Heh...For now," Jane nodded with a yawn and a shiver combined. "F-fuck, I need some sleep..."

"Yea. Let's get back inside. Don't need you getting sick."

* * *

 **-** Friday January 7th, 2011 -

[Boomerang Blog: Back At Ya!]

[So. I've spent the past, like...3 weeks...in a house. My own house, actually. And, well...There's my dad, who's not around much because he works a lot. My grandma, who's an elderly woman. My cousin, who's a manly woman. My sister, who's an emotional woman. My friend, who's a woman who tries to be a manly woman. My other friend who's just stubborn and crazy and sometimes emotional and uses music to pretend she's not as emotional as she actually _is_ (she's an odd one, have I mentioned that?). My roommate, who's a woman trapped in a boy's body.]

[Suffice it to say that I am about ready to NOT be living with this many women in the same building

[It's been a good break, though. Way more fun than any other. It's just all a bit much after a while, if that makes sense. Not gonna lie, I'm getting pretty worried – only one more semester left until I graduate, and I have NO IDEA what I'm going to be up to when that time comes.]

[I have a TON of crap to sort out in the next few months. Anyone got any ideas on what a History Major could do for work in this economy? x_x ]

[Posted on _January 7th, 11:04pm_ ]  
[by **Noble Sir Kesuk Esquire** ]

[ **2 Comments** ]

[ **The_Blue_Spirit** ]  
[Wow. I do not envy you. I'm not so sure I could handle that myself. As for work...I'm afraid to say, I have no ideas. Frankly, I'm worried this country's just going to get worse.]  
[Posted on _January 8th, 1:37am_ ]

[ **GhostWitchMalu** ]  
[maybe you learned something from all that girl time?]  
[Posted on _January 8th, 4:11am_ ]

* * *

 **-** Saturday, January 8th, 2011 -

"Come on, Aang, you don't...really _mean_ that. Right?"

Aang huffed and shook his head, slumping his posture as he adjusted his hat so it better covered his head.

"Agh, I just...don't know if I can take this - if _we_ can take this."

"Hm." Katara shrugged, catching a glance of his bitter expression as they walked down the salted sidewalk of Akiak. "I guess I don't know what to say anymore, Aang," she conceded to his pessimism with a sigh. "I know you've been really thinking hard about it this week."

"Don't you think it's _sad_?" Aang complained. "How, lately, Toph only ever seems to have fun when she's _drunk?_ "

"Mm." Katara popped her shoulders up again. "Yea, I don't know..."

"Ugh. And she just keeps snipping at me over every little thing."

"I guess I _have_ noticed that...I won't lie, it's been bothering me. But, no offense, Aang, you've been acting a lot more distant and grouchy toward her, too."

"I know...You're right. You're _so_ right. Agh..."

As they rounded the corner and headed down the produce aisle, there was silence as Aang ran through their situation in his head, continuing to get his gears stuck at the same place, while Katara tried to read him.

"What are you thinking?" she wondered with solemn doubt.

"I just...keep hitting this same feeling, whenever I try to think about it," Aang lamented. "Me and Toph have been having trouble making this work for...weeks. Months? Rrgh. Months. I'm just...really starting to feel like...we're just wasting our time."

"Mm..." Katara sighed through her nostrils. She didn't want to verbally express support in this idea - she was trying quite hard to let Aang make up his own mind and simply be someone he could dump on - but over the course of Christmas break she had found herself believing more and more that perhaps they'd both be happier and better off if they did, in fact, call things off. It was a difficult situation.

"What do _you_ think, Katara?"

Katara's heart pounded at the question.  
 _I think that Toph isn't the best fit for you, and you aren't the best fit for her..._

" _Oh._ Well... _I_ think...that...-"  
"Toph and I should break up."

"Huh? N-no, that's... _not_...what I-"  
"Katara, you can stop trying to be polite." Aang spoke with a tired irritation that threw Katara off. "I can tell what you're thinking. You're doing that... _thing._ "

"Wh-what thing?"

"That thing where you try to be polite because you don't want to seem rude, and you don't like seeing your friends fighting."

"Oh..." Katara felt her face heat up at how he'd read her.

"Sokka agrees with you...So does your cousin. And, uh...some other people," Aang mumbled.

"What's that?"

"Everyone seems to think I should break up with Toph..."

"Mm..." Katara felt her insides squirm at the doubt and fear in his face. She rubbed his padded shoulder and sighed out a cloud of vapor as they approached the grocery store. "You sound like you've made up your mind on it, then..."

"I guess so."

* * *

[Subject: RE: Operation Unite]

[President Bumi,]

[After much consideration, I have decided that I would, indeed, like to accept your request and undertake this project. It sounds as though you've already made proper arrangements for a location, and the budget you've outlined seems reasonable. I will recruit advisers and student staff to assist with planning and construction per your outline, and we will aim to have everything set up for a February opening as you desire. I will maintain weekly progress reports as you've asked and will advise you of any major developments as they come.]

[I appreciate this opportunity and will not let you down. This undertaking will truly help bolster the sense of community here at SRU - of this I am certain.]

[Respectfully Yours,]  
[ _Zuko Kurosawa_ ]  
[ _Student President, Saint Roku University_ ]


	52. What Is

\- Sunday, January 9th, 2011 -

Blood.

Everywhere.

Under his bare feet. Between his toes. Between his fingers. Across his hands.

Everywhere.

Blood.

...

...Aang...We need you, Aang...We need you...

...Aang. Hey. Snap out of it.

Dude, _wake up_...

Huh?

"Aang! Quit freakin'."

" _What?_ " Aang yelped out with a flinch, his eyes wide and bleary as he gazed at an equally tired Sokka.

"Dude, you were having a nightmare," groaned Sokka, half-asleep. "Chillax."

"Whhrr...?" Aang rubbed at his eyes as Sokka rolled over onto his side with a great yawn.

"Go back to sleep," mumbled his bunkmate. But Aang didn't desire to go back to what he'd just been witnessing. He decided he'd attempt to calm him nerves by getting some water. He slid out from the sheets into the cold night. **[1:32AM]** read Sokka's fat, digital clock.

Aang crept downstairs, taking care not to let the boards creek too much. He was surprised to find Katara, still awake, reading a book on one of the stools at the living room's edge. A faint glow fell over her from a small light in the kitchen that lit up the stove across the countertop. She turned around, confused by his presence. When he reached the kitchen, she whispered out to him.

" _Hey,_ Aang...What are you doing up?"

"Ha...I should ask _you_ that...Don't you have to drive tomorrow?"

"Um...Y-yea, I do, but...not until a little later in the day..."

"Still...We need to get up early."

"I know. You're right..." She sighed and closed her book with a shrug, watching him pour water from the filtered container they had in their fridge. "Are you all right...? You look pretty...I dunno...spooked."

"J-just a nightmare, that's all..."

"Oh...I see. Didn't you have one last night?"

"Huh? How did you...-?"

"Sokka told me...It's because you watched that movie, isn't it?"

"Er, what? No, that's not...-" Aang shook his head and began to drink, using the water as an excuse to not reply.

"It's OK. I understand. Just...try to get some good sleep. You're really stressed out, so...not sleeping is probably not helping."

Aang swallowed the last of his water. " _Yea,_ " he begrudgingly agreed as his mind drained out the blood and horrific images to replace them with Toph and his pain and confusion in regards to her.

"Everything will be OK, Bud," Katara said with an exhausted but nevertheless comforting smile.

"Thanks, Katara." Aang gently placed his glass into the empty sink. "Good night."

"Good night."

After Hakoda and Gran-Gran passed their hugs to the group, Korra sheepishly slipped through the front door with Naga on a leash.

" _Yarp! Yar-yarp!_ "

"Looks like Naga's gonna miss you guys," she observed with a melancholy shrug.

"Well, we're sure going to miss her, too," Katara assured with a knowing wink at her cousin before they hugged. Sokka was next in line.

" _So._ Korra. Cousin. It's been real, and it's been fun...-"  
"But it ain't been _real fun_!" the two of them finished in chorus with silly grins as they gave each other high-five hugs.

"Keep it real, Sox."

"You, too, Korra."

" _Yaarrrrp. Yarrp-yarr..._ "

"Heeeyyy," Toph whimpered as she cautiously drew near. "Why you all grumpy with me, Naga?"

" _Aarp?_ "

"Pff. She's just a fuckin' loony pup," Korra chuckled. "C'mon, girl, it's Toph. Chill."

"Time for us to go, Naga. Gotta head back to this... _school_...bullcrap."

Naga whimpered and started pawing her way up Toph's pants. Toph slowly bent down and let the husky lick at her face while she attempted to pet her.

"Yea, I'll miss you, too, Mutt. But I _won't_ miss those fat feet of yours." Toph stretched back up to full height and reached out her arms for Korra to give her a quick hug in which backs were slapped.

"You're pretty tough for a gimp," Korra teased.

"You're pretty girly for a _man_ ," Toph joked back. As their hug broke, Toph slammed Korra in the rib with a surprisingly solid punch.

" _Fuck,_ man!" she grunted, eyes narrow and keen on Toph's joking mannerisms. "The hell was _that_?"

"How I show affection. Thought you'd apprec-"  
 _Whump.  
_ " _Owww!_ " Toph grasped at her shoulder. "Damn, that...fuckin' hurt," she laughed out half-heartedly.

"Don't dish what ya can't take," Korra advised slyly.

"Yea, I'll...remember that," Toph said as she sucked in air through her teeth. " _Fricker,_ you have a good arm..."

Jane was next, and the two kind of shrugged at each other awkwardly for a moment before Korra rolled her eyes and cocked her head back, opening here arms.

"Let's get this over with, Jane..." she exaggerated irritation.

"Oh, _God,_ ugh, so annoying..." Jane joined in as they hugged with mock disapproval. As they broke off, Korra put out her fist, and Jane bumped it with a smirk.

"Watch yourself, red-head."

"I'll try. And, uh...hey. I'll look into what's goin' on with the bar in Wayward. I'll let you know what the deal is."

"Sounds good."

Aang remained, standing reluctantly by the Kesuk car with his hands in his pockets, gazing at the winter sunrise while Sokka and Katara worked on loading the trunk. Korra left Hakoda with the leash and hesitantly made her way across the gravel driveway.

"Yo. Aang."

"Hey..." He looked pretty tuckered out.

"Slept on the wrong side of the bed, eh?"

"I guess..." His eyes were half closed and he shrugged.

"Psh. _Every_ side of the bed is wrong when Sokka's on it."

" _Hey!_ "

"Anyway, uh...Dude. C'mon, why the pouty face?"

"I'm tired..." He blinked and rubbed at his face before widening his eyes to Korra. "Sorry, I just...-"

"Nah, man. It's cool. _I'm_ sorry..."

"For...For what?"

"For bein' such a bitch lately." Korra huffed and bobbed her head to the side. "I heard that you, uh...went through a lotta shit in the past..."

"Mm..."

"Had no idea, man. Guess I've been an ass."

"It's OK...You're just...really different from me, is all."

"Heh. I'm like an... _anti-Aang_ , right?"

"Fff!" Aang nodded in amusement. "Yea, you... _are_ like my opposite."

"Hey, Little Man." Korra slapped him on the shoulder. "Opposition breeds potential. Or, uhh...Wait, how did that go?"

"What?"

"Err...I don't remember. Whatever. Somethin' like how dealing with your opposites makes you buffer. As a person, and junk."

"Oh, haha...Yea, you're right."

"See? I can do this...philosophy shit and stuff, too. Watch out, I might take your place one of these days, be the nice guy everyone looks up to and whatever. Leadin' people to 'The Light' and all that bull."

"Heh. _That_ would be quite a sight to see," Aang acknowledged with a humored sigh. "Maybe we'll see you around some time?"

"No _way_ you've seen the last of me, man."

"Good."

Aang offered Korra her final hug of the morning, and the group began filing into the vehicle. Numerous "good-bye's," and "I love you's" were exchanged, and off the group sped, southward bound for Pennsylvania.

* * *

\- Monday, January 10th, 2011 -

Aang fumbled across campus in a half-awake stupor, rushing to get to the auditorium. As he drew near, a steady stream of students was filtering in. He saw a puff of bright orange amidst the flock and waved up his hand. Sure enough, it was Jane. She met him halfway, close to one of the stage-side entrances to the building.

"Whoa, hey..."

"Hi, Jane..."

"Shit, you look _beat_...You all right?"

"Ehh..." Aang shrugged as they dawdled beside the door, letting other students pass them by.

"Not pissin' the bed, are ya? With those nightmares and crap?"

The corner of Aang's mouth twitched and he squinted his eyes for a moment before recollecting his cool.

"Uhh, it's-... _Yea._ Not fun. Really stressed."

"Right. After that, uh... _chat_...we all had, and...with the new semester, it's...well, it sure makes sense."

Aang didn't want to think about the discussion the group had on their way down to PA while passing through New York state. It was an involved five-way debate about all sorts of things, branching out into different tangents. Once it hit 'relationships' and how they should operate, Aang quickly grew frustrated with the conflicting opinions and gave up on the discussion. His friends had clearly been pressuring him throughout the conversation to have 'the talk' with Toph that each seemed to believe ought to happen after the many discussions he had endured with both his girlfriend and those closest to him.

"Anyway," Aang dismissed Jane's implications. "Do you know where the others are?"

"Yea, Kat texted me, said they're up on the balcony floor toward the back."

"Oh...OK. Yea, gimme a sec..."

The two headed in, diving straight into the cloud of commotion that was the auditorium before an event. In this case, it was just before lunchtime on the first day of classes for the spring semester, and the school president was giving his biannual student address. Aang and Jane weaved around students until Aang reached the side of the stage. He poked around, sneaking behind the curtain, to which Jane was baffled and confused, and reached an arm out to stop him, only to follow him in.

"Ah- _ha!_ There he is..." came the sly, crackling voice of Bumi, waggling a wrinkled finger at Aang. "How are things going, m'boy?" He was holding a bowl of lettuce leaves and crunched at one as he awaited a response.

"It's, uhh...I've been better," Aang honestly answered in haste, scanning the gentleman's outfit. "I just, well...wanted to say 'hi,' and...good luck on the speech. And everything."

"You know me, Leekpai. A whole crowd isn't gonna shake _me_ up." Another leaf chomped down - he chewed each one with a rhythm in successive bites.

Jane gawked at their casual interaction with wide eyes. President Bumi was wearing a dark purple suit with a lavender tie. A small sunflower was pinned to his chest.

"What do you think of my new outfit?" Bumi wondered with an aloof shrug. "Come, now. I want your honest opinion."

Aang scratched his head curiously.

"Er...I...guess it's _fine_...?"

"Excellent."

Jane was slack-jawed, unable to utter a word.

" _Oh,_ uh, hey." Aang extended an arm to Jane, gripping her shoulder and pushing her forward. "This is Jane Fitzpatrick, she's one of my best friends."

Jane's teeth were bared with fright as Bumi leaned forth, eyeballing her with suspicion as she was swiftly reminded of days with the Freedom Fighters.

_Shit, does he recognize me? We used to give him a lotta hell a while back..._

" **MMMMMMM.** Seems like a good egg to me," Bumi firmly concluded, nodding as he stroked his white chin hairs. " _But,_ then again, I've been known to eat _bad_ eggs. So what do _I_ know, right?" A chortle erupted as he grabbed Jane's hand - one bony set of fingers crushing another in a vigorous shake. "Nice to meet you, Miss." He squeezed the flustered Jane by the shoulder tightly and jabbed a finger at Aang, advising her, "Keep an eye on this one, ya might learn a thing or two. Heh."

"Y-yes, Sir..." she squeaked.

" _Gahaha,_ looks like I've scared your little friend, Aang."

"She's just a bit shy."

"Nothing wrong with that. Shyness is just another word for caution. And you can't be too cautious when it comes to people." There was a glint in his eye as he slipped his hands into his pockets and nodded thoughtfully to himself. "After all, look at _me_ , even _I_ don't know what I'll do next..." he flashed them a manic grin.

"Aheh, heheh..." Jane attempted to laugh politely, red as a tomato.

"Well, Kiddo, looks like I'm on in five," Bumi coolly advised. "Thanks for dropping by. Give me a call, we'll need to meet over a meal and catch up. It's been a while."

"Yea, it has," Aang agreed. "Knock 'em dead, Bumi."

"Don't you know it? I will."

Just as suddenly as they'd entered the stage did they exit, heading straight for the back where the stairs resided.

"The _fuck_...?" Jane gasped to Aang with a snicker as they clambered up the stairs. "You know the _president?_ That guy's a _psycho..._ " She seemed highly entertained after the fact.

"Yea, I've known Bumi for a long time," Aang explained. "He's great, haha."

"Man, that's so bad-ass. How the hell do you know him?"

"Friend of the family," Aang immediately replied, only to be struck with the somber reminder of his circumstances.

"Family? But I thought...-"

"Y-yea, it's, uh...kind of a long story, but...I guess I ought to tell you some time, huh?"

"Oh, wh-whatever works for you, dude. I was just...wondering."

"No, no, I...-" Aang paused in the stairwell corner, drumming his fingers carefully on the rail. "Remember how before, we were...saying, or... _doing_...things that got you upset, because of your...-" He spun his finger around. "-...history?"

"Yea," Jane nodded, eyebrows furrowing with concern.

"There's...some parts of _my_ history that...maybe you ought to know about, too..."

"Oh...Sure, um...OK."

"Uh, but...later," Aang settled the matter.

"Totally," Jane agreed, releasing the solemn topic as they hit the balcony section and found their three friends in the back, sitting in seats at the backmost row.

Sokka was playing Tetris on his phone, Toph was lounging about listening to music on her iPod, and Katara was reviewing a class syllabus. They exchanged their greetings and sat down, and the speech commenced shortly thereafter. The curtain opened to reveal Bumi at the lecture podium, a downward arrow carved into its front side. His presence was met with applause and even a few cat calls.

"Yes, yes, yes..." He quelled them, wobbling his hands about to encourage the crowd of students as they settled to allow him to speak. "It _is_ that time again, my friends. Indeed, it is. Quite exciting, I know." A student toward the front belted out a ' _woo-yeah!_ ' and Bumi chortled. "Exactly! This fellow here gets what I mean. Come, now." He flicked his wrists up, gesturing the student body that was present to rise from their seats. "Chop-chop. Up and at 'em. I know it's quite early for you folk, so let's all have a good shout and cheer ourselves on the start of a semester, shall we?"

Some students started bellowing out calls and grunts, and Bumi egged them on until the entire building echoed with the cries of hundreds of voices in a chaotic clash of jubilant energy. His snorting laugh reverberated amongst their cheer as he clapped his hands. As he waited for the commotion to die down, he ate a green leaf from his bowl sitting on the podium, then drank from a bottle of water to wash it down.

"Doesn't that feel better?" He cleared his throat. "Now, then. On the off chance that you may not know me, I'm President Bumi. If this is your first semester at Saint Roku University...welcome. We do things a bit differently here. We bend our minds at SRU to get the job done. _Mind-benders,_ we are."

Aang yawned and stretched out his arms, leaning back in his seat as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

A hallway. Dusty clouds drifting through the air.

"Toph. I need to talk with you."

"What do you want, Pansy-Boy?"

"It's about me. About us."

"What _about_ us?"

"I think...that we should break up."

"How do you plan on doing _that_ when you're not even wearing any _pants_?"

" _Wh-what?_ "

A cold draft. Eyes prying through the hallways walls. Eyes everywhere. Staring. Deep staring from all sides.

Applause.

Aang's eyes popped open as his heart skipped a beat. He was back at the auditorium.

"You must all open your brains to the possibilities. Always remember that there's never just one answer to a problem. As a fellow scholar of mine once said: 'Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy!' You'll all face challenges in the coming semester - every last one of you. Don't take them lightly - or too heavily, for that matter. Simply...take them. Things will get rocky, I promise you that. And when they do, I hope you will all think like _mad geniuses_."

Bumi waved to the rabidly clapping audience of students and took his leave, chewing down another leaf while exiting off stage with his other hand in his pocket.

" _Shit,_ man, that guy is... _awesome_ ," Jane murmured with an impressed sigh as the throngs of students rose from their seats and began filing out. "I can't believe we used to give him so much crap..."

"Huh?" mumbled Aang, still recovering from his exhausting nap.

Jane ignored his half-hearted inquiry and said, "Damn, Aang, now I _really_ wanna know how you and him are so buddy-buddy."

"You don't _know_ about that?" Toph incredulously asked. " _Yea,_ man, it's, like...the whole reason he's here..."

"N-no one's ever _told_ me," Jane defended her ignorance.

"The hell, Twinkles?" Toph teased, jabbing at his stomach. "Way to leave Janey-Jane in the _dark,_ geez..."

"Heh, I, uhh...-" Aang shrugged and trailed off, sneezing as his thoughts derailed.

"God bless you," said Katara, who was quickly accompanied by a few more "Bless-you's."

"Little sicky, there, Babe?" picked Toph, nudging her fist into Aang's stomach, which wasn't helping.

"Wh-? ' _Sicky_?'" Katara giggled. "Did you just say...-?"

"You called me 'Babe.'"

"What are you talking about, Sicky?"

"OK, I'm escaping the gushy-ness," Sokka flatly declared.

"Haha, I'm with him," Suki chuckled. "It's time for lunch, anyway."

Up at the cafeteria, Aang pulled Jane aside while everyone was grabbing their food.

"Hey, uhh...How about I tell you about... _stuff_...over lunch...?"

"Oh, erm...Shhhuuure?"

"Hey, Taters, I-"  
"Yep. Go for it," Toph conceded warmly, having overheard. "JayBee needs to learn the Secrets of the Hidden Aang."

"Legends of the Hidden Temple," Sokka contributed, out of nowhere, piling some macoroni and cheese onto his plate.

"Shrine of the Silver Monkey," Katara added with a grin.

"Frickin' _eh,_ " Sokka growled. "Those damn kids never knew how to put that stupid thing together right! Always pissed me off!"

"Heehee, I know, right?" Katara giggled, adding a chicken sandwich to her meal.

"Huh?" Suki was baffled.

"Did you not watch Nickelodeon when you were young?" Sokka gasped.

"We didn't have cable," Suki replied simply.

"Put together the Shrine of the...-?" Toph sighed. "Nevermind. I don't wanna know."

"'Kay, well...-" Aang shrugged with an impatient puff. "We'll catch you guys later."

"OK," said Katara, giving Aang a cautious glance.

"Have fun, you two," Toph teased. "Don't blow her mind too much."

"I'll try."

"What's this about?" mumbled Suki.

"Aang and Jane need to have a chat."

"Oh...?"

"Don't worry about it, it's cool."

A couple minutes later, the two friends had found themselves a booth at an edge of the cafeteria by a one of the wall-sized window panes. The two sat on opposing booths and minded to themselves for a few moments, chewing into their meals.

"So. Jane. I know that...you kind of had a rough past...I'm not _exactly_ sure what happened, but...mine hasn't exactly been full of rainbows, either..."

* * *

{ **DOMESTIC DISPUTE ENDS IN BLOODSHED}**

Bumi sighed at the newspaper headline, pinching at the bridge of his slightly crooked nose. He set the paper down on the table. He didn't need to read what the press was spinning on the matter. He already knew the details second-hand.

"What a mess," he sighed with a deep melancholy that his companion hadn't seen in quite some time.

"A true tragedy," lamented the elderly man sitting across the table from Mr. Bumi.

"I'm awfully sorry, Gyatso," Bumi offered his sympathies. "I simply don't understand it. The boy certainly didn't deserve this..."

"No. Not at all..."

Gyatso, a slender old man with tanned skin and a bald head, drank down the hot liquid in his tiny sake cup as memories swirled. His grandson, barely six years old, face streaming with confused tears, his hands and clothes red with dried blood. So much blood...The officer who'd shown up on the scene had reported they'd found the child on the kitchen floor, arms wrapped around his dead mother's waist, sitting in a pool of her blood. The father was across the room, a red-stained telephone at his side. Investigators were still attempting to crack the code of truth to determine what had happened, but all signs pointed to a dispute between the two.

"It's beyond my comprehension," Gyatso huffed, scratching at his beard. "So selfish, to leave their own child caught in this..."

"To leave him alone," Bumi added with disgust. "It's obvious that Aang was _not_ at the forefront of their thoughts in this whole situation."

"I _begged_ them to seek legal action," Gyatso defended his own lack of intervention. "They wouldn't listen..."

"So..." Bumi took their sake bottle and poured himself a puny cup. "What will become of the boy?"

"Why...I suppose that's where I come in," Gyatso advised with a thoughtful nod, accepting the bottle from his old friend and preparing himself another shot.

" _You?_ "

"His mother made no specification in her will, but my son and I discussed it some time ago, and..he _did_ express it in writing. Assuming the courts go through with his decision, the boy will be in my care."

"Mm..." Bumi rubbed his hand across his head, between the tufts of fading hair at either side. "Will you be able to manage on your own? Ha. I mean, Gyatso, my friend...you're getting a bit old to be caring for a kid, don't you think?"

"Perhaps," Gyatso admitted with a weak smile. "But Aang is my grandson. I won't leave him twisting in the wind."

"Fair enough." Bumi patted his comrade on the shoulder. "If there's anything I can do to help, you just let me know."

* * *

"Hmmm..." Aang rubbed his chin, studying the board carefully. He scooped up a pile of colored stones from one dip in the board and began dropping them, one at a time, in the divets in the board as he moved around.

"A wise move, Aang," Gyatso complimented the boy with a smirk. As Gyatso considered his next play in their Mancala game, the mail slot on the front door popped open, and a few envelopes slipped through. "Would you get the mail?" the elderly man politely asked.

"Yea!" The excited young man scampered across the wood panel floor to the front door and eagerly grabbed the mail, sifting through the sparse pieces. He found one relevant to what he had been hoping for. "I got one!" he cheered. Gyatso chuckled as Aang dropped the other envelopes on the floor and tore open the one of interest. Inside was a card with a grouchy bulldog wearing a birthday hat pinned to his head - the animal looked entirely unamused. Inside, the card read, in handwriting: { _This is how I feel today, because I cannot see you turn 8. Have a good birthday, Aang._ _\- Bumi_ }

"Who's it from?" asked Gyatso as Aang sat down at the board on the floor.

"It's from Bumi."

"Haha. That's wonderful."

While Bumi served as a principle at a high school across the state, he would come visit his friend Gyatso on occasion and in turn see Aang. Aang rather enjoyed these opportunities because Bumi was an grown man who, like Aang's own grandfather, indulged in childishness.

" _Heeeeey!_ " Aang shouted in accusation, jabbing his finger disapprovingly at the board. Some stones had been rearranged in a way that was in violation of the rules, granting Gyatso multiple extra points. The two had a laugh.

"You seem to be doing better today, Aang," said the grandfather. "I'm glad."

"Oh. Oh. Oh." Aang bounced up and down, cross-legged on the floor. "We should have _ice cream._ "

"Hoho, now _that_ is an excellent idea..."

* * *

"And then there was the one time when we spent all weekend baking pies and _hurled them_ out of the car at people downtown! _Maaaan,_ that was so funny..."

Jane was leaning back, rubbing her full stomach with an entertained smile.

"Damn...Sounds like a cool old dude. No wonder him and Bumi got along..."

"Yea...It was pretty great..." Aang yawned, rubbing at his eyes as he stabbed his fork into a piece of broccoli.

"So...Like, Gyatso – they named that building after him."

"Heh. Y-yea, they did..."

"Frick. You're like, _all_ connected to this school, huh?"

"Yea...Well, it's...-"

"Shit, what time is it?" Jane grumbled with a sudden start, her eyes popping open. She leaned forward and dug her phone out. "Argh, damnit. I've got class in a few minutes..." She scratched at her forehead feverishly.

"Oh." Aang nodded.

"I'm sorry," Jane huffed with an apologetic look. "I don't mean to-"  
"No, no, it's OK..."

"We should meet again, though. Seriously."

"Right."

"Maybe again tomorrow?"

"Er, y-yea, that's fine."

"'Kay." Jane was rushing up to her feet and stacked her dishes together. "Peace!"

"Later!"

Aang sat alone now, poking at his vegetables as his mood dipped back into one of somber regret. It was therapeutic to be explaining this to his friend, but painful at the same time, to be reminding himself of the past.

* * *

[From: Zuko Kurosawa]  
[Subject: Operation Unite]

[Hello, Aang,]

[President Bumi has assigned me with a very complex task, and I'm going to need a lot of help. He suggested I contact you - I get the impression you know each other? I need someone with a strong sense of visual design to help me get this project off the ground. I'm not exactly sure what he had in mind, but the President specifically recommended you. It's a bit complicated to explain, so it'd be easiest if we met up, and you could let me know if you're interested. I'm sure you're very busy with the start of the new semester, but you _would_ be getting monetary compensation from the college for your work.]

[Please give me a call and we can arrange a time to meet. I really think you'd like working on this with me.]

[Respectfully Yours,]  
[ _Zuko Kurosawa_ ]  
[ _Student President, Saint Roku University_ ]

[Reply]  
[To: Zuko Kurosawa]  
[Subject: RE: Operation Unite]

[hey zuko. sure. i can meet you sometime and we can talk about it,. :) sounds mystrious...is it secret or something? i will call tomorrow. good nite!]

* * *

\- Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 -

Aang rubbed at his aching eyes as he stumbled out of class. He wiped his nose with his sleeve – it was suffering from runniness every now and again, and was quite irritating, but not as much so as the class he had just been in. The professor's demeanor was brutish and hostile compared to what he had grown accustomed to. Maybe he was just a mean, grouchy old man? After all, the guy had a couple grizzly scars across his face. Yeesh. Aang cringed at the thought of what could've caused them. The rumors he'd heard from some classmates entailed that the professor had been a veteran in Vietnam...But could that really be true?

"It's _totally_ legit," Jane confirmed to Aang in the lunch line as they gathered their meals together.

"R-really?" Aang was shocked at the boldness with which Jane declared it. Not even a moment's hesitation.

"Professor Jeong, right?"

"Mm-hm."

"Yea, he definitely was in the war..."

"No kidding?"

"Tch. _No kidding_ ," Jane groaned, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Aang. The guy who ran my ROTC training? General Zhao? He was in the army _with_ Jeong. Jeong was his commanding officer."

"Wh _aaaat_?"

"I _know,_ right?"

Aang was befuddled by this notion. Jane wouldn't make something like that up...She _could_ make things up. She had been known to in the past, according to his intuition and observation. But why would she spew nonsense about a professor? It had to be true...

"Just...so _weird,_ " Aang concluded, filling his drink.

"I guess..." Jane shrugged off the topic. It seemed she had overcome any interest in it a while back. "So, ya gonna tell me what the hell happened with your family, or...-?"

"Oh, right! Yea, yea...Of course...Here, let's, uh...-" Aang grabbed his plate and meandered into the cafeteria's dining area, finding solace at an empty booth. Aang liked booths – preferred them to tables, every time. They were comforting.

Aang coughed, his throat packed full of mucus. He truly wasn't feeling too pleasant.

"Today goin' better than yesterday, man?"

"Oh, erm...-" Aang shrugged.

"That's a 'no,' then."

"Heh..." Aang gave Jane a sheepish shrug, taking a drink of milk as she chowed down into her seafood salad.

"You sick?"

"I, uh...guess so. That first Calc class seemed pretty rough, too...Anyway, how are you doing?"

"Well, _my_ classes seem like they'll be good. I'm taking one on insect biology – it's gonna fucking _rock._ "

"Oh, cool. Yea, 'cuz you love, like...bees...and, uh...-"

"Hey, hey, I _love_ bees, but they're not the _only_ cool insect."

"Haha. OK, OK...Well, that's great for you, then."

"Totally. Now, ehh...all I gotta do is figure out what the _hell_ I'm supposed to do with all of this crap I'm learning."

Aang sighed and drank some more.

"With this economy, I feel like we're _all_ doomed to be lost in debt forever."

"Fuckin' _eh,_ I hear _that_..." Jane groaned in forboding. She quickly shook off this depressing thought. "Enough shootin' the shit, though. C'mon, Little Man: tell me the rest of your story."

"Don't call me that," Aang flatly advised. Jane's expression went pale as she blinked a few times, stunned at his defensive tone.

"Y-yea, sure...Fair enough," she dismissed. "Sorry, I didn't...-"

"It's OK." Aang sniffled, staring down at his meal, his hunger great.

Jane tapped her fork on her plate, trying to figure out a way to redeem the energy of the interaction.

"Sooo...Back to you and the old guy...?"

"Right. So I grew up with Gyatso for a while..."

* * *

"Aang needs to have freedom and fun. He needs to grow up as a normal boy," Gyatso defended.

"You cannot keep protecting him from what has happened," said his brother vehemently.

"Gyatso," sighed the man in the suit, setting his suitcase on the table. "I know you mean well, but you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgment."

"All I want," Gyatso insisted with a rational calm, "is what is best for _him._ "

"I understand that," said the lawyer, nodding politely as he tipped up his glasses. "But circumstances, as they are, have limited our options..."

"So, what are you proposing?" wondered the protective grandfather.

"As I said...we only have a few options here. Some different members of the Leekpai family have stepped forth to claim custody."

"Gyatso," added the crusty, crotchety man at his side. "You are too _old_ , my brother...Aang needs someone who can be depended on in an emergency, who has the strength to care for a growing boy. Aang will be twelve soon."

Gyatso puffed out a deep, contemplative breath, drumming his fingers against the table.

"If we don't let a Leekpai family member take custody, your grandson is going to be given up to the system, Gyatso. _Foster care_. Is that really what you want?"

"I suppose I really have no choice, then...You're right."

Gyatso's brother nudged him and nodded.

"The family reunion is in two weeks, isn't it? You can let Aang spend time with each candidate, and let him decide what is best."

"Very well," Gyatso accepted the terms laid out with a peaceful but melancholic demeanor. "I will explain the situation to Aang when the time is right."

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine Ten.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

In.

Out.

Aang opened his eyes.

His muscles were relaxed, his mind felt cleaned.

Gyatso sat before him, legs crossed, eyes closed. He had tanned, wrinkled skin, his once-strong muscles beginning to deteriorate. Lately, Aang was beginning to worry about the man's health. Fortunately, with his lifestyle, he seemed to keep active and eat healthy and lean, but no amount of greens and exercise could hold back the hands of time.

Time. Aang did not know how much time had passed since he had begun. Probably not very much – it was hard to maintain his focus today. He quietly rose to his feet, stretching out his limbs. The small temple was empty at the moment, meaning the others who had been present when Aang had started his meditation had filtered out.

Aang had grown to appreciate this small temple like a second home. His grandfather had been managing it with his brother for a couple of decades, now. Their small, community temple, "Winds of the South," saw a fairly consistent crowd of participants, primarily elderly folk.

"Does something trouble you, Aang?" Aang didn't understand how he was this way, but Gyatso seemed to always speak with a carefree, optimistic tone, each sentence slow and relaxed.

"Oh, uhh...No, I just...think I'm done."

"I see. How do you know you are done?"

"I-...Wait, what?"

"You said that you _think_ you are done. Clearly, then, you do not _know_ that you are."

"Er...-"

Gyatso continued to speak, eyes still closed, hands still curved into his meditation stance.

"Perhaps you should try to meditate some more. In doing so, perhaps you will come to a more resolute decision."

"O-OK..." Aang sighed and sat back down. What was Gyatso getting at? He sucked in a deep breath and attempted to return to his zen state.

In. Out. In. Out.  
One. Two. Three. Four. Argh. Leg falling asleep.  
Darnit.

"Ech...Yes, I _know_ I am done for today..."

"Good. Very good."

"Huh? Didn't you want me to...meditate more?"

"Haha, why would I want you to do that which you do not desire?"

"Uhh...-?"

"Aang, I was merely illustrating that you cannot give up on something until you _know_ that it is what is in your heart. It is wise to give something a second chance before you dismiss it. But some things must come to an end sooner than others."

"All right..." Well, at least that made enough sense. "But...What if I know right away? The first time?"

"Then you _know._ Act on what you know to be the best path for yourself, not on what you _think_. The mind is a powerful tool, certainly. But, given too much power, and it can make things more complex than they truly are."

"Hm..." Aang scratched his head, nodding to himself.

Gyatso opened his wrinkled eyelids at last and smirked slyly.

"Sometimes, Aang...it is best to not let the mind make all of life's decisions for you. The winds across this earth do not adhere to soley linear pathways. They alter the flow of weather every day."

"But...If I were to be like...air...all the time...then how could I be grounded? How could I ever make good choices?"

"Haha, that is precisely why I said ' _sometimes,_ ' my child...Just as the planets itself is composed of different elements, so, too, should you build yourself from different experiences. Rounded and balanced – that is what true virtue requires."

"Hm...I think I get what you mean," Aang decided, considering his grandfather's advice with great care. "Uhh...I'm gonna...go make some tea...You want some?"

"I think I do," said Gyatso.

Aang nodded and took a step, only to freeze in realization and turn his head to see the old man's grin.

* * *

"No! I won't do it," cried the young Aang, his face flushed with anger, tears building. "They can't take you away from me, Gyatso..."

"We will still see each other, Aang. Have no fear."

" _No!_ You're my grandpa! They can't just do that!"

"I am an old man, my child. I know it is difficult to understand, but I cannot take care of you like I used to."

"I don't care! _I_ can take care of you!" Aang pleaded with desperation. He stamped his untied sneaker into the grass. The park was chilled, the skies cloudy and gray. Leekpai family members were spread across their reserved section of the park, some meditating off in a clean patch of grass, others making the final preparations for dinner.

"This is _wrong_ ," Aang grumbled, his lips quivering as he pounded his foot again. He crossed his arms as his face went sour. "Everyone keeps _leaving._.."

" _Aang_ ," said Gyatso. "Do not say such things. I will never leave you."

" _They_ left...Mom and Dad just...went away and left me." The tears began rolling, Aang's arms still folded across his chest with anguish. Gyatso knelt down, his knees cracking, his back aching, and leaned forward, hugging his grandson.

"I know, Aang. And I am sorry. But we can't concern ourselves with what was. We must act on what is."

* * *

Aang's wide eyes stared up at the bus with childish wonder and fear. This vehicle would take him away with _them._ With these strange people - his 'family.' But Aang only knew of one person who truly felt like family: Gyatso. Aang understood what getting on this bus meant: his last time under Gyatso's care. After this ride was over, he wouldn't be living with Grandpa anymore - of this, he was certain. What could he do to prevent this fate? Even if only to extend his freedom - his time with the one person who seemed to truly care about him - was there anything he could do?

The engine whirred in that long, obnoxious way he had grown to loathe from riding to school. The raindrops, at least, dulled the vehicle's irritating grumbles. The plethora of strangers around him were weaving all around him, filtering onto the bus, all trying to squeeze into the single doorway at the front. A few curious faces stared down at him as they passed by. He didn't want to be with these people. He clutched his umbrella tightly.

There had to be something he could do. Anything to stall for time, to avoid these bizarre people. Lightning cracked the sky in two, and thunder rippled across the drenched park.

He could run away. He could hide – not get on. Grandpa Gyatso was already asleep on the bus – the poor man had been tuckered out from the events of the day. Aang had overheard that they were running late, too, and many of the family members had to catch a plane back home.

Perhaps they wouldn't notice if he simply...didn't get on? Then Gyatso would _have_ to come back, on his own, after everyone from that bus was gone. Right. Yea. This would work. And then they'd all realize he was _serious_...

Aang carefully wormed his way out of the line, sneaking back to the structure that they had occupied that afternoon. His heart raced as he trampled through the wet rain, sneakers soaked, pants stained with grass. He found relief from the rain underneath the open shelter. It was filled with picnic tables, and he hid himself beneath one that was tucked in a corner beside a short stone wall. He waited a couple minutes with baited breath. Eventually, he could hear someone squishing toward him.

"-...thought I saw him head off this way..."

Aang didn't recognize the voice – all of these relatives seemed to blur together in his mind.

"See him?" asked a more distant voice.

"Nah. He probably just needed to grab something he forgot...Nope. Nobody in here."

"Probably got back on already. C'mon, we gotta head out, we're running behind schedule."

Another moment later and the whirring of the bus ramped up. It was moving. It rumbled along, and Aang waited for the sound to fizzle away into the rain. He poked his head up over the small stone barrier that he had hid behind. The bus was already out of sight, somewhere on the road inbetween thick forest trees.

"Woohoo!" he cried in triumph, thoroughly pleased that he had tricked them all. Now Gyatso would _have_ to come back.

* * *

Aang peered with caution down the cliff's face. And there it was. He could make out the shape at the bottom...

" _Whoa,_ there, Kiddo," cried the man behind him. Aang's shoulders were grabbed and he was yanked away from the edge. "Better watch out, there, OK?"

"Y-yes, Sir..." Aang nodded to the police officer, still in shock from it all. Aang turned around, away from the edge of the road, to observe the dented minivan. The cracked windshield on the driver's side was smeared with maroon, the seat empty.

"Dear God," murmured the park ranger that had found Aang earlier that evening. "What... _happened_ here?" he asked of the officer, taking a deep breath through his nose and wiping sweat from his mustache.

"Rainstorm got pretty heavy," the officer shrugged, shaking his head. He stretched out his arm, arcing it along the sharp curve in the road. "This is a nasty turn, too. Rain-slick road, bus driver was probably going faster than he should've...driver of the minivan was _definitely_ going faster than _he_ should have...-" The policeman smacked his palms together. "Bam. Bus swerves out, they slam the brakes...everyone takes a tumble down the cliff."

"Lord," sighed the ranger, adjusting his hat's brim. He exchanged solemn glances with Aang before directing his attention back to the official. "Any survivors?"

The officer shrugged, sucking in air between his teeth.

"No idea. Saw them take a few live ones outta the wreckage, but...they didn't look so good."

"Jesus..." The ranger stuffed his hands in his pockets, staring at the pavement for a few seconds. "Well..." He nodded his head toward Aang, who shivered from the damp night air as a gust of wind swept by. "What about the boy, here? We've gotta get a hold of his next of kin."

Aang swallowed hard as he considered the night's events. Was Gyatso OK? It was possible...The policeman had said they had gotten a few out...

But Aang's hope quickly disintegrated as the blood-stained car glared his way, a reminder of the impact. The edge of the hill had been pretty steep, and from what Aang had made out of the bus' rubble...it had been really bad. Grandpa Gyatso had been wheezing and wobbling just to get around, let alone endure... _that._ Aang's young but sharp mind rapidly pieced together the probable situation he was now caught in.

Grandpa Gyatso was dead. The Leekpai family – including anyone who had been trying to take custody of him – was also dead. A single evening had changed everything. Save for a few, distant figures...Aang was now alone.

The boy was jolted from his melancholy by a firm hand from the police officer.

"I'm sorry, Kid. I don't know what to say, but...it's a miracle you're alive. If you ask me, somebody upstairs was looking out for you..."

Why couldn't that 'someone' have been looking out for Gyatso, then? Or any of the others?

" _I will never leave you."_

_You lied, Gyatso. You're gone. Everyone always leaves...eventually._

* * *

Aang burped, his food finally finished. He took a deep breath and glanced across the table.

"And, uhh...Yea," he awkwardly concluded. "That's how I ended up in foster care."

Jane was slack-jawed, her food only half-eaten. She came around and went about eating some of her meal, processing everything she'd been told.

" _Shit_ ," she breathed out between bites. "That's-..." She shook her head, chewing. "I dunno, man. Just... _damn._ "

"Heh. Y-yea, I get that from people..." Aang shrugged. "It is what it is."

"But you're, like...so _nice._ "

Aang laughed at this. Everyone always said that.

"I'm sorry, dude," Jane went on. "Seems like we've all got skeletons in our closet, huh?"

"Yea..."

"But, so...how did you end up _here,_ then?"

Aang swallowed, his face beginning to boil. He bobbed his head, cocking his cap's brim to cover his eyes.

"It's...W-well, so I was put into foster care..."

"Yea?"

"And, uhh...I got kinda passed around through the system a bit."

"Mm." Jane grimaced at the idea, seeing Aang's prior turmoils spilling out into his expression. "You got abused, huh?" she muttered in recognition.

Aang sighed and gave a gentle nod, still avoiding Jane's concerned glance.

"Dude. It's cool," Jane firmly assured, bending her neck down to try and peer underneath Aang's hat. "I've been there, man. I _know_ how it goes..."

"What happened to _you_?" Aang mumbled, finally establishing eye contact once again.

The two of them exchanged wary looks, eyes hardened from the memories they both carried with them.

"Hey. Whoa, there, Cowboy. Can't go...drawin' your gun on me when I've got mine to your face."

"... _Huh_?"

"Pff." Jane exploded a laugh through her lips. "I dunno. Just...finish _your_ story first, Bucko. Then we'll move on to me."

* * *

The beautiful campus was empty on that spring morning. The past few months had been a blur. Aang had rushed to complete the last of his high school curriculum, and his old friend Bumi had pushed him into applying for the college he had recently taken up presidency at. Over the years, Bumi, the wily old man, had been one of the few figures who had maintained contact with Aang. Fresh from high school and now of legal age to be free from the foster care system, Aang was quickly growing excited about the changes life had in store. For once, _he_ would be in charge of his day-to-day business – where he slept, what he did on the weekends, who he lived with, what he ate...The possibilities bewildered him.

Seeing the campus for the first time was refreshing. This place would soon be his new home. The open grass, the periodic trees, the forests and foothills in the distance...It was glorious.

"So...What's that building right there?" Aang wondered, jabbing a finger to the structure at the center of the circular sidewalk.

"That's the Avatar Campus Center, m'Lad," said Bumi with a snorting chuckle. "The cafeteria, the coffee shop, the student lounges...They're all inside."

"Ah. So it's...kind of like a hub? Or something?"

"Precisely. A place open to all students, faculty, and visitors alike."

"That's pretty cool..."

A bronze statue of an elderly man with a robe and a long beard stood at the base of the stairs leading to the entrance. His eyes were fierce and defined, and the pattern of a dragon was carved into the stone at his feet, circling his metallic form in a ring.

"Who's _this_ guy?"

"Ahhhh..." Bumi grinned tapping his forehead knowingly. "That's old Roku."

" _Oh,_ like...the name of the college."

"My, aren't we sharp as a tack?" chortled Bumi, slapping Aang's shoulder.

"Well...but...who _was_ he?"

"The statue? Or the saint?"

"Huh?"

"The _statue_ is made in the likeness of the college's founder, Miyazaki Roku, a descendent of _Saint_ Roku - the guy they named the school after."

"Miyazaki Roku?"

"He was a great man, I understand."

Aang inspected the statue, seeing the metal plate at its base.

**[MIYAZAKI ROKU]  
[Heart of the Dragon]**

"The college had that statue built in his honor when he passed away."

"Really cool..." Aang rubbed his hand along the etched dragon pattern. "And then...-" Aang turned away from the metal man to set his sights on the academic building in the distance. "So...that over there...?"

"That's the Gyatso Center. Mmm- _hm._ " Bumi nodded proudly. "Named it after your grandpappy, they did."

"How come? I mean, I know he used to teach art courses here a long time ago, but..."

"Gyatso was a prominent figure here at SRU back in the day. He pushed for a lot of changes that have stuck ever since – like building a chapel down beneath the auditorium, freeing up the regulations a bit, and he ran a lot of community service projects that helped get Wayward on its feet after the Great Depression."

"Oh. _Wow._ He...never told me about all that..."

"Gyatso was a humble man...I think he was kind of embarrassed when they named the building in his honor."

"Hm..." Aang's mind was feeling a bit blown by all of this. This whole time, his grandfather had been a respected figure at this school, and he'd never known. And now Bumi, his friend, was in charge of the administration.

"Now, then. With all that hullabaloo taken care of...-" Bumi's eye twinkled and he pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "-...it's time to show you why I brought you here today."

"What is it?" Aang peered at the envelope, confused but excited. He took the paper from the old man's hand. It had a wax seal stuck into its back with the college's logo embedded in it – a downward arrow.

{Aang Leekpai}

"What _is_ it?" Aang repeated, his face turning pink.

"It's something you've earned, Aang. You've had a hard time of it over the years, and I'm sorry I haven't always been able to be there for you."

"N-no, Bumi, it's...it's OK, I...-"

"But despite all the adversity you've faced, you've risen above it. You got straight A's in high school. You put in volunteer work constantly."

"Ha. That...that wasn't a big deal."

"It may not seem like it – because I've come to know that it's simply who you are – but most people with your upbringing simply don't have the courage and kindness that you've grown into, m'boy. And it's the ones like you, Kiddo, that I think we should put our hopes in for a better future."

Aang was bashful, unsure of how to react to these compliments. He was almost afraid to open the pristine envelope, but Bumi explained the details.

"When Roku founded this school, he built it on the idea that greatness hides in each of us. That the world doesn't make us who we are – _we_ do. He believed that the grace of gods could reside on the earth through _us_ if we made the right decisions. It was in that spirit that he named the building at the center of campus the 'Avatar.' The arrow that symbolizes this school represents the idea of not looking upward and outward, but _inward._ Inside yourself."

"Oh...So...That's why it points down, instead of up? Because it means, like...how we should...look back to go forward?"

"Heheheh...Something like that. So, what you'll find in that envelope is a scholarship that Roku put together before he died. Every so often, an incoming student who has illustrated the ability to rise up through harsh times is given this. It may not be the most financially beneficial aid, but it will certainly help – and it's more about the recognition than the money. The Avatar Scholarship exists to honor the hard work kids like you put into being everything you can be."

"Whoa...I-I don't know what to say..."

"Pheh. Then don't say a word, Lad!"

Bumi put his arm across Aang's shoulder and squeezed tight.

"A few more months and the crazy journey will begin. Gahahah. It's quite a treat to have you coming to this school, Aang. You'll do some great things here, I'm sure of that. _But..._ Now that all this serious business is taken care of, I think it's time we paid a visit to the old amusement park and give those roller coasters a ride, for old time's sake."

"That sounds good to me!"

"Let's get in my Porsche and see how far we can get if I steer with just my chin."

" _Whaa?_ "

"Shit-balls, Aang," Jane lauded, rubbing her hand through her hair in awe. "That's... _awesome._ No _wonder_ you seem to care so much about this place. Heh."

"Yea, it's...got a lot of personal meaning for me," Aang concluded.

"You do a good job at, like...hiding it."

"What do you mean?"

"How you're all, like...connected to these old dudes, and stuff. Like, other people would totally brag about it, and whatever."

"I don't want to rely on my ties to people to do well here. I want to get good grades, and...make a difference because of _me_ , because of my own choices."

"Damn straight. Sounds like a plan to me!" Jane stuck out her fist, and Aang bumped his knuckles against hers.

"But yea, so...Now you know a bit about me. So...what about _you,_ Jane?"

* * *

\- Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 -

"Wow, seriously?" Aang was excited but nervous at the same time.

"Yea, I'm...pretty pumped," Zuko admitted with a nod, straightening his button-down collar. "So...you're in?"

"Oh, _totally,_ it's...really neat-sounding. I'm just...worried if I'll be able to handle it on top of school, and...everything else."

"Well, for right now, you can take it easy. We need to do some reconstruction on the place first, and until then, we won't really physically need you there. For now, I'd say, just...Well, how about this? It's...what – Wednesday? Sometime before Monday, why don't you try sending me some of your concepts, and we'll go from there."

"Sure, I, uh...Yea. I can do that."

"Great!" Zuko extended his arm and Aang accepted his firm, rigid handshake.

"Cool." Aang nodded in compliance, his mind already trickling out some designs. "Sooo...I guess I'll get back to you about it later this weekend."

"All right. Looking forward to working with you, Aang."

"Yea. You, too."

"Have a good day!"

"Yup. Bye!"

As Aang exited the Student Government office and made his way across campus under the gray skies of late winter, he tried to absorb his schedule for the week. He was still in a state of illness, which was coming and going depending on the hour, he had Pottery homework he needed to get started on, Calculus homework he'd been neglecting, some reading he wanted to get done, he was behind on e-mails, and now this project with Zuko... _Urgh._ His brain felt like bursting. Gah, and he had a shift at Aero's snack desk, too...

_Rrrrmmm._

[Calling...]  
[Toph]

_Aaggghh..._

Toph. In all of the insanity of the first week, he had been keeping Toph at a distance, his mind mulling over the situation. It had to be dealt with, as well, on top of everything else.

"Hey...What's up?" Aang asked in a rushed, tired tone.

["Umm...Don't sound so _happy_ , Twinkle-Toes,"] Toph grumbled. ["I was just callin' 'cuz we haven't...like... _done..._ anything. Lately. Are you seriously that busy?"]

" _Yes,_ I am seriously that busy right now," Aang whimpered, his throat sore as he inhaled the bitter air. He choked out a cough.

["Aw. C'mon, Sicky, don't be such a downer. Come to the dorm, Katara's gonna make some soup. That oughtta help."]

"Augh, I...Toph, I just can't tonight..."

["...Are you OK? What's going on?"]

"N-nothing, it's...just that I have a _lot_ on my plate right now, and I'm... _sick,_ and I really need to get some work done tonight and go to bed early..."

["Erm...Well...Fine. Whatever ya want, then..."] Aang could detect the sting of rejection in Toph's brutish tone. ["I was just offering."]

"Sorry...I'm...I'm really sorry, Toph."

["Nah, it's OK. Don't worry about it, just...do whatever ya gotta do. Can we at least have lunch tomorrow? You've been eating with Janey, which is cool and all, but...-"

"No, _yea,_ totally. We'll get lunch together."

["A'ight. So...If ya change your mind, we'll be here all night."]

"Uhh...Sure..." Aang blasted out a sneeze which was accompanied by a groan.

["Chill out, Sicky, take it easy. Drink some...orange juice, or something. I dunno. Take some medicine?"]

Aang smiled weakly at Toph's feeble attempt to express concern.

"Yea, I'll..get right on that. Anyway, uh...Love you."

["Have a good night, Twinkles."]

"Yea...You, too."

Aang huffed out a sigh as he closed his phone, his hand numb from holding it up to his ear in the icy breeze. His throat was raw, his eyes were tired, his back was stiff...his mind was packed full of anxiety. This wasn't the start of the new year he had been hoping for, and dredging up memories of his past on top of this exhaustion was making him feel depressed.

 _But I can't concern myself with what was. I need to act on what_ is. _Right, Gyatso? But...how am I supposed to do that when what_ is _happens to be...so_ much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHRINE OF THE SILVER MONKEY!  
> Youtube.com/watch?v=s8ZUOJApfL0
> 
> This chapter has a LOT of direct quotes and references to certain episodes of the show, specifically "The Storm," "The Southern Air Temple," and "The King of Omashu."


	53. Nightmares and Daydreams

\- Thursday, January 13th, 2011 -

Storm clouds. Lighting streaking the sky. Thunderclaps.

His leg kicks against the pavement. Again and again. Kick, kick, kick.

The board underneath his other foot rolls forward beneath the red sky.

_Krackoooom._

Lightning shattering the ground at his feet. His body hitting the concrete. His legs stuck inside the stone. He claws his way up. He sinks.

Out of the ground now. On his knees. Stairs before him. A doorway. A hallway. Standing now.

Her back faces his. Black underwear. Pale skin. Her shoulder blades tighten. She balls her fists. She turns around.

Toph?

Long hair hanging over the shoulders. Black, thick bangs draped across the face.

Aang reaches out. Pushes hair aside.

No eyes. She has no eyes. A blank face, just a mouth.

She smirks.

Sinking...sliding...She is gone. Somewhere down. Inside the floor.

She is gone.

Screaming, shrieking.

Sokka?

He is sucked into a wall of conglomerate stones, crying for help. Faces of others, embedded in the wall around him.

Aang reaches out. Presses the wall.

He is engulfed by the rocky walls.

He is gone.

A gasp. A cry of fear.

Katara?

They surround her. Masks. Horrible masks. Halloween masks.

They throw green bottles. Bursts of flame. Fire. Flickering, flashing light. Heat.

Aang reaches out. Hands into the fire.

It is too hot. He cannot proceed. Blood-curdling scream.

She is gone.

Sobbing. Grunting.

Jane?

Blood.

Everywhere.

Under her bare feet. Between her toes. Between her fingers. Across her hands.

She grasps at the knife in her stomach. A lioness' face. Olive eyes stare up at him with anguish.

Everywhere.

Blood.

Aang reaches out. Pulls at the knife.

The lioness head on the hilt roars at him, bites his fingers.

She sinks into the ocean of red.

She is gone.

Green. Grass. Trees. Blue skies. Golf course.

Suit. Tie. Combed over hair. Fierce eyes.

Zuko?

He waves. He bends over, golf club in his hands.

Black, shiny hair. Red streaks. Cold, dull eyes. Nose ring.

Mai?

She lifts her finger to her lips.

"Shhh..."

Zuko swings the club. _Clok._ The ball sails through the air. Flames. It ignites, like a comet.

Light applause.

Golf ball lands. Explosion expands. Everything destroyed. Flash of light. Everything is white.

 **...f...fff...fffffffFfFfFfFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-!**  
" **GUGH!** "

Aang's eyes burst open, his body frozen, chest in pain. He gasped and clutched at his pectoral, his heart pounding like a drum. The room was dark, practically pitch black.

Sokka's rough breathing drizzled across the room. Aang reached his hand onto his nightstand and grabbed his phone, clicking a button to turn its backlight on. [ **5:12am** ]

"Ughh..." Aang shut his eyes and rolled onto his side with a great yawn.

* * *

After an uneventful – slightly awkward, even – lunch with Toph, Aang found himself at the art building, struggling to get his first pottery project to look like a shape that wasn't... _lumpy._

" _Graaaughhh..._ " Aang let his pottery wheel slow to a stop and pounded his palms into the sides of his head with frustration.

"Whoa..." Mai's doubtful voice came from behind.

"Oh, h-hey, Mai..."

"Am I...interrupting something?" she asked dryly.

"No," Aang groaned, leaning back in his chair with exasperation. "I'm just...going crazy over here..."

"Are you sick?"

"Yea," was Aang's pitiable reply.

"You've seemed kind of out of it since you got back from vacation. Still stressed about things with the girlfriend?"

"Don't remind me," winced Aang. "I can't even think straight about that, there's so much other stuff going on right now..."

"Like that building project with Zuko?"

"Heh, yea...There's that, too."

"You sound like you're getting stretched too thin, Aang."

"Ugh...I _am_."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"I guess not..."

"OK. Here's something I just thought of." Mai walked over to Aang, grabbed his shoulders, and eased him up out of the chair. "Go to your room and relax."

"Whaa...? I can't just...forget about my work...I don't want to let people down."

"Aang." Mai's unamused eyes glared at him. "You're not doing yourself any favors here. Take a rest. Come back to it tomorrow."

"But...but it's _due_ tomorrow..."

"Better to hand it in late and not _kill yourself._ "

Aang absorbed her unrelenting stare until he couldn't defy her any longer.

"All right, OK..."

"Have your friends over. Try to take your mind off school for just a day. I'm serious – it'll help."

"Thanks, Mai..." Aang reached out and gave the skinny goth girl a hug. She gently tapped at his shoulders in her own attempt to reciprocate.

"Take a load off tonight, Aang. I mean it."

"I know. I will."

* * *

["I believe in no 'god.' No...invisible man in the sky. But there _is_ something more powerful than each of us - a combination of our efforts, a 'Great Chain' of industry unites us. But it is only when we struggle in our _own_ interest that the Chain pulls society in the _right_ direction. The Chain's too powerful and too mysterious for any government to guide. Any man who tells you _different_ either has his hand in your pocket...or a pistol to your neck."]

"Wow," murmured Katara with a perplexed sigh. "This guy...doesn't sound too happy with life..."

"Heh. Andrew Ryan?" Sokka confirmed. " _Yeeaaaa,_ he's, uh...Well, he's not exactly kind."

"Or religious," Katara was keen to point out.

" _Or_ that," Sokka agreed.

"I'm not so sure I like him," Aang grumbled from behind his sketchpad at his desk.

"Awww, why _not?_ " Toph teased from his bed, one leg crossed over another.

"I mean, I think he has a good idea – that it's important to try to make something of ourselves, but...I dunno, it just rubs me the wrong way."

"Yea, he doesn't exactly believe in 'morals,' ya know?" Sokka pointed out.

"Heh. Sounds like my kinda guy," Jane decided.

"So you're into the thin mustaches, then?" teased Sokka.

"Ew. No. Shut the hell up." She smiled and kicked at Sokka's chair.

"Twinkle-Toes."

"What?"

"What are you _doing_ over there?"

"Drawing."

"I thought you had us up to _take a break_ from work."

"Whh...It's just that I can't really afford to _not_ do my work..."

"Ah, to hell with your work. Come on." Toph was spread out across Aang's bed. She reached out her arms in the direction of Aang. "Smoochie-smooch. Lovey-dove. Whatever. Girlfriend wants to snuggle."

"You _never_ want to snuggle," Aang muttered testily.

"Uhhh...I do _now_ ," Toph countered, slightly confused. Everyone else in the room was suddenly silent.

"I'm...just not in the mood, Toph," Aang sighed. "Maybe later."

"OK..." Toph's tone was now irritable to match Aang's.

Ominous groans erupted from the screen, causing Toph to flinch.

"Wh-what the hell is _that_?" she growled.

"That's a Big Daddy," said Sokka with sadistic glee. "And I'm about to _kill him._ "

"Why would you do that?" Katara ridiculed. "He's so sweet...He's just protecting that Little Sister...Come on, Sokka, you don't _have_ to kill him, do you?"

"If I don't, then I can't get my superpowers."

"You get _superpowers_ in this game?" Jane asked with sudden interest. "Can you get fire?"

"Bleh. Why would I want _fire?_ That's a stupid element," Sokka dismissed.

"You can," Aang answered Jane's question flatly, to which Sokka offered an alternative.

"BUT. I can shoot _killer bees_ from my arms, instead. Ehh? _Ehhhh~?_ "

"Are you shittin' me?"

"Aren't I always, Freckles?"

"But you're going to _save_ the Little Sisters, at least. Right?" Katara pleaded.

"Meh."

" _Right_?"

"Mehhhh...Little Sisters don't deserve saving."

Katara gasped, appalled.

"You're such a _jerk,_ Brother _._ "

"I sure am, Sister."

"They're not even real, anyway. Who cares?" Aang muttered under his breath, scratching his pencil against his pad.

"What crawled up _your_ ass?" Toph asked quietly as Sokka and Katara bantered with each other while Jane usurped the controller, attempting to figure out how to use the 'superpowers.'

"I've got a lot of junk going on, I can't sleep right...I'm cranky."

"No shit."

Aang furrowed his eyebrows at Toph's hostility – something he was _not_ in the mood for – and set his sketchpad down in his desk's drawer. He headed to his dresser.

" _Whoa,_ I can shoot ice from my fingers?" squealed Jane.

"You can?" now Katara was intrigued.

Aang was pulling out a pair of sweatpants and his Aero hoodie. He retreated to the bathroom to change.

"What are you doing, Twinkles?"

"He's not here, Dead-Eyes," Jane picked, having given the controller back to Sokka.

"Huh? Where did he go?"

"I think I saw him get his running clothes...?" Katara recalled, confused.

"Oh." Sokka nodded in realization as he blew a masked man away with a shotgun. "Yea, he's probably going for a run."

"Say whuh?" Toph was baffled.

"He's been jogging every night," Sokka explained. "Trying to get in shape for Track tryouts."

"That's great," said Katara. "Getting some exercise...But he's sick right now, isn't he? We should probably try to convince him to stay and rest..."

"Let him do whatever he wants," scoffed the blind girl from the bed. "He's bein' a whiny baby today."

"He's not feeling well," Katara firmly explained. "He must be really stressed out..."

"Doesn't mean he has to be a bitch about it."

"Oh. Right. Because _you_ never get at _all_ grouchy with your friends when _you're_ stressed out."

"Shut up, Miss Fussy-Britches, didn't ask for your opinion."

" _ **EERRRRRKKK!"**_ blared Sokka, imitating a horn sound. "Drama Alert. Let's keep the trash out in the dumpsters where it belongs, ladies."

"I wasn't...being _dramatic_ ," Katara grumbled defensively.

"You...kinda were," Jane disagreed.

" _Toph_ was the one who was...-" Katara let her sentence fall short as she watched Aang swoop in through the door, drop the clothes he'd been previously wearing on his bedroom floor, and immediately head back out. "Whoa. _Aang!_ " she called, heading out the door. He was already down into the stairwell.

"Let him go," Toph called from the bedroom. "He needs to go have a hissy-fit? Let him."

"He's _sick_. It's snowing outside. He shouldn't be running."

"What _ever,_ Sugar-Queen. Let it go. He'll be fine."

"She's right, Sis," came Sokka. "He's been doing this all week."

"Maybe that's the reason he's _sick_ in the _first place?_ "

There was a pause.

"I think _she's_ right, too, _Bro_ ," concluded Jane.

"It's not _my_ fault," Sokka defended. "I'm not his nurse."

"We can't just let him wear himself out like this," Katara insisted. Jane patted Katara's arm to jolt her from her concern.

"Kat. He's already gone. Let's worry about it later, huh?"

"...Ugh. All right..."

"Sounded like he just needed some time alone," Toph asserted. "I don't know what his deal is, but...if he just up and left, it's prolly 'cuz he doesn't want to put up with anyone right now."

"Yea, why does it bother _you_ so much, anyway?" Jane dismissed Katara's concern. "Give him some space."

" _I am,_ OK?" Katara snipped. "I get the point, guys! All right? It's done. Officially _'let go'_ now. Don't have to drill it in so deep."

"Sometimes we _do,_ actually," Toph disagreed. "It's pretty thick up there, and-"  
" _Seriously_ , ladies," Sokka grunted. "Tryin' to play a game here. Damnit, Aang, why'd you leave me alone with these _females_?"

* * *

\- Friday, January 14th, 2011 -

Mist. Damp, cool mist, clinging to his skin. His footsteps echo across the hall.

Black hair flows in the wind. Bitter, icy eyes of white. Pale skin. Devil's smirk.

"All right, Toph. Your days of tyranny are over. I can't let you keep controlling my life – I'm here to end this. And this time, I brought pants."

Zippers. Buckles. Chains. His pants are secure.

"So it seems." A creepy giggle. "But...are you prepared for your.. _Calculus test_?"

"Wh-...? C-Calculus test? I forgot all _about_ the Calculus test!"

X*n  
d/dx (sin(x))=cos(x)  
 **"Waaaughhh!** "  
"Heeheeeheehaaa!"  
u(dv/dt)  
-sin(x)

"GLLGGH-!"

Aang sputtered out coughs as he flinched himself awake from the sea of numbers and letters he'd been drowning in.

[ **5:47am** ]

Dangit! He had a test today! What a mean professor, assigning a test on the first week! He couldn't fail. He had a scholarship he needed to maintain.

Aang stumbled out of his bed and grabbed his phone, flipping it open and using its screen as a makeshift flashlight while he scooped up his Calculus textbook, a pencil, and a notepad. Drearily scurrying from the room, he was careful to close the door quietly so as not to disturb the slumbering Sokka.

* * *

Aang pulled out the bottle of ibuprofen from the pocket in his backpack and popped out a couple. He wiped sweat from his forehead – _man,_ his head felt so warm today – stuck the pills in his mouth, and bent over the water fountain, swallowing some of the tinny water down. He scraped the odd flavor from his tongue with a groan. This building's fountain always tasted bad. Couldn't they honor his grandfather's name better with a fountain that tasted _not_ like metal?

He reminded himself that he had to continue to detach himself from these things. He didn't want professors or students thinking he had it easy because of his connections to the school, after all.

He surveyed the tight hall that wrapped in a half circle around the end of the Gyatso Center. The building had three floors of classrooms on one end, and on its smaller end, three floors of offices for professors. Aang found the room he was looking for in a corner of the first floor: {Dr. Jeong}

Aang noticed a banner of sorts – like a scroll – hanging on the wooden door before him.

{If a fish lives his whole life in a river, does he know the river'sdestiny?No. Only that it runs on and on, out of his control. He may follow where it flows, but he cannot see the end _._ He cannot imagine the ocean.}

"...Ooookay," Aang muttered under his breath. He took a moment to contemplate what this meant, but his illness-hazed mind had difficulty.

He rapped on the door three times with the tips of his knuckles.

"Enter," bellowed the cold, hardened voice Aang was learning to endure in the classroom.

Aang gulped, took a breath, and went in. The office was fairly stark and dimly lit. The frizzled, white hair of the mathematician could be seen as he worked at his desk with a red pen in hand. He twisted his neck, noticing Aang's presence, and sighed to himself. Papers shuffled, and Aang's test – the very one he'd taken earlier that afternoon, was thrust upon him.

Red marks speckled its pages, a large { _ **D**_ } scribbled – and circled – by his name.

"There you are. Now leave."

"Um..." Aang coughed, disheartened by his expected grade. "Pr-Professor Jeong, I was-"  
" _Doctor._ "

Aang bit his lip. One of _those_ teachers...Just his luck.

" _Doctor_ Jeong...I...I was wondering if perhaps I could...get some help understanding what we went over this week."  
 _This_ first _week. In which you shoved us under an avalanche of number and letters and cosine and_ urgghghhh...

"You wish to understand the discipline of Calculus?"

"Of course."

"To master _any_ discipline, you must first master discipline itself. But you have interest in this, so I have no interest in _you_."

_Ouch. What the heck? You've only seen me, like...three times._

"W-wait a minute, how would you know? It's only been a week, and-"  
"Your posture. Your attitude in class. The results you've produced thus far. All of it. I can tell – you have no desire to learn this material. Now...Get out."

Aang frowned in frustration at the back of his teacher's head.

"Please," he persisted. "I _have_ to learn."

"Are you _deaf_?" Jeong exploded, whipping his pen against the table and whirling in his chair. "How can I teach you if you refuse to listen?"

 _What does that even_ mean? _You're not_ saying _anything!_

Jeong lectured onward.

"Attend class. Study the assigned readings. Perform the exercises. That is how every other student succeeds in my class, and if you wish to succeed, that is what _you_ will do, as well. Now... _Get out_."

Aang huffed through his nostrils – er, nostril. Singular. Since one of them was too plugged. Argh. He spun around, closing the door behind him. He glared at his poor grade as he headed for the exit, rubbed at his tired eyes, then crumpled the test into a ball and chucked it into the wastebin by the door.

So much for that. It would seem he was on his own.

* * *

\- Saturday, January 15th, 2011 -

Toph's hands dug into Aang's skin, grabbing at his muscles like a barbarian clutches meat before swallowing it.

 **"OW! AH! TOPH-!"** Aang yelped through the pain, his body tight and tense as Toph's not-so-delicate fingers pinched at his nerves without relent. **"I THINK...THIS IS...BRUISING ME."**

Toph stopped, her palms planted on his back. She frowned at his remark and pushed him away with irritation.

"Sorry," she snipped with sarcasm. "I forgot you have _baby skin._ "

Aang winced, rolling his head slowly around his neck in an attempt to stretch his aching body.

"Th-thanks for trying, Toph..." Aang scooted out from the couch a bit, cross-legged on the carpet of the 2nd floor Aero lounge room.

"Whatever..." Toph grumbled, leaning back on the couch's spine.

"So, Aang," said Katara from beside Toph, "I remember you said you were having trouble in your math class...Did you end up asking the professor about it?"

Aang sniffled, reaching for the box of tissues he'd set down in the room. He sneezed mighty - 'Bless you's' - and moaned like a zombie.

"I _tried..._ He's a stubborn old man, he won't help me. Just said, like...'Go read your books, pay attention in class,' bleh...Nothing useful..."

"I'm sorry," Katara sympathized. "I know what it's like. The one professor I have in English, he's...ugh. I swear, he's sexist."

"Who?" Sokka wondered, his curiosity piqued as he played his video game on the TV screen before them.

"Pakku," Katara said with some disgust, arms folded over her lap. "I raise my hand in class, and he never responds to me. Honestly, it seems like he never responds to

 _any_ of the girls."

 _"Whaaaat_? Shit is whack," Jane scoffed. "That's bull, for real. You should, like...complain about that. Or something."

"I'm _going_ to, if he keeps doing it..."

["Now, would ya koindly head to Royan's office and _kill the sunnuva bitch_?"]  
" _Heheh,_ with pleasure, my Irish friend...With pleasure," Sokka squealed at the television.  
["It's toyme to finish this..."]  
"Hells yes, it is..."

"Wow, are you already at the end, you MeatHead?" Toph wondered, picking wax from her ear.

"I dunno, sure _seems_ like I'm close..."

"How much have you been _playing_ this?" Katara wondered with some skepticism. "Have you been staying on top of your classes?"

"Ohhh, _hush._ It's not your concern. I'm doing fine. Better than _Aang_ is, from the sound of it."

Aang whimpered, slapping his hands on his forehead before opening his messenger bag and pulling out his Calculus book.

"Er...No offense," Sokka timidly added.

"Aang, don't worry so much," encouraged Katara, stretching out her leg and jabbing his back with her socked toe while Aang flipped through the pages. "It's just one class. Everyone has their weaknesses in school."

"Yea, like...-" Sokka scratched at the stubble on his neck. "-...I'm taking Public Speaking right now. I _suck_ at it. So bad. Like, _hardcore_ bad."

"Heh, yea, and I can't do _art_ for _crap_ ," Toph jeered at herself with a smile.

Aang ignored their comments, hunching over his book and scanning its text with dreary eyes.

"Aang, you were up since, like...five in the morning studying that book," Sokka sighed. "Put it _down_."

" _What_?" Katara spat, eyes wide. "Aang, how much _sleep_ did you get last night?" she demanded, struggling to keep her concern shrouded.

"A couple hours," said Aang with almost irritated nonchalance. "I had to finish my art project before bed, and then I forgot about my test."

"You know," Katara advised with courtesy, "There _is_ such a thing as over-studying..."

Aang shut his eyes tightly for a moment, grinding his teeth together, then slammed his book shut, tossing it to the floor. He sprung to his feet and glared at Katara with rabid, bloodshot eyes. He jabbed a finger accusingly at his friend.

"You don't get it, do you? I'm sick, I'm getting sloppy in all of my art, and I don't understand _any_ of my Calculus." His left eyelid twitched involuntarily, index still pointing. "Not even the basics!" Katara smiled sheepishly at his escalating attitude, slowly reached out her arm, and lowered his hand.

"Dude, it's all right," Sokka dismissed his roommate's doubts. "You don't _need_ to understand Calculus. _No one_ understands Calculus. I mean, come _on,_ you deal with...imaginary numbers. Numbers that don't _exist_. Because _that's_ useful. So you'll take a hit on your GPA. So what? Make up for it with your other classes..."

"O-OK, well, I still have to work on everything _else_ ," Aang insisted, scratching at his scalp in frustration. "I'd better spend the whole day working..." He gathered his discarded book, slung his bag over his shoulder, nodded to the group, and stalked off down the hall, shutting his bedroom door behind him.

Katara and Sokka exchanged perplexed, nervous glances, while Jane gawked as Sokka's on-screen character was slain due to his lack of attention. Toph was picking her nose with her pinky.

"I don't get what his _problem_ is," Toph grumbled. "All of a sudden, it's like he's got _so much_ to worry about? As if. I think his brain is a little bit twinkled-out 'cuz he's not getting enough sleep."

"He _does_ have a lot going on," Katara politely inserted some defense, her mind having trouble keeping at bay a wary foreboding about Toph's future with Aang. "Mmmmaybe you should try and help him relax...?"

"I _was_ trying," Toph snapped. "I've _been_ trying. All week."

"Oh. Right," Katara squeaked, not wanting to start another argument, though not agreeing with Toph's weak explanation.

"Hoho, lookit ** _that_** **!"** Sokka cheered, clutching his controller tight. Jane, who was sitting beside him, observed the screen.

"Ryan Industries?" she read aloud. Large gears were spinning wildly beside the overhead sign, steam pouring all around.

" _Steampunk~_ " Katara sang.

"I hear that," Sokka concurred.

"You were flat at the end there," Toph critiqued.

"I don't care," Katara brushed aside the comment.

The sound of an old radio screeched from the television as the man to whom this fictional business was named after taunted Sokka's character.

["You can taste it, can't you? _Andrew Ryan_."]

"Oh-man-oh-man-oh-man, this has gotta be, like, the end and stuff..." Sokka said with excitement.

"Well, hurry it up, then," Jane egged him on impatiently.

"I'm _hurryin',_ Ginger. Keep your skinny Irish ass in your seat, will ya?"

* * *

\- Sunday, January 16th, 2011 -

Circle. Circle. Circle. Circle.  
Arrow. Arrow. Arrow. Arrow.

Aang's pencil seemed to be running on auto pilot, scribbling out circles and arrows – elements of the college's logo – ad nauseum.

"Aang," Katara said apologetically, "It's nine in the evening. You really should get some sleep."

"But I forgot my pants and my math test!" Aang explained, mad with concentration on his repetitious drawing.

"Was I like this when I was hopped up on energy drinks?" Sokka whispered to his sister from his desk.

"Actually, you were worse," Katara conceded quietly. "But it was only for a few hours...This has been _days._ "

"Uhh..." Jane popped into the doorway, confused. Her boots and vest were on – she was ready to head out. "We leavin' yet?"

"I'm...just trying to get Aang to get some sleep," Katara muttered weakly with a shrug.

Toph leaned out from behind Jane, also dressed to walk out in the snow.

"Hey, Sweetness, I know you need to be our Mommy and everything, but Twinkles is gonna pass out when he's ready to." She wandered her way into the room, bumping her boot against the corner of Aang's bed as she stumbled through.

"Right," agreed Sokka. "He'll fall asleep when he's...sleepy. I mean, it's just a matter of-"  
" _ **AGH SOKKA!**_ " Aang screamed, seemingly out of nowhere, chucking his notepad down onto his desk and jamming his finger at Sokka's chest.

" _Aaaugh!_...What?"

"You've gotta practice your root beer chugging. _Right now._ "

"Huh?"

Aang began to rattle off his explanation with flapping arm gestures while Sokka frowned dully.

"In my dream we were at the AerOlympics and it was time for the Soccer event and you couldn't keep up because you got sick from the Root Beer event because you couldn't hold it down and you threw up **ALL OVER** the gym and we lost the whole thing because of you!"

"But that was just a _dream!_ " Sokka defended vehemently. "I'm a _great_ chugger!"

"Then drink that beer!" Aang cried out, grabbing a brown bottle out of Sokka's mini fridge and shoving it in his face. "Drink it fast!"

"'Ey, gimme me one o' those," Toph requested from behind, to which Sokka nodded at Katara, enabling his sister to retrieve one for Toph, as well.

Sokka stared at the bottle that had been placed in his hand, then at Aang. He pointed to the bottle, then to himself. Aang nodded swiftly. Sokka begrudgingly retrieved his keychain and used his bottle-opener to pop the cap off the IBC root beer bottle. He glared again at Aang, his brows furrowed. Aang, teeth clenched nervously, bobbed his head up and down once more, and Sokka began to drink.

Aang sighed with relief and turned to see Katara passing the other opened bottle to Toph.

" **TOPH DON'T DRINK THAT!** " Aang shrieked, causing Toph's eyes to bulge wide with shock, and she choked on her first sip of root beer. Her fingers grasping the glass tight, she coughed a few times before responding to Aang's demand.

" _Why?_ Is it fuckin' _poison,_ or something?" she grumbled, wiping her lips with her sleeve.

"In my dream we were all in the car riding downtown in the ice and you had to go to the bathroom and you kept bugging Sokka about it and he was driving and so he was all distracted and then a truck came and you wet yourself and it messed him up and he slipped on ice and we the truck and **were killed.** _We died because of your tiny bladder_!"

Toph raised her brow, utterly perplexed, and took another swig of IBC.

"The _hell_...?"

"Psssh," Jane laughed through her teeth. "Tiny bladder..."

"I don't have a tiny bladder!" cried Toph with embarrassed indignation.

"You have to go to the bathroom, like, every hour," Jane picked.

"Th-that's just 'cuz I don't see the point in holding it in forever and a day..."

"Oh, _yea,_ sure," Jane laid the matter to rest, unconvinced.

" **JANE** you need to start dressing like a girl more because in my dream we were in the parking lot of the grocery store and one of those gang guys mistook you for some dude and attacked us and you had to go to the hospital because you were _stabbed_."

"Umm..." Jane's humor went flat and she glared at Aang's exasperation. She pushed some of her hair aside, behind her ear, to reveal her skull earring. "That...better?"

"It's a start!" Aang puffed out with relief.

"Now just grow some boobs, and you'll be all set," Sokka joked from his desk. Jane's face flared with insecurity and she kicked his shin, which he absorbed without protecting himself or complaining.

"Actually, you look like you've been puttin' on a bit of weight, Freckles," Sokka added, trying to study her form through her padded clothing. "You look better than you used to." This was both demeaning and complimenting to her at once, and she dismissed the conundrum by rolling her eyes and stalking off to the doorway. Katara smiled at Sokka, as if to express some gratitude for his own brand of flattery.

"Anyway...Listen, I'm fuckin' _bushed,_ " Jane grumbled."I'm headin' out."

"Yea, me, too," said Toph.

Toph reached out an arm, to which Aang flinched and pulled away, but Katara eased them together, regardless. Toph hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. His teeth were gnashing together nervously, but he kissed her on the head.

"Calm the hell _down,_ Aang," Toph mumbled in his ear. "Seriously."

"Y-yea...OK...OK..." Aang nodded, clearly eager to break their hug apart.

"G'night, Babe. Love ya."

"Night..."

Toph gave pause, and her eyes glazed over with some disappointment, but she shrugged it off and wandered to Jane's side, who took her arm.

"Aang, Bro, get some _sleep_ ," Jane advised. "Peace out, guys."

"Latah-Gatorz!" said Toph. As they both vanished down the hallway, Aang began to freak out again.

" **Katara!** " he continued, tugging at his own hair. "You need to start wearing your hair up 'cause in my dream your hair got got in a bus door and it drove off with you stuck to it and-"  
"Aang." She stopped him. "Come on. _Sleep_ ," Katara urged pleadingly. "For me?"

Aang blinked at her furiously for a moment.

"A man chooses, a _slave obeys_ ," he grunted feverishly. He went back to his art. "A man chooses, a slave obeys...A man chooses, a slave obeys..."

"Oh, dear," Sokka murmured dubiously as Aang continued to repeat the line, over and over.

" _Aang._ " Katara closed her eyes, and for a brief moment she feared tears of worry would leak out as she bit her lip. She opened them again, puffed out a sigh, and stared at her friend with a troubled concern. She placed her hand on his cheek in an effort to ensure she had his attention. "I know you're really stressed out right now...but you really need to get a grip. You're unraveling."

Aang blinked at her, wide eyed, recognizing the truth behind her firm words. He took a deep breath and attempted to collect himself.

"You're right...I'm...I'm losing my mind..." He pulled himself away from her hand's touch and began to pace left and right in a short interval, rotating his hands around each other and tapping the tips of his fingers in a frantic tick. "B-but...It's like, every time I think about how stressed I am, I just get **more stressed.** I'm like a big, growing snowball of nerves!"

"Of course you are," Sokka nonchalantly agreed from the couch, as if Aang's mental state was a logical reaction. "It's a new semester, you're expected to help the class president on a super important project, you're sucking at your math class, you're depressed about your family, and... _Oh!_ Right. And you need to break up with your girlfriend. And you'd better do it tactfully, too, or she may never talk with any of us ever again."

" _Sokka,_ " hissed Katara."You're not helping..."

" _What?_ It's true. That's the deal, he knows it..."

Katara smacked her brother on the back of the head with a highly disapproving scowl.

"Aang, don't listen to this _idiot_ over here, you don't have to do anything but what _you_ think is right."

"Gah..." Aang growled. "I don't even want to _try_ thinking about that stuff right now...I need...need to finish this stuff for Zuko..." Aang sat himself back down in his chair. Katara, refusing to leave him in this state, took the drawing pad and chucked it in his desk's drawer. She pulled his weak body from its seat and dropped him in bed. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

"Worry about it later, Aang. Now... _Sleep._ "

Aang yawned out a protest that couldn't be made out, and closed his eyes.

"Jesus," Sokka sighed. "I've never seen him like this..."

Katara picked up Aang's phone and began tinkering with it.

"Uhh...Sis? What are you doing?"

"Turning off his alarm."

Sokka rolled his eyes and shook his head at his sister's compulsion, going back to his own schoolwork.

* * *

\- Monday, January 17th, 2011 -

[From: Zuko Kurosawa]  
[Subject: RE: Project Unite]

[Hello,]

[You haven't returned my calls or my last e-mail, and I never heard back from you this past weekend. Is everything all right? We're really going to need to start getting these design details together to get this up by the time the President wants it. Please let me know what's going on.]

[Respectfully Yours,]  
[ _Zuko Kurosawa_ ]  
[ _Student President, Saint Roku University_ ]

" _Uuughhhhhrrrggghh..._ " Aang pounded his head against the table in a practically empty Appa's. He got up from the booth and began pacing around an empty table, biting his lips and performing the habitual finger-tapping routine he had the night before. His hair was sticking out in various directions, his skin looked clammy and a bit pale, bags of skin hung under his eyes...Katara, carrying their two trays of lunch food, cringed at the sight of him.

"Wow, Aang, you don't look so good..." She approached him cautiously. "You sure you can't just lie down for a little nap?"

"I _told_ you," Aang insisted, rubbing at the sand in his eyes, "I can't go back to sleep..."

Katara recalled what Sokka had told her – that about an hour after she had left, Aang had woken back up and had gone back to trying to work again, which he had done into the morning.

"Aang, staying up all night can't be good for you," Katara pressed her concern as she set the food down beside Aang's laptop. Aang took a deep breath and turned away from her.

"Actually, staying up all night has given me some time to think, and I've realized some big things, Katara."

"Huh? _What_ big things?"

"I see everything so clearly now...What really matters – why I'm really doing this." He nodded to himself in affirmation before turned back to his friend. "I'm doing it to make things right between Toph and I, but _more_ than that...I'm doing it for _you_ , Katara."

He stared her down, his gray eyes burning with desire. Katara blinked at him sheepishly.

"Aang...What are you saying?" she asked with a solemn, knowing expression. He drew close to her.

"I'm saying...I love you."

Diving forth, lips connecting together.

Reciprocation. Arms wrapped around. They break apart.

"What are we _doing_?" she whispers with childish delight.

He bellows out words with power and authority. Winds blow. Sunset. Music.

He leans her back. Luscious hair caught in his fingers. Sparkling eyes.

"What our hearts have been telling us to do for a _long_ , long time. Baby, you're my Forever Girl."

"Aang?" Katara's nervous voice shattered his daydream, pulling him back to reality. "I was...just saying how you should take a nap?" Aang gawked at her, face burning bright with embarrassment as he realized he had his arms around her. "What are you _doing_?" she demanded with some doubt, her fingers digging into his shoulders. "You OK? You kinda...passed out on me there..."

"Oh!" Aang yanked his arms off of her back and pushed himself away, back onto two solid feet. "I was, uhh...daydreaming, I guess."

"Ah. What did you daydream about?"

"Yuhhh...Living underwater...?"

"Oh..." Katara stared at him blankly as she processed this. "Sounds neat," she concluded with a shrug. "Maybe because of all that BioShock that Sokka's been playing?"

"Uhhh-! Y-yea, actually! Exactly! _Yes._ I was a...a Big Daddy. And...everything."

"Heehee. I get it." She pointed between the two of them. "You had your arms out because you were protecting me."

"Huh?"

"I was a Little Sister, right? In your daydream?"

" _Oh._ Heh...Ha. Haha. _Yea_ , that was-...Uh-huh!" Aang nodded nervously, finding Katara's logic relieving. Sure, that made enough sense.

"Hee. That's cute, Aang," Katara chimed, patting him on the shoulder. "You'd save me if psychotic crazy hobos came," she said with a tone that was humored but also endeared.

"Ha. Haha! Hahhhh. Yea." Aang swallowed the lump in his throat as he sat down, sweat trickling across his forehead.

What. The heck. Just happened? He'd just been blatantly daydreaming romantic nonsense about _Katara._ What was _that_ about? Where was that coming from? Toph was his girl, not Katara. It was probably just some hormonal thing. Like the one dream he'd had about Jane and the flower field. At least this one hadn't been as awkward as _that_ one. _Agh._ All these naughty thoughts...Really, this was...kind of expected, in a way. Right? He was...a growing young man, constantly hanging out with all of these cute girls. His subconscious was going to consider things he never would _act_ on...Yea. He was totally out of it, anyway. Starting to lose track of what was real and what wasn't.

By the time he'd brought himself out of these ideas, his screensaver had turned on, rotating a slideshow of his own artwork. With a pair of curly fries getting mashed between his teeth, he stared at a drawing of the Lemur-Bat, Momo – his personal mascot. The monkey-creature blinked at him with a creepy stare of bright green eyes. It spoke to him in a tiny, scratchy voice.

"You, my friend, are just a few plums short of a fruit pie."

" _Eaugh?_ " Aang whimpered at the image, running his finger across the touchpad to turn off the screensaver.

"What is it?" wondered Katara.

Aang rapidly shook his head, as if to shake off his hallucinations.

"Did you...just hear that?"

"Hear _what_?"

"Er...nothin'. I'm gonna fill my drink."

Aang swallowed his fries and jumped up from the booth, meandering around the restaurant, circling each table he passed by, empty cup in hand. Toph returned from the bathroom with Jane, who was mocking her about the 'small bladder' bit from earlier. Sokka arrived at their seat as well, having just retrieved his mail from the campus post office. Aang was pressing each soda dispenser button for a half second at a time, moving his cup under each spout – but he kept missing, his cup always one off. He returned to their booth with an empty cup and tipped it up to drink nothing from it. After realizing this, he went _back_ to the front again to attempt the task again.

"Aang...We're all starting to worry about you..." said Katara.

"You've been awake too long," said Sokka.

"And you're acting downright weird," said Toph.

"It's creepin' us the hell out," said Jane.

"You've got to take care of yourself," said Appa. "You can't go on like this."

Wait. Said Appa?

Aang rubbed his face and stared at the bison with the arrow on his head, his bright, silly smile embossed into the sign for the restaurant on the wall beside him. Aang whimpered in spite of himself and wandered back to his seat in a daze, his cup _still_ empty.

Jane sighed and nudged Toph into the booth beside her boyfriend, took Aang's cup, and went to put water in it for her confused friend, who was chewing at his curly fries again. Despite her inability to see what was happening, Toph's intuition could clearly read the tension and distress emanating from Aang, and she frowned with worry, leaning against him and wrapping an arm around his back, slipping her hand under his shirt onto his waist. His body was trembling, and she scratched at his belly in an attempt to comfort him.

"Janey-Jane's right, Aang. You're...really creepin' me out, too..."

"I'm...sorry...?"

"OK, listen," said Katara, tapping her finger on the table. "Why don't you go see a counselor today?"

"Huh?" Geez, he really was out of it.

"A _counselor,_ " Katara patiently repeated. "I'm going to call the office and see if they can get you an appointment today...I feel like this is kind of an emergency."

Toph kissed Aang's cheek and breathed out a sigh onto his neck.

"We'll get you better soon, Sicky..."

* * *

"That is right, Aang. I recognize the name. Professor Leekpai was a personal friend of mine during his time here."

"Yea, I...hear a lot of people respected him."

"He was a good man. I am terribly sorry about what happened."

"N-no, it's fine, I...don't really want to talk about that."

"I understand. What _do_ you wish to talk about, Aang?"

"I feel like I can't be the person I _want_ to be."

"Oh? And what do do you want to be?"

"I just...I-I wanna be a good person. And...do good things...and...-"

"Yes, yes..." The counselor's voice was soothing and gentle. He was an elderly man of middle-eastern ethnicity and had a bushy beard. "You are seeking balance. You wish to bring peace to those around you."

" _Right._ Yes. Exactly," Aang concluded, still speaking with rapid words. "What do I _do_ , Mister Pathik?"

Counselor Pathik nodded sagely, running his long fingers across his facial hair.

"You must gain balance within yourself before you can bring balance to the world."

"OK. OK, sure. Yea. Sounds good. Let's...let's do that..."

"You are having difficulty sleeping because you are being pulled in so many directions. Perhaps if we focus on each problem, one at a time, it will enable your weary mind to contain it all and let itself be at peace."

"Yea! Yea-yea. So, like, there's my artwork, which I'm really _stinking_ at, and my math class, which I don't understand at _all,_ and then there's-"  
"Haha, steady, steady, now...One at a time, Aang."

Pathik reviewed the sheet that Aang had filled out, surveying his responses to the questions.

"It seems that you are bearing the heavy weights of shame on your shoulders. Look at all the guilt which burdens you so. What do you blame yourself for?"

The wreckage of a bus at the bottom of the steep hill.  
A girl needed to cheat because her boyfriend could not make her happy.

"I...I ran away from my family," Aang groaned. "If I'd...been cooperating that, they would've left earlier, and...not been rushing, and...maybe they'd still be alive...Or-or my girlfriend. She was so...depressed...because I wasn't a good boyfriend, that...she had to cheat with someone else to feel better..."

"Accept the reality that these things happened. But do not let them cloud and poison your energy. If you are to be a positive influence on the world, you need to forgive yourself."

"OK..." Aang's face contorted with doubt at this idea, but he took a deep breath to mull over this notion. "Shhhuuure. Yea. I can...work on that."

"And clearly, you feel pain right now. This pain eats away at your joy, it blocks you from relaxing."

"Oh, uhh...I guess so."

"What is causing your pain, Aang? Not what is worrisome or difficult, but...what is _painful_ to you right now?"

"Well..." Aang wiped some snot from his nose with the tissue in his hand and collected his thoughts. "Not having a real family...I try to not let it bother me, but...this week, it's just on my mind a lot."

"I see. What else?"

"Toph...M-my girlfriend. She... _cheated_ on me...I feel like it's my fault, like...I wasn't good enough..."

"But you must forgive your own faults, Aang, and recognize that this was a choice _she_ made."

"Yea...But...that just makes it hurt _worse._ She _chose_ to...betray my trust..."

"Mm..."

"And now it's like...she's choosing how I am supposed to act. Who I am supposed to be. She's holding onto me, expecting me to...I don't know...' _man up._ ' Or something. Like she doesn't love me for who I am, just...as _me._ I always thought she _did_..."

"Indeed. It can be quite traumatic, facing these truths."

"I just...don't know what to _make_ of...everything..."

"You have indeed felt a great loss. But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. Gyatso's love for you has not left this world – it is still inside your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love. Let the pain flow away."

"New love?"

"Any kind of love, Aang. The love Gyatso once felt for you, you now feel toward your friends."

"Oh...Right. I guess I was still thinking about Toph."

"I see. Well...Let us talk about her, then."

* * *

\- Tuesday, January 18th, 2011 -

"Yea, he's sleeping like a baby today..."

["That's great, Tophie. Maybe tomorrow he'll be feeling all better?"]

"Tch. Yea, I _hope_ so...He's been so fuckin' _out of it_ lately."

["Aw. Yea, poor guy. I read his Facebook yesterday, he...didn't sound so good."]

"That's an understatement."

["So, like...what about you guys?"]

"What, you mean... _us_?"

["Yea...I'm guessing you still haven't...figured things out?"]

"Ugh. _No,_ Meng. OK? Geez, I told you...Don't worry about it. It's...our business. I don't get what needs to be ' _figured out,'_ anyway, we just need to go back to where we were and...go from there."

["Oh...W-well, I didn't mean...-"] Meng trailed off, suddenly aware of the minefield she was forcing her way into.

"And ya know what? Why does everyone keep saying that? We need to ' _figure out_ ' stuff. Or ' _work on_ ' stuff. I fucked up, and...it's better now, and...we just need to start being a _couple_ again, is what we need."

Meng was silent, recollecting the things she had seen on Aang's Facebook, issues Toph had described over the phone, and things she'd heard from Aang directly, as well.

"Ya know?" Toph huffed, seeking affirmation.

["Mm,"] Meng gave a neutral hum of understanding. ["Things will work out,"] Meng attempted to assure, suddenly irate with her cousin and trying to mask it. ["Just...Give it some time, I guess..."]

"Yea. Twinkle-Toes will be back and at 'em soon enough and I'm sure he'll finally be in the mood to actually _do_ stuff."

["Sure."]

"But...Yea. So, you were saying...? About the YouTube channel?"

["Oh, _right._ Yea, your videos are definitely getting some views lately, Cuz. It's great."]

"Gimme digits, woman. What are we talkin', here?"

["Yea, yea. Sooooo~! The Carol of the Bells one? You got eight-hundred views in the past few weeks."]

"Ah. Is that... _good_?"

["Yea, for someone just starting out! Sure. And your other videos...Probably about fifty to a hundred views on each every week."]

Toph whistled out her impression.

"Nice. Any comments?"

["Ermm...Yea, a few. B-but I don't really have time to...-"]

"Sure. Okies. I should letcha go then, Meng."

["'Kay."]

"Have a good night, then."

["Night, Toph."]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot of direct references to the show here. A bit from "The Guru" and "The Deserter" but mostly from "Nightmares and Daydreams." Also some bits from BioShock, a most wonderful game.


	54. For Good

\- November, 2010 -

Toph's fingers were crawling over the ivories. Not dancing. She kept slipping on incorrect notes, losing her home keys, _urgh._ She slashed her hands across the piano in aggravation, then reached for her thermos on the floor to her left, beside the seat. She twisted the cap open and slurped down some of the hot cocoa that Katara had made. Fff. Like she couldn't make any herself. But whatever. Katara had to be a maid and mother and make sure everything was prim and proper, right? Maybe that was better than Toph's own mother. Stupid bitch, always telling her what to do and acting like she was a retard. Grah. Well, soon enough, she'd have to face them, and they were gonna get a few earfuls. She'd show them for-  
 _Knock. Knock._

The soundproof door to Toph's practice room clicked open and she frowned. Who the hell was bothering her while she was practicing?

"Who is it? Whaddya want?"

"Hey, Toph."

"Douglas?"

Toph's musical neighbor, Douglas was a young man who played violin in the next room over. They'd strike up small talk on occasion while taking breaks from their work, but she had never paid him much heed, and as far as she knew, he had never paid her any, either.

"Just thought I'd come and check in on you," Douglas timidly explained. "You seemed...kinda upset out earlier.

"Oh...Well, yea. I am," Toph bluntly acknowledged. "Don't worry about it."

"Why don't we both relax for a bit, rest our hands?"

"Um... _Yeeaa._ I'm a little busy, man. Don't really have time."

"O-OK. Sure. So...See ya later, then. Good luck."

"Mm-hm. You, too."

* * *

**"~I wanna hold your hand~"**

Toph strummed the final chord, and the room burst into applause. Her insides torn, her eyes threatening to drip from the unknown mysteries that were worming their way out against her will, she raised her hands to express acceptance of their praise, slung her guitar over her back, and carefully wandered off stage as the smattering died down. She fumbled for her walking stick, thankfully right where she had left it, and briskly found her way out of the Jasmine Dragon.

"Wow," muttered a short blonde boy, scratching his head, staring at her as she passed through the glass double doors and up the stairs. "Pipsqueak, didn't she seem familiar to you?"

"Uh..." Pipsqueak ran his hand across his rough black hair. "Hm. Yea, The Duke. Sure looks familiar to me. Isn't she one of those people from Smellerbee's gang?"

" _Right!_ Yes, of course...And she was in the band at FestivALL, as well..."

"Toph Beifong, right?" came the voice of Jin, the clerk behind the counter who was preparing The Duke's drink. "Yep, that was her all right."

"She's st-...Just...It's stunning-" The Duke murmured, impressed, "-how well she can perform without any sense of sight."

"You're telling me," Jin agreed, drizzling whipped topping onto the beverage. "She comes here every Thursday Night for Open Mic, and every time she plays...it's like she's really just pouring her _soul_ into it, ya know?"

"Yea," confirmed Pipsqueak. "She seemed real sad..."

"She did," Jin lamented with a shrug, passing The Duke's freshly brewed drink. "I live across the hall from her, and her and her roommate have been arguing a lot lately. From what _my_ roommate tells me, that girl's got a lot on her plate."

"Well, she's a talented musician," observed the blond boy, straightening his tie as he stepped aside and let Pipsqueak take his order.

Jin smiled and bobbed her head to the side thoughtfully. "They say good music comes from the heart."

"Hm." The Duke tapped his chin thoughtfully, his mind glued to the image of the beautiful Asian girl and her guitar. "So it does..."

Later that evening, at the music building, where his nickname and association with his club were shed, Douglas focused on some Music Theory homework in the carpeted hallway until he was pulled from his task by the elegance of blind stumbling that was Toph Beifong, coming out of her practice room.

"Hi, Toph," he greeted with a sheepish wave, only to feel like a fool for doing so.

"Uhh...Hi," mumbled Toph. From his position on the floor against the wall to her side, he couldn't see her face – which was pointed straight ahead. Black hair was flopped over her eyes, the rest bound into a ponytail. Her face was sweaty and her expression worn. After a moment of silence in which Douglas admired her hair, she spat with impatience, "Ya _need_ somethin'?"

" _Oh._ I, um...couldn't help but notice that you seem very stressed this week."

Toph snorted out a sigh through her nose.

"Somethin' like that..."

"Y-you know, I heard you earlier tonight. At the coffee shop."

Douglas felt a butterfly in his stomach when he saw her cheeks light up at this comment. He lathered on some praise to sweeten the deal.

"It was really beautiful. I've never seen you play like that."

"Ah...Uhh..." Her grip on the cane tightened. "Heh...Y-yea, that's...just this stupid shit I do." Her empty hand found its way up to her ear and she twirled a lock of hair. "Ya know. When I'm bored. And stuff."

"Stupid? Don't say that, it's...it's really nice. Like a different side of you."

"Was it really that weird?"

"In a _good_ way. Yea...It was."

Toph bit her lip and removed her finger from her hair.

"Uh...Well, thanks, Doug."

"Yea, you're welcome."

"Anyway..." Toph tapped her stick on the carpet twice and scratched an itch on her arm. "It's kinda late, so I'm headin' to bed."

"Sure. Good seeing you, Toph."

"Yea...Later."

"Good night!"

* * *

\- December, 2010 -

Douglas studied his music sheet with care. His internal debate as to whether to add notes to his arrangement was interrupted when a quite flustered-looking Toph Beifong stomped her way up the stairwell and onto their floor.

"Toph! Hey..."

"Hmph," snorted Toph, her expression sour as a lemon as she marched straight past him. She felt her cane along the corner of the wall, then wandered around to the door of her own practice room.

"Toph? Whoa, wait up..." Douglas dropped his clipboard to the floor and scrambled to his feet, flying off in pursuit. He caught up to Toph as she pushed her door closed, attempting to slam it in vain, but its mechanisms caused it to slow down before shutting, allowing Douglas space to wedge himself in. "H-hey, Toph...What...-?"

"Leave me alone." Toph whipped her walking cane into the corner of the room to the right of the piano and rushed to shove off her winter boots. Douglas watched her fuss about, finding himself aroused by her aggression. As she finally managed to kick her boots to the floor, Douglas spoke up.

"What's...wrong?"

"I said ' _leave me alone._ '"

"Wh-whoa, hey!" Douglas flinched at her snapping. "I didn't mean...-"

Toph whirled her head around, her face damp, bangs sticky from tears. The familiar butterfly began its fluttering within Douglas.

"Do you think I'm in the mood for your fucking smalltalk today?" snarled Toph, eyes white like the moon – a moon on fire, its glow veiled by a jungle of black vines.

"N-not at all, Toph. I...-" Douglas stuffed his hand in his pocket, somewhat relieved that at least she couldn't see the bulge forming inside his tight slacks. "I'm sorry..."

"Whatever," she grunted, turned back to her piano. "Get out..."

Douglas swallowed his fear and remained for a moment, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"What _happened_? I've never seen you like this..."

Toph mashed a hand onto the keyboard, creating an undesirable sound.

"I had a falling out with my parents, and my pussy-ass boyfriend just got into a fight with me, all right?" She unzipped her winter coat and chucked it with her other things. "Fuckin' happy, now? _God..._ Pryin' into my business..."

"Wow, I-I'm sorry, Toph...I had no idea things were so rough...Is there...-" He gulped again, trying to keep back his nervousness. "-...anything I can do to help?"

Toph groaned in frustration, digging her fingers into the back of her scalp, her hair hung down and messy.

"The _hell_ are _you_ gonna do to...-?" Toph grumbled but trailed off with a sigh. Douglas was apparently impervious to her traditional tactics of scaring people off. This was problematic, and was only getting her more angry, so she decided to switch gears. "Ya know what? Fine. You _really_ wanna help? My back's a god damned mess. Work out the knots. _That_ would help. Otherwise, get out."

Was she...serious? Douglas had to swallow yet again, clawing at the back of his neck at the prospect of touching this seductive creature. In a flash, he concluded it was worth the risk and walked to her seat at the piano, reaching his hands out and carefully moving her thick hair so it hung across a shoulder, out of the way. She snorted out a laugh, seemingly surprised by his boldness as he dug his fingers into her fleshy back. She flinched at first from surprise, her muscles tightened.

"H-hey, you...gotta relax or else it's pointless," Douglas pointed out, pressing his thumbs into the lumps stuck beneath her shoulder-blades. Whoa, she wasn't kidding: her back really _was_ a mess...She grunted and groaned at each motion, twitching in pain.

"Fuckin' serious?" she mumbled, teeth grit as Douglas worked to smooth things out. She gripped the back of her seat to maintain her position, letting her head hang down. "You just... _urgh._..pass out massages to girls, or something?"

"W-well, I was...just wanting to help you..." Douglas could sense her unease and stopped. "If...you don't _want_ me to, I'll just...-"  
"No, no, it's...-" Toph sighed. "That was helping. Keep goin'."

"Shhure...Yea, all right." Douglas felt warm and tingly all around, now considering whether or not this was appropriate. Then again, _she_ seemed all right with it...and he had already started. It'd be rude to stop at this point. Not that he _wanted_ to stop...

"Sooo-...A _h, fuck,_ that one hurts..."

"Right here?"

" _Ow._ Ow... _Agh..._ Yea. Right there. _Shit,_ what did I do to myself...?"

"Maybe just...sleeping on it wrong?"

"Prolly... _Ulgh._ Gah..."

Douglas had to be careful with his hands, which were beginning to get a bit shaky at her heavy breathing. She spoke with pauses inbetween his motions, her speech numbed by the pain.

"You seemed...pretty quick to...get your hands...on me, there...Bucko..."

"Heh...It's-...I mean, I'm pretty good at back massages, is all."

"That...a fact?"

"Yea, my mother...she does this for a living..."

"Aha _aaaah_...Ow...No _wonder_..."

"You really need to take better care of your back, Toph..."

"Pff..."

"I'm serious."

Douglas found his way to the ends of her ribcage, taunting himself with the edges of fatty tissue that lingered nearby. Toph's whole body tightened up and she sucked in air.

" _Shit_...The _fuck...?_ "

Douglas tread carefully. Definitely some knots here, too...Those he wouldn't be able to work out.

"Wow...Your...umm...It's real bad here."

" _Damn._ No kidding," Toph whimpered.

"Well...I can't really help there, so...-"

"Shoulders."

"Mm?"

"The shoulders, man...up."

"Here?"

"Higher...Higher. _Ohhh,_ ow. Y-yea, right there...It's...-"

"Oh, _ouch,_ that...feels pretty bad, too..."

"See what I mean? _Gah_..."

"You sound like you're feeling a little better, though. Kind of ironic given how much this hurts, huh?"

"Heh...It _is_ helping...Never thought you'd...actually _do_ it..."

"Wouldn't have asked if I could help if I didn't mean it."

"I see that now."

"So...What exactly is going on? Like...you mentioned your parents...?"

" _Christ._ Shit hit the fuckin' fan..."

"I'm all ears."

"Tch. If you _wanna_ hear me bitch, well...that's your call."

-break-

_Knock. Knock-knock-knock._

The door behind him opened. He paused from his violin playing and was pleasantly surprised to see Toph Beifong in all of her beauty slouching against the doorway.

"Doug? That you in here?"

"Hey, Toph!"

"Hey..." She was somber today, but...not hostile like the last time they had seen each other a couple of days prior.

"Everything OK? How's your back?"

"Oh, uhh...Back's better...Yea."

"Aaaand...everything else?"

"Meh. Not so much..." Toph came right in, poking her cane out and working her way around Douglas' boots and sitting against the wall. She was wearing a pair of tattered jeans with barefeet, a black tanktop on. Quite curious clothing to be wearing at this colder time of year, but...Douglas couldn't complain, allowing himself room to ogle a bit.

"What's going on?"

"Fuckin' school. Stupid crap, I'm so sick of this. Can't wait until break."

"Yea...I know what you mean. I'm having a lot of trouble on my-"  
"My boyfriend and I are over."

A lump formed in Douglas' throat and he contained it enough without needing to cough.

"O-Oh...I... _Really_? Wh...-?"

"I'm so fuckin' done. He's such a pussy. I can't take it. Trying to lecture _me_ about my own family. The hell does _he_ know? He never had to deal with hyper-protective parents, anyway!"

"Hm..."

"It's like I'm some gross mangy animal to him, he won't let me touch him, and... _Argh._ Fuck." She thumped her foot on the carpet in anguish.

"No way. You're...I mean, you're _beautiful,_ Toph, I'm sure it's not that he doesn't think-"  
" _Ha._ 'Beautiful.' Like that word means anything to me," she cut him off, huffing out a gust of air that tussled around her bangs. "We've been dating for almost a _year_ now, and the most we've done is dry-hump."

Douglas was beginning to be swiftly caught up in that warm, tingly sensation again as she twirled at her hair.

"I mean, _christ!_ While he's dickin' around – I mean, the _opposite_ of dicking around, really, because he's so fuckin' sensitive about it – I'm...-" Her fists were balled up in frustration. "Girl's got fuckin' _needs,_ ya know?"

"Yea. Yea, definitely..."

"I'm so _sick_ of getting' my chain jerked around. Like some stupid horse chasing a carrot on a stick, or whatever."

"Makes sense..."

"And it's, like...He's _amazing._ Seriously. I mean...I've never met another guy like him, much less _dated._ Right? But good _God,_ why does he have to be so _chicken-shit_ about stuff?"

"Sounds annoying."

"I know! Ugh, it _is._ Months and months of this bull. And he's always needing to _talk about our feelings,_ like that fuckin' matters. I don't wanna _talk,_ I wanna... _touch._ And...and feel a real connection."

"I know the feeling..."

"So...Ya know what? I'm done with him. Fuck it." She sniffed. Douglas' eyes, which had been suffering difficulty in focusing on her veiled face and roamed elsewhere, finally observed that she was crying a bit. "Me and him, we're over." She wiped her nose with her wrist and groaned.

"You OK?" Douglas went to her side.

"No," Toph honestly replied.

"Hey, things are...W-well, they'll be OK."

"Yea, _right_...I'm a fuckin' wrecking ball, Doug. You don't _get it._ I destroy every damned thing I ever care about..."

"Whoa, whoa...Don't say stuff like that." Douglas put his hand on her shoulder, noticing her arms wrapped around her stomach.

"What's it matter to _you,_ anyway?" she grumbled.

"Am I not allowed to care?" Douglas retorted, his blood boiling at the intimacy of this moment.

Toph felt light-headed, her heart-rate elevated at their proximity. Her insides burned with tension built up over the past month, bottled inside without release. This guy was into her. That much was painfully obvious at this point. Based on their interaction earlier, she could tell that his hands were at least pretty functional. Besides, she'd made up her mind – she was breaking things off with stupid Twinkle-Toes, anyway. That relationship was dead in the water at this point.

Fuck it. A girl's got needs.

She clutched his wrist and pressed his palm against her breast. His other hand instantly took hold of the other, and she craned her neck forth, lips puckered. He reciprocated.

Minutes passed.

By the time Toph's consciousness had caught up with her body's impulses, she was shirtless, leaning over her colleague, her palms against his meager pectorals, his hands hugging her buttocks, her bra slipping at the abrasion.

Whoa, holy shit. What? OK, OK...Still wearing pants. Hands hadn't touched the inside of anything she was still wearing...That was...Well, it was better than being butt naked. Oh, but _christ,_ did her body want to be. In the heat of this particular moment, her mind was barely able to overcome the chemicals swirling around to remind itself that her satisfaction had little to do with any particular trait that this young man possessed other than his own mutual desire for physicality. He seemed timid, scrawny, like the very boy her heart still clung to, and yet he reached out and took her back. Rather reckless. Reckless, it seemed, was what she needed right now.

But as she could feel her loins swell, she drew a quick breath and rolled off, bumping her head against the wall and curling up in recoil.

They both huffed for a few moments, neither having any idea of how to react to this turn of events.

Toph suddenly found herself swimming in a flood of guilt and relief - a muddy, confusing mess. It made her all the more angry, and yet it offered sweet release at once. She was torn, facing the truth that while this only made her realize her love for Aang all the more, it also satisfied a desire – no, a _need_ – that she did not have the patience to wait for Aang to fulfill.

* * *

\- Friday, December 17th, 2010 - Last day of the semester

"I can't _believe_ this. This whole time, Toph? _Really_?"

Toph's insides were churning, guilt compounded over guilt.

"N-no, Dougie, it's...more complicated than that, I-"  
"You _lied_ to me, Toph! You said...You said you and your boyfriend were _done!_ "

_Shit. Shit-shit-fuck-argh._ _How did he find out?_

"I know! _I know_!" she snapped back, stepping backward and bumping into the wall.

" _Wow._ You just... _Really?_ Just...I don't even know what to say..."

"I'm _sorry,_ Dougie, I just-...We've been...really enjoying each other's company, and I-"  
"No! We haven't! We've been...enjoying each other's...-" He groaned. "What we've been doing all month? That's not _company,_ it's...-"  
"I know this seems bad, but...but _come on,_ " she pleaded at his anger. "We've been...having some fun...I-I mean, that's...all it was, right?"

"Maybe to _you_ , but...but this stuff is kinda new to me, Toph. I really liked you..."

Uh-oh. 'Liked.' That was a past-term word.

"I was...confused, Dougie. Things...turned out to be more complicated than they used to be. B-but I mean, like...Is it _really_ that bad? We're...both people here. Not kids, right?"

"You're trying to _justify_ it?"

"I'm just _saying_! It's...a natural part of being human, I don't see why we can't...let the past be the past."

"Are you... _listening_ to what you're saying, or are you just spewing this stuff out?"

_Ugh. Why are words coming out of my mouth? I'm such an idiot._

In this moment, Toph was able to step outside of herself and acknowledge her selfish impulses. She recognized that she was merely making up excuses – the excuses she'd been letting her conscience lean on over this month to let herself feel OK with her own actions. She'd been using Douglas as a vessel to relieve her sexual tension. She'd been using Aang as a wall to hurl her frustrations upon.

Toph dug her fingers into her scalp and took a deep breath.

"Dougie. I'm sorry. I fucked up. OK? I get that."

"W-well... _Good._ Because...you did."

"But it's not like you haven't been enjoying it."

"Stop it...Please..."

"Come _on,_ you're not innocent in all this yourself."

"Y-you're right. I'm not." He cleared his throat. "We have to tell him."

" _What_?"

"Your boyfriend. He has to know about this."

"W-wait a sec, here...I don't think...that's such a good idea."

"You don't...seem to be the best person at having good ideas," Douglas eked out through his timidness.

Toph frowned at his remark.

"Whatever..."

"He's _your_ boyfriend, so...I think it'd be best if _you_ told him."

Toph's lip fell open in appalled irritation.

"Nuh-uh. No fuckin' way. I'm not doin' it."

"Are you serious?"

"Why does he need to know? We're on thin ice as it is..."

"I guess you don't really love him if you can't be honest with him, then. Huh?"

Toph groaned at his accusation. Inside, she was seriously contemplating its potential truth, while he went on.

"You cheat on him, and then now you're going to hide it?"

"All it'll do is make things worse, Dougie. You wouldn't get it."

"Worse? They must be bad enough where you need to...look for someone _else_ to make you happy...I don't see how it can get worse than that..."

Toph slammed the back of her head against the practice room wall twice, arms dug deep into her hoodie's waist pocket.

"Fine. Made your fuckin' point. Happy now?"

"Do you do this to him, too?"

"Huh?"

"When he points out that you're being immature...do you just...snap at him like this?"

Toph's face was hot with embarrassment at this situation already, but having Douglas rub in her face this matter that she had recently become acutely aware of was...rather difficult to deal with. She couldn't bring herself to give the honest answer - "yes" - but she had lost her edge in the discussion, unable to continue lying to this kid who could see right through it by now.

"Toph..." Douglas placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing with his thumbs. "You're...a beautiful girl. And...when you're not being...so grouchy...I really like being with you. But...this isn't right. Maybe your boyfriend can...stay with someone who lies, and...freaks out. And makes excuses. But I can't. I'm sorry. We can't spend time like this anymore."

Toph's eyes were trickling out drops now. The past couple of weeks had been long, rough, and crazy. She'd been investing a lot of time into this kid, ignoring her other friends...Ignoring the guilt it was causing. He'd been filling a gap in her life that, left unfilled, had been making her rather irate. And now he was cutting himself out.

What if Aang did that, too?

"B-but...we can still...spend _time_...right?"

"I'm...I don't know, Toph. Not for a while...Your boyfriend needs to know about this..."

Toph grunted in despair at his resolute decision.

"No, he _doesn't._ "

"He _does._ And if you don't tell him... _I_ will."

"Fine," Toph spat, brushing at her wet eyes. "Do what you want."

"I'm sorry, Toph," Douglas apologized with a firm tone. "I didn't intend to...make things so awkward."

"Yea? Well...Way to fuckin' _go_ , Dougie."

"We _both_ did a great job messing things up. You can...stay dirty if you want, but...I can't do this."

With that, Douglas exited the practice room, leaving Toph to wade in her muddy bath of regrets.

* * *

\- January, 2010 -

"Y-yea, and, so...-" Aang swallowed, light-headed and anxious. "Wh...what do you think?"

Toph sat across, elbows on the table, her cheeks patiently in her palms. She was smirking, her face pink.

"I think that's kind of sweet," she complimented. "But I already knew you felt that way."

"Wh-? You... _did_? How did you know...?"

" _Heh._ You haven't exactly been subtle lately, ya Weirdo. But...Katara told me."

"She did?"

"I asked."

"You already knew I liked you?"

" _Yuhp_."

"But...Why you'd have me... _tell_ you like this, then?"

"Pff. _Duh._ 'Cuz I wanted to see if ya had the balls to do it."

"But if...you liked _me,_ and you _knew_ I liked you...how come _I_ had to be all...nervous and confess?"

"Women like to see confidence in a guy."

"Why do girls always say that?"

"'Cuz. It's true."

"Confidence isn't all that counts..."

"Hm. I dunno. It _is_ for a lot of girls."

"That's...kind of dumb. I think bravery is more important. And...and, like, being kind. And humble. And...things like that."

"Tch. Oh, really? How's that? Braveness is the same _thing_ as confidence."

"No way – being brave being standing up even when you _aren't_ confident. When you're scared."

"Like you did just now. To me."

"Uhh...Y-yea, I guess _so_...But...I think it's more important to be kind to people than...confident about yourself."

"...Go on," Toph eased, leaning back in her booth and listening carefully.

"W-well, it seems like girls are always looking for guys who are 'confident,' and whatever, but...a lot of guys who think highly about themselves, they tend to be the kinds who think _lowly_ of others. You know?"

"Hm..."

"Even if that's not true, it's...just that I think there's something to be said about being humble."

"Heh."

"...What?"

"See, you're confident in your own beliefs. I've known that from the day we met."

"...You think so?"

"You and me, we're alike in that way – once we set our mind to something, we stick to it. You just...stick to things like...being _nice_ and polite, and junk."

"And you're a meanie who pushes people around. Like you did just now."

" _Whaaaa_? How am I a meanie here? Huh? Tell me that."

"What, are you kidding? You just...had me be all awkward and...and confess that I liked you when you already _knew._ You didn't have to deal with the nervousness. That's...like cheating," Aang pouted with a chuckle.

"Ha. That's my style, dude. If you wanna dance with me, you've better learn to let me lead."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It means...Let's do it."

"Date?"

"Why not?"

Aang's stomach was queasy but his mind was at ease. Toph stretched her arms across the table, palms up.

"Gimme." She wiggled her fingers inward, grasping for his own. He sheepishly placed his hands within hers, and she gripped them tightly for a moment before running her pudgy fingertips all along his wrists, feeling them out. "Hm. You have good hands," she decided. "That's a relief."

"Heh...That's...great to hear...?"

"Your hands are dry...but also soft. Kind of girly hands. My last boyfriend had, like...beefy, sweaty hands."

"Oh..." Aang let out a confused laugh. "I see..."

"So, yea. Good hands. Great job on that one."

"Thanks..."

"Well." Toph was still rubbing her hands over his. "That was simple enough. This whole...deciding-to-date thing."

"Heh...M-maybe for _you_..."

"Meh. You need to not make things so complicated. You pick that up from Miss Sugar-Queen or something?"

"What...?"

"Katara. The prim-n'-proper one?"

"O-oh, I...Not really. It's just...kind of a big deal to me, so I...thought really hard on it."

"What's to think about?"

"It's-...Well, this is my first time, and all..."

"Awww, Aangy-Wangy's never had a girlfriend? For serious?"

" _Yes,_ for serious."

"No _way._ You're like...eighteen? And you've _never_ dated anyone?"

"No..." Aang restated with an extra layer of self-conscious shame.

"That's about to change. C'mere..." She slid her hands up his arms as far as she could, gently tugging him to lean across the table. Aang glanced around. The cafeteria was empty, only a few lights still turned on.

"Wh...-?"

"If we're gonna start _dating,_ doncha wanna start kissing?" Toph teased.

"Oh...Y-yea, I do, but...I-I'm not sure right _now_ is such a good time..."

A brow raised on Toph's face and slipped her grip back to his hands.

" _Oh._ You...sure?"

"Ih-it's not you!" Aang hastily assured, swiping his thumbs over her wrists to reciprocate. "I need some time, is all. To...get used to you...? I-I mean, you're _really_ cute, and...everything."

"Pff. Well, you're as good-looking as anyone _else_ I've dated," Toph snickered. "So I'm set."

"You're set?"

"Yup. I think I'm good. We wouldn't wanna take your training wheels off too fast, Weirdo..."

"I'm just the type who...needs to take it slow."

"Fair enough. But c'mon, we gotta do _something_ here. Ruinin' the moment, man. Mind if I feel you up a bit, at least?"

" _Huh_?"

"Your _face_ , Dork."

" _Oh._ Ha...Yea...I guess?" Aang tilted his head across the gap and planted her hands over his cheeks. She slowly ran her palms – calloused and rough – along his lean head, through his short hair, and grabbed at his ear lobes.

" _Hell_ -oh," she called with an impressed whistle. "What big ears you have."

"All the better to...er...listen to you...talk loud...with...?"

"Ho- _ho_. Picking on me, eh? You're catching on quick to how this works." She softly slapped him on the face with affection and pinched his cheek. "I'll teach you everything you'll need to know about having a girlfriend, Aang."

"Sounds like an adventure, Toph." Aang removed the fingers that had been stretching his face and landed a gentleman's kiss just above her knuckles.

"Aw, gee. How sweet." Toph's tongue popped out and blew a raspberry. "I'm gonna have to shake this nobleman's nonsense from you, Weirdo."

* * *

\- Friday, January 19th, 2011 -

[From: Jane]  
[you told her yet?]  
[Sent: 6:03pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Jane]  
[no...-_- not yet. soon.]  
[Sent: 6:04pm]

[From: Sokka]  
[So. How'd it go?]  
[Sent: 6:10pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[hasnt happened. still waitin.]  
[Sent: 6:11pm]

[From: Katara]  
[All right, it's sent. Good luck, Hun. ~hug~]  
[Sent: 6:34pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Katara]  
[thanks..]  
[Sent: 6:34pm]

Aang observed the time, then observed Toph beside him, slurping away at pistachio pudding.

"So, uh...-" Aang's voice was cracking, his throat full of junk. He was still a bit ill, so he cleared his throat with a cough. "Wanna head up to your room after you're done?"

Toph licked her lips and a light but audible burp popped out.

"Sure," she replied with no preference.

The walk to Aqua was nerve-wracking, Aang's mind swirling with all kinds of lamentable thoughts. Toph's arm was wrapped around his waist, her other hand inside his pocket, clasping his hand as she relied on him to guide her.

Would this be the last time they walked, side-by-side, in this particular way?

"You all right, Twinkle-Toes?"

"Yea, I'm...kinda tired."

"Still catchin' up on sleep from this past week, is that is?"

"I guess so..."

"You were pretty damned loopy for a while there. Not acting like yourself."

"I bet...I haven't _felt_ like myself lately..."

"You'll get better soon. Just have to get all that shit outta your head, ya know?"

Aang sniffled and coughed, his throat sore.

"Yea..."

They discussed some of the bizarre facets of the dreams Aang had been experiencing – without any of the parts involving embarrassing bits, naturally – until they got back to Toph and Katara's room. Toph threw herself onto her bed, rubbing her full, tender stomach.

"So, um...-" Aang began, his voice hardly a whisper as he sat in the chair to Toph's desk, turning it to face the bed.

"Hey, you wanna listen to some of those videos I did I haven't shown you yet?"

"Oh, your...your YouTube stuff...?"

"Yea, Meng put up some more for me. Go run a search."

"Yea, sure..."

Aang's expression winced at his own lack of assertion, but it couldn't hurt to humor her a bit.

[YouTube]  
[The_Blind_Bandit's Channel - … ]

[Name: Toph Beifong]  
[Channel Views: 4,621]  
[Total Upload Views: 15,369]  
[Age: 20]  
[Joined: November 25th, 2010]  
[Latest Activity: 1 day ago]  
[Subscribers: 547]  
[About Me: I will cut your face off with AWESOME!]  
[Hometown: Wayward, PA]  
[Country: United States]  
[Occupation: Singer and Song Writer]  
[Music: The Beatles, Christina Perri, P!nk]  
[Schools: Saint Roku University]

"Wow, you've got...a decent following so far, huh?"

"Hell yea, I do. The Blind Bandit is stealing hearts. Heheh."

 _Like how you stole that other boy's heart? And_ mine?

Aang tried to let his itching aggravation go as he scrolled along through Toph's page.

"Which ones haven't you seen yet?" she inquired.

"I, uh...None. I'm all caught up."

" _Wha?_ No way."

"You had me look this up last week."

"Aren't there some new ones?"

"Er...Nah, I don't...see any, I mean-"  
"You're probably not looking right."

"Wh...-?"

"Meng put up a couple new ones just yesterday. She told me."

"You sure? Maybe they're just not up yet..."

" _Ugh,_ nevermind. Just...play something."

"Huh?"

"Anything. Just...pick one, I don't care."

Aang's head was trickling with sweat, his intestines burning with anxiety.

"A-actually, there was a song I wanted to show you..."

"OK...?"

"B-but before that, I um...I needed to talk with you."

"About what?" Toph's expression flashed with impatience as Aang took a deep breath.

"Well...Um..." He sputtered a cough and wiped at his sandy eyes. "It's...it's about _us_..."

He lifted himself from his chair and planted his knees at the side of Toph's bed as she rolled onto her side to be closer to him. He watched as her keen face absorbed his doubt.

"You want to break up," she acknowledged simply, her brows furrowed with a deep-thinking, solemn face she did not often wear.

"Yea," Aang squeaked out. It was both relieving and confusing that she knew. His gut reaction that was she knew because she herself was thinking it. They both had, for some time, neither brave enough to confront the idea openly until this moment.

Toph's melancholic but rational expression was veiled in black bangs, which she suddenly brushed aside, tucking behind an ear. This conveyed to Aang that her pale eyes were watering up, her eyebrows suddenly arcing with pain.

"No," she whispered with disapproval. She reached out her hands, pawing at Aang's head by accident but working her way around. He pulled up his own hands to grasp hers, and she squeezed tightly. "We can't do that," Toph whispered with an alarming desperation Aang had never seen her display.

"But...but we're just not _working_ ," Aang pointed out, his own eyes filling up.

"Sh-sure we are," Toph tried to convince him in futility. "I know it's been rough, Babe, but...I'm _trying_ , we...can still make this happen..." She was struggling – and failing – to hold back sobs.

Aang squinted his eyes shut for a moment, having difficulty coping with the sight of her anguish, her fingers trembling around his wrists.

"We _did_ try, Toph...We did."

"We can just... _quit..._ "

"It's not...quitting when...you've already lost," Aang sighed with a choking cough to match her sobs.

"No, no, no..." Toph whimpered, detaching her grip fumbling upward to envelope his face with her palms. She leaned her head off the bed, kissing him on the lips with a furious misery. Aang had to push past his impulses and break their kiss apart prematurely.

"I'm sorry, Toph...I'm really sorry..."

"I can't lose you, Twinkle-Toes," Toph gasped out. "Not _you..._ "

"You're not," Aang insisted. "You're not losing me, I-I'm not going anywhere..."

"But...But we're breaking up...?"

"That...doesn't mean have to _lose_ each other..."

"Oh..." Toph breathed out shakily, blinking wildly to shake tears down her cheeks. "I guess that's...I-I mean, are you sure we can... _do_ that...?"

"Why _can't_ we do that?" Aang rhetorically pondered.

"Won't it be...super _awkward_?"

"I don't know," Aang confessed. "Probably...? For a while, anyway..."

"I-I guess...we'd eventually be OK with it. People _do_ break up...all the time...and stuff..."

"I don't want to lose you, either, Toph. I don't want to have to let go. But...we just need to...change how this all works..."

"It's not as easy as...flipping a fucking _switch,_ Twinkles..."

"I know, I know! It'll...be a process, but we have to not let ourselves slip back into things..."

"Huh?"

"We have to...agree to break things off. Otherwise we'll just be...stuck in _this_. What we've _been_ stuck in."

"Oh. Right. Yea, that's...fine. Let's do that. We'll...make it a clean break. I guess...?"

"It'll be OK. Our friends won't just...let us not be friends anymore."

"Pff... _Especially_ not Katara."

"Ha...Especially her."

Toph was readjusting her position, now sitting upright. Aang got back up in the chair and the two sat, face-to-face, and grabbed each other's hands again.

"I'm still your friend, Toph. I'm always going to be your friend."

Toph inhaled wide and puffed out, her tears calming as she swiped them off her face with her sleeve.

"Yea..." she sighed out with a tiny smile of ease and wrapped her arms around her stomach, unsure of what to do with her hands.

"So...I guess that...settles _that_ , then," concluded Aang with some bewilderment. Weeks agonizing over this and it was all settled in a matter of a couple minutes.

"Guess it does..."

"I, um...-" Aang turned to Toph's computer, having already muted its function read out its text, and logged into his e-mail account. "I ran into a song that...I think you should listen to. It makes me think of us."

"Oh...Right." Toph scratched at her forehead, and her hair came tumbling back across her eyes.

Aang accessed the e-mail Katara had sent him earlier and loaded up the video. When it was ready to start playing, he turned the volume back on and let the music wash over them.

[ **"~I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason~"** ]

_"What makes you so special? Why do you wanna be friends with me, anyway?"_

_"I don't know. I just do. That isn't good enough for you?"_

[ **"~Bringing something we must learn~"** ]  
[ **"~And we are led to those who help us most to grow~"** ]

The mysterious girl at the piano, her attitude pulling him toward him for reasons he couldn't understand.  
The strange, sensitive boy who wouldn't leave her alone. And she didn't _want_ him to, deep down.

[ **"~If we let them, and we help them in return~"** ]

She learned to let him take care of her - not because she was blind, but because he desired to lessen her frustrations.  
He learned to let her ease him into new things - not because he was ignorant, but because she wanted him to have new experiences.

[ _"~Well, I don't know if I believe that's true~"_ ]

Toph had gotten up off the bed and had moved forth to give Aang a hug.

[ _"~But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you~"_ ]

Aang took her and reciprocated. They clung in a long embrace, but one that had a different tone than other hugs they had shared.

[ **"~Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun~"** ]

A timid boy comes out of his shell to befriend a stubborn musician.

[ **"~Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood~"** ]

She teaches him to stand up for himself more, to be more assertive.

[ _"~Who can say if I've been changed for the better?~"_ ]

_"Just gonna let her keep calling you that, Aang? It's not manly!"_

[" _~But because I knew you...~_ **I have been changed for good** ~"]

_"Shut up, Meat-Head. Twinkles here is just a different kind of man."_

[" _~It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime~_ "]

His lips against her forehead, comforting her when she is furious.

[" _~So let me say before we part~So much of me is made of what I learned from you~_ "]

_"Admit it, Toph - some of him's been rubbing off on you."_

_"Meh. If you say so, Katara." She stuck out her tongue._

[" _~You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart~_ "]

Her hand against his chest, assuring him when he is insecure.

[" **~And now whatever way our stories end~** "]

The future: uncertain, clouded in fog.

[" **~I know you have re-written mine by being my friend~** "]

A year later, two different people than they were before.

[" _~Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea~_ "]

A lonely girl is pulled from her self-doubts and isolation by an enthusiastic boy.

[" _~Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood~_ "]

He plants truth and love in her heart, teaching her to accept others.

[" **~Who can say if I've been changed for the better?~** "]

Two unhappy, stressed-out friends, struggling to repair what is broken.

[" **~But because I knew you~** "]  
[" _~Because I knew you~_ "]

They rely on each other, they hurt each other, they hold each other.

[" **~I have been changed for good~** "]

Through their challenges, they learn more about who they really are.

[" _~And just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness for the things I've done you blame me for~_ "]

_"I'm sorry," Toph whispered, lip quivering. "I know I hurt you...I fucking hate myself for it..."_

[" **~But then, I guess we know there's blame to share~** "]

_"It's OK," Aang replied shakily. "We've been in this together. I messed things up, too..."_

[" _ **~And none of it seems to matter anymore~**_ "]

They were both in tears once again, the song stirring up memories and confusion and pain.

[" **~Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun~** "]  
[" _~Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea~_ "]

They sway slowly, holding each other tight. Neither wants to let go, but they know they need to.

[" **~Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood~** "]  
[" _~Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood~_ "]

Love remains. Beneath the layers of romance, a love still burns - a different kind of love they did not expect.  
They grasp it tight.

[" _ **~Who can say if I've been changed for the better?~**_ "]  
[" _ **~(I do believe I have been changed for the better)~**_ "]

Tears. Trembling breath. Shaking hands.

[" **~And because I knew you...~** "]  
[" _~Because I knew you...~_ "]

They let go.

[" _ **~Because I knew you...~**_ "]

"I'll always be here for you, Toph."

[" _ **~I have been changed...~**_ "]

"I know you will, Twin-...Aang. I will be, too."

[" _ **~...for good~**_ "]

* * *

( [SRU - For Good](http://jinjinbun.deviantart.com/art/SRU-For-Good-256198967) by ~[jinjinbun](http://jinjinbun.deviantart.com/) )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "For Good" is from Wicked.  
> youtube.com/watch?v=IX1LdLv00aA


	55. Recovery

Dust. Heat beats down. He adjusts his brim to block the burning rays.

"Think we kin take 'em?" her raspy voice inquires with caution.

He spits. Wad of cheap tobacco splatters in the dried earth below his boot.

"Ah ain't a quitter," he replies through grit teeth. " _Yer_ bounty ta collect, Darlin'."

Sour frown underneath a field of freckles.

"Toldja stop callin' me that," she grumbles. The streaks of blood - makeshift facepaint - across her cheeks are beginning to crack apart from the heat. Bony fingers flex around her holster. "Fair 'nuff, though..."

"Ya'll lovebirds done sayin' yer prayers?" roars the dark stranger's voice from down the dirt street.  
 _BLAM..._  
The couple is left unfazed by the warning shot in the distance.

He chuckles to himself. Tightens his cowskin gloves, arrows carved into the hide over his knuckles.

"The Spirits are on our side today, Miss Bee," he assures his companion. "Yer 'bout to put an end to 'im, once n' fer all."

"Long time comin'," she huffs. Spurs rattle as they slowly approach the silhouette in the distance. She walks faster than he does, pulls up ahead. Slender, muscular legs in such short denim.  
Er, whoop...Not the time to go meanderin'.

"It ends tuhday," he threatens in a shout to the criminal across the way. "Yer a wild animal needs tuh be put down."

"Ya reckon so?" taunts the blonde man. His face is shrouded in the shadow from his ten-gallon hat As they draw near, the opposing figure before them stretches out his arms. "My, my. The Killerbee Kid and the Wind o' the West. Well, ain't _yoo_ two been gunnin' holes across the state? Fine work, ah hear."

"'Bout to stick some lead right between yer _eyes,_ Nils," hisses the girl with the flaming orange hair. Olive eyes pierce with hostility.

"Now, what in tarnation you blowhards come 'round mah town fer? What I done to _you_?"

"Quit beatin' the devil 'round the stump," commands Killerbee. "We all know yer a hard case. Me n' mah boy come heeled with a notion to put ya under fer yer crimes."

"All this work, jus' for lil' ol' me? I'm dreadfully flattered."

"Hobble your lip, damnit!" She seems quite impatient. Her hand whips up her pistol and pulls back the hammer, aimed for her enemy.

" _Whoa,_ pull in yer horns, ma'am!" Nils pleads, arms up. "I ain't meanin' ya no harm..."

Ranks pour into the road from the alleyways. A flurry of clicks as guns are cocked.

" _But..._ If ya be meanin' _me_ some, ahm afraid I can't keep the peace."

"Ah, shut yer big bazoo!" Killerbee cries in defiance, her arms quivering as she steps back, pulling her hand away from her gun. She bumps into him, and he holds her from tripping back.

"Hey, uh...Miss Bee, maybe it's time we oughtta skedaddle, rethink our-"  
"Ah don' care a continental!" she whispers back at him with fury. "It's time tuh shoot, or give up the gun!"

"Now, then!" Nils interrupts. "Ya'll best throw up the sponge now. Had yer fun, chil'un. But ya belong to _me,_ Bee. Always have. Always will. Ya know that good n' well by now. So put 'em up, n' come quietly."

His teeth grind at the mysterious man's words.

"There ya go, shootin' yer mouth off," he scolds. "Miss Bee ain't belong to _no_ man..."

"Gheh," Nils bursts out a laugh. "This sack o' bones ain't never been a _'Miss',_ and that's a fact." He turns his attention to the girl with the facepaint. "Now, what's with this nonsense, Whore? Yer partner in crime's right as a trivet. Ain't yer style at all."

"I'm proud to know 'im," she declares, tightening the cloth band around her forehead. She clasps his hand in her own. His stomach lurches, light and queasy. "More n' _anyone_ kin say 'bout _you_ , Nils."

"'How come we ain't been shot dead yet?" he cautiously inquires underneath his breath. Seems too convenient to be truth.

"Don't copper yer damn bets," she expresses her disapproval of his lack of confidence. "He jus' plays to the gallery."

"Now set yer guns down good n' slow so we kin sort this all out," Nils suggests.

_**BANG.** _

Chaos. One of the ambushers is struck in the skull. He collapses as all barrels point skyward in search of the sniper.

**_BANG. BAM. POP-POP. BANG._ **

Hell breaks loose. Bullets fly.

"Get a wiggle on!" Killerbee cries, grasping his arm by the wrist and dashing into an alleyway, blasting a thug in the face with her magnum as they pass. "Hee _hee!_ " she giggles with triumph. "They don' call 'im Longshot fer nothin', eh?" Their backup is the perfect distraction to kick up dust and make for a good getaway.

In the madness, he caps three. One in the shin, another in the shoulder, a third in the knee. More are gunned down from the rooftops.

Suddenly, they are cut at the pass by Nils. Killerbee, gun at the ready, fires one off without a second's delay, straight through his heart.  
 _Thump._

"There's the kit n' caboodle," she shouts with triumph. "Not so hard as we thunk!"

Horse. Poor, scared animal is nearby, kicking and neighing. He hops aboard as Miss Bee spits on the corpse. He slips out his knife from his boot, cuts the horse's rope, swings by and catches her, pulling her on. Slender arms around his waist.

"Not quite as ah expected," he admits. She chuckles.

"Forgot the plan, didja? Ain't no matter. Yer still someone to ride the river with."

A kiss on his cheek. His face is hot. He considers what to-  
 **BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!**

With a gasp, Aang snapped awake, bumping the back of his skull against the wooden heading to his bed. He rolled over, rubbing his tendered spot, and groans at his alarm clock. He groggily reaches for the {Snooze}.

**BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!**

_Urgh,_ what the...?

Across the room, Sokka moaned out in anguish as he acknowledged that the alarm was for him on this Saturday morning. The beeping was put to rest at last and Aang sighed out peacefully.

"Why're you waking up on _Saturday_ morning?" he wondered warily, closing his eyes and readjusting himself.

"Friggin'...gotta fill in at work," Sokka whined. "Someone quit, needed me to cover 'em today..."

"Sucks, man," Aang sympathized through a yawn. There were no more words as Aang began drifting back to sleep. His nether region was tightened, and as he realized this, he sighed through his nose. He was half-asleep, sure, but awake enough to realize what he'd just been dreaming about. Another awkward, embarrassing dream...The girl in question seemed to vary by the day. What was _wrong_ with him? He had only just broken up with Toph the night prior. He wasn't ready for anything with anyone else. And besides...Jane? She was way too different...Right? _Argh,_ no, didn't matter either way, because he wasn't looking into anything like that with anyone else right now. At all. Whatsoever. Period.

* * *

\- Saturday, January 20th, 2011 -

~. ~-~-~. ~-~-~-=! ~-~-=-=-_!

"Urgh..." Toph huffed at her fingers' sluggish performance. The strings weren't bending to her will the way they usually did. Her touch was off.

_Creek._

Gentle footsteps crawled across the room to the opposing desk chair. Toph could hear her roommate begin crunching into a bowl of cereal. She drummed her fingers impatiently along her guitar.

"You hungry?" Katara asked politely.

A moment's hesitation passed before Toph sputtered out a 'Nah.'

"You sure?" Katara saw through. "I've still got some cereal left, I could go make you a bowl..."

Toph sucked in a deep breath through her nostrils. Katara had been extra sugary-sweet since yesterday. She had known all along about it. Probably knew _before_ the fact, didn't she? How come she wasn't saying anything? Just...being all super nice and shit?

"Sure..." Toph sighed out, adjusting her strings. Maybe that was the problem.

"OK!" Katara sounded all peppy and enthused to be of some service.

_Creek._

She opened the door and scampered off down the hall - the supplies to prepare cereal were tucked in the floor's community kitchen space. Toph took her moments of peace to pluck some more at the stubborn instrument with unsuccessful results.

"Are you...all right?" came Katara's sympathy. Toph hadn't even noticed her re-entry.

"Huh? Why, do I look... _not..._ all right?"

"W-well, you just...look pretty...-"  
"Let's cut the bullshit and just call it like it is."

_Clok._ Plastic cupl set down on the desk nearby. The bed shifted slightly at Katara's weight to her right.

"I'm sorry, Toph..."

"Me, too..."

That familiar, tender hand rubbed at Toph's back as she could feel her insides squirm with dissatisfaction. She set her guitar on the mattress behind her and cautiously reached out for the cup. Katara knew how Toph liked her cereal - mixed with milk in a tall cup to make it easy to consume. The gentle massage continued while Toph took a large gulp.

"You guys really tried," Katara acknowledged. "But...you've both been so miserable lately..."

"Yea," Toph admitted with some resentment.

"Things will get better, though," Katara encouraged.

Toph didn't agree with this notion. Things would be worse. Now everything would be all awkward. And now she was the bad guy. She was the one who'd fucked things up, after all. Regardless of any mistakes Aang had made, this was how the group would see it. And fuck it, maybe that was how it should be, anyway. She _had_ screwed things up pretty hardcore...

"Toph?" Katara checked, nudging her roommate gently. "Talk to me..."

"What's there to _talk_ about?" Toph groaned, thrashing up her shoulder to shake Katara off. "I'm not some fuckin' broken heart you can fix, ya know?"

Katara was speechless for a moment, which clued Toph in to the notion that she had left the right impression.

"Patch me back up with some duct tape?" she ranted on. "I don't think so."

"Toph..."

"I wasn't happy. I messed up. Then _he_ wasn't happy. The end. Nothin' else to say." Toph drank more cereal. Ech. Honeycombs? Really, Katara? Lame...

"O-OK, I'm sorry, I didn't...mean to get you upset, I was-"  
" _HA!_ Get me upset, huh? Little late, Sugar-Queen. Nothing you have to say or do can affect me right now. I am how I am, and...that's how it is. I'm dealing with it, so...you should, too."

"You're...sure there's nothing I can do?"

"You can shut up and drop it. _That_ would make things a bit easier for us _both._ "

"Right," Katara squeaked, getting up off the mattress. "Sure thing. I'm sorry."

"Whatever, it's no big. Breakups happen. I don't remember _you_ needing therapy when you and that spic broke it off. And I mean, hell, he _died,_ and shit. You seemed to get by pretty OK. I think I can manage."

Katara shuffled across the room, back to her desk, spilling out a frustrated sigh. Heh. There it was, pressed a button. Now she'd back off for a while.

* * *

[From: Sucka]  
[Yo, Freckles. You're still looking for work, right?]  
[Sent: 10:42am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sucka]  
[uh yea. i guess. why?]  
[Sent: 11:30am]

[From: Sucka]  
[There's an opening down here at Appa's. Told my manager I knew someone who needed a job and could start this week.]  
[Sent: 12:04pm]

[From: Sucka]  
[You interested?]  
[Sent: 12:05pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Sucka]  
[yea. frycook or somthin?]  
[Sent: 12:07pm]

[From: Sucka]  
[You got it. Cool. I'll have you come meet the manager tomorrow. Sound good?]  
[Sent: 12:10pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Sucka]  
[sure.]  
[Sent: 12:11pm]

* * *

" _Augh!_ " Aang cried out, his body tightening as he clutched his controls with white knuckles. The slicing sound of a piercing pitchfork made him flinch as he was attacked from behind. A distant chainsaw was revving from somewhere off screen.

"Jeez, just... _shoot him_ ," Sokka sighed.

"I'm trying!" Aang whimpered, as his character on screen pulled out a knife.

"No, _other_ button."

" _What_ other button?"

"The _'R'_ button, man!"

The character on screen pointed a pistol with a red laser sight and after a moment started popping bullets haphazardly into the small crowd of creepy farmers before him.

"Might wanna try _hitting_ them, Bud."

"I _am_ trying!"

"Chainsaw Guy's gonna get you."

"Where is he?"

"Probably behind you."

Aang spun his character 180 and yelped out in surprise at the large man with the burlap sack over his head who was charging his way, running chainsaw held in the air.

"Poop-dangit-aagghh..." Aang panted out as he shot a few ineffectual pistol shots into the enemy's large gut before his character's head was sawed off.

[{You Are Dead}] displayed across the screen in large, bloody letters. Sokka nodded slowly, staring at the screen as he slapped Aang on the back.

"Monkey-feathers..."

"Good effort," Sokka patronized. "Good effort..."

Aang groaned and set the controller down before Sokka's entertainment setup.

"Ugh, I don't think I wanna play any more of this game..."

"It _is_ kinda hard."

"It's...not even that, it's...really violent"

"It's Resident Evil, Bro, what'd you expect?"

"I...I don't know. But...Why'd you have me _play_ it? You _know_ I don't like this stuff..."

"Aww, c'mon, do you need to go back to your kiddie games? This too intense for ya?"

Aang frowned at Sokka's teasing comment and rolled his eyes, huffing out a sigh as he clicked off the electronics and stuck his feet into his hiking boots.

"Whoa-whoa, hey, where ya goin'?" Sokka pressed, now regretting his efforts at humor.

"Art building. To work on...stuff..."

"Hey, wait, man, I was just...-"

"I'm not in the mood, Sokka," Aang grumbled out, zipping up his vest. "I'm just now trying to get over all the stuff Toph used to say, I don't need _you_ picking on me, too..."

Sokka blinked at this comment as Aang headed out the door.

"Dude, I didn't mean to-"  
 _Click._

Aang closed the door behind him before Sokka could finish his sentence. With a shrug, Sokka rearranged things and began shuffling through the digital store on his PS3. After he'd queued up a few downloads, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Sokka called with flowery whimsy, expecting his girlfriend. He turned his head and puckered his lips, only to see his sister come through the door. She raised her brow at him and he immediately reverted his expression. "You're not Suki," he mumbled sheepishly.

"Definitely not," Katara replied with amusement. "Where's Aang?"

"He got all whiny and stormed off to the art building."

"Whiny...?" Katara wondered with some concern.

"I dunno, he's all bent outta shape from the breakup and junk. Nothing I do cheers him up. I tried giving him nachos, getting him root beer, watching some UFC, playing some video games... _Man._ Nothin'. Still mopey."

"Umm...Did you...maybe try _talking_ with him about it?"

Sokka stared at his sister with narrowed eyes.

" _No?_ " He snorted through his nostrils. "Do I look like a friggin' therapist? Besides, he doesn't exactly seem in the mood to talk."

Katara sighed, twirling a finger around some strands of air as she lamented the situation.

"Yea, Toph...hasn't been very receptive, either..."

"Maybe because she feels like you're trying to choke her with attention when she just wants to chill out?"

"Well...M-maybe," Katara conceded, "But trying to drown Aang in junk food isn't really good for _him,_ either."

"If you're so worried about him, why don't _you_ try cheering him up?" Sokka jibed. Katara's eyes darted downward, away from his snarky gaze, and she nodded.

"Y-yea, you're right. Maybe I _should_. He's really hurting right now - and Toph is, too. I _know_ she is. I'm really worried about those two..."

"Ya can't fix everything, Katara," Sokka huffed, turning back to his TV screen.

"You should try spending some time with Toph, then."

"Say what?"

"You're right, Sokka. Toph doesn't want me to try helping her feel better right now, but she usually gets along well with you."

"I get along with everyone," Sokka concluded.

"I'm just saying, you could make a little effort to try to take her mind off things, make sure she still feels cared about. I don't want her thinking that...just because they broke up, we don't want her around...You know?"

"I guess," Sokka muttered, not too keen on the prospect of trying to keep Toph of all people in a good mood. "Why not have Freckles do it? She's...a girl. And stuff. And they get along."

"Sokka, Jane's...not exactly the best at comforting others, especially stubborn people like Toph. Those two get along, but they also...totally flip out on each other."

"Ugh," grunted Sokka, acknowledging Katara's point. "OK, OK...I'll...have lunch with her tomorrow or something. If she wants to."

"Great."

"Only if she _wants_ to," Sokka specified. "And I'm not making her talk about her _feelings_ or anything like that."

"No, that's...that's good," Katara assured with a hurried nod. "I think that's what she needs right now."

"If _you_ know so well, how come _I'm_ doin' it?" whined Sokka with a shrug.

"I told you, she gets along better with you."

"Yea, yea..." He waved a hand in dismissal. "I'll see what I can do."

"About what?" inquired Suki as she slid into the doorway past Katara.

"About Toph," Katara sighed, crossing her hands thoughtfully.

" _Oh,_ " puffed out Suki warily. "Yea, she-...Well, she's been... _Toph_...lately..."

"Do _you_ have any ideas, Suki?"

Suki's eyes rolled around slowly as she considered Katara's question, then snapped back as she raised an index.

"Actually, I've been thinking about it today, and...Maybe she just needs more music."

"Huh?"

"Maybe we should try getting the band back to practicing now that we're all settled into school, and...I dunno, try and get The Kyoshi Warriors to play more. Maybe give Toph a little freedom in deciding some stuff, you know?"

"Really? You'd do that?" said Sokka with some skepticism.

"Sure," said Suki with a shrug. She didn't look thrilled at the idea, but she did look sincere. "Toph's had a lot of crazy stuff happening lately...And, while a most of it _is_ probably her fault...she still needs us to be there. Right?"

"Exactly," said Katara. "I think that's a good idea, Suki. Let's try that."

"Wooooo!" cheered Sokka with relief. "So I'm off the hook."

" _No_ ," scolded his sister. "You still need to do it."

"Do what?"

"Take Toph to lunch," Sokka mumbled, as if this idea made no sense.

"Oh. Hey, yea, that's a good idea. You could probably help cheer her up," said Suki. "She gets along pretty well with you.

" _Why_ does everyone think that, again?" groaned Sokka, cocking back his head with some disbelief. "She's crazy and stubborn and-"  
"She laughs at your idiotic jokes, at least," Katara interrupted his negativity. "Just...be stupid and make her laugh. Come on, Sokka," Katara pleaded.

"Yea, yea..."

"It's nice to know you can be obedient when needed," Suki teased, patting Sokka on the head while he frowned.

* * *

"What do you think it means, then?" Aang wondered with a tint of exasperation.

"I think...-" Mai tapped her bony chin carefully as she studied the splotchy image of a flock of crows she had created. She began dabbing some gray around their bodies to create feathered effects. "-...that you've been through a complicated relationship, with a bit too much drama, and...now you're just wanting something to fill that gap. Something...simple."

"Mm-hm," Aang hummed out in agreement, pretending to focus on his drawing in his chair behind her, but finding himself unable to. That sounded about right, at least - what she was saying.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Aang. It's pretty natural."

"It is?" He wasn't so sure of that.

"Definitely. But...don't read too much into your dreams. That's all they are - just weird thoughts you have while you sleep."

"Y-yea, but...don't they, like...express what my subconscious is...thinking? Or wanting?"

"Ffft, not necessarily," Mai was quick to express doubt. "Sure, maybe part of you might feel that way, but...you can't take that to mean you should act on every dream or whatever. Otherwise, you'd be dating, like, three girls at the same time."

"Th-that's not what I want..."

"Well, _duh._ " Mai laughed through her nose. "The point is, stop letting all of these dreams and everything dictate what you want. Let _reality_ decide that, Aang."

"Find an apple tree," Aang slyly referenced their recurring inside joke.

"Haha, right." Mai smiled a small smile through dull eyes. "Lemons are good and everything, but...Maybe Toph was a lemon tree, and lemons aren't your thing. So find an apple tree instead. You're not going to find one inside your imagination, my friend."

"Right..."

"Anyway, why are you so...eager about this?"

"About what?"

"I dunno, it sounds like you already want to start dating someone else and it's only been...what? A _day_?"

"B-but I don't!" Aang protested.

"Then stop _worrying_ about it."

"OK..." Aang sighed to himself as he took his friend's advice, letting the conversation slide off as they both focused on their artwork.

* * *

\- Sunday, January 21st, 2011 -

"It's not hard, Ginger. You just...cook stuff. Seriously. Easy-peasy. Don't sweat."

"Meh..." Jane shrugged begrudgingly.

"Don't gimme that," Sokka warned. "I gonna help land you a job, woman. Be a little grateful, eh?"

"Fff...Thanks, and shit," Jane lathered on more disinterest. "Naw, but really," she wiped it off, "thanks, man. I...could probably use a job."

"At least you'll be working with someone you _know,_ right?"

"That's true..."

They popped open the door to the basement of the campus center and went in through a back door to the food preparation area of Appa's. The manager stood casually, back against a wall as another student grilled a lone burger. She was sipping at a milkshake, her eyes sharp and cunning. Her dark hair was tucked underneath a white cap with a blue arrow pointing down across the forehead - the uniform for the restaurant. She had dark eyeliner around her eyes. She wore a matching apron with a nametag: {June} She was yawning out of boredom as they entered, and Sokka smirked at her laziness.

"Oh," she sputtered dryly when she noticed their presence. "Sokka," she acknowledged his presence. "Brought your little friend, I see."

"Hey, June," Sokka greeted back. "Yea, this here's Jane." He pounded her on the back and pushed her forward a step. "Jane, meet June."

"Hey," said June, devoid of any enthusiasm.

"Hey," Jane replied in kind.

"So. You need a job." _Slurrrp._

"Yea..."

"All right." _Slrrp._

June shrugged and whirled off the wall, shake still in tow, and headed to a backroom. She came back with a cap matching her own and planted it firmly on Jane's head.

"You got it, then." _Slrapp._ "I'll need ya here on Tuesday to start."

Jane blinked, wide-eyed, at this pale-faced woman. That was it?

"Uhh..." She readjusted the hat so it fit better on her head.

"Neato," Sokka said with light triumph.

"'Neato' for _you_ , maybe," June scoffed. "Now I gotta do paperwork."

"You hate paperwork," Sokka recalled.

"I _hate_ paperwork," June coldly repeated.

_Slrruup._

" _Well._ " Sokka cleared his throat through the silence. "Cool beans. Told ya I'd find someone."

"You did. I'll give ya a damned medal. Pin it to your hat, look real pretty, Sokka."

"Haha. We'll see you Tuesday, June."

"Yep," June sighed out a dull breath. "Have fun, kiddies." _Slurrpp._

* * *

The two sat down at the small, square lunch table, and Toph immediately dove into her food without a word.

"How ya holdin' up, Dead-Eyes?" Sokka asked calmly, smooshing his tuna melt down with his palm. He wiped his palms together, brushing the crumbs off to the floor. "I heard things have been a bit rough."

Toph chewed her food without a word. She was wearing that snooty, self-righteous look Sokka was familiar with, her head tucked into the hood of her green Terra house hoodie.

"Guess it's been a bit crazy for everybody," Sokka went on. "We all need to hang out again, am I right? Been a few days..."

He took a bite of his meal and the two enjoyed some silence for a minute or so.

"I fucked things up pretty bad, huh?" Toph mumbled with some contempt, pausing in the middle of her binge.

Sokka took a hit of his Mountain Dew.

"Tch. _Yea_ ," he bluntly agreed. "Sure did."

"Everybody hate me now?"

"Uh, _no?_ "

"How come I haven't heard from anyone since Thursday night?"

"Everyone's been busy with stuff, Toph."

"Sure..."

"Seriously. C'mon, Toph, cut the grumpy act."

"I'm not grumpy."

"Like hell you're not."

"What _ever,_ like _you're_ some fuckin' expert. You're just doing this because Katara made you."

"How'd you know about that?"

"'Cuz you just told me just now."

"You sly, sneaky little bastard."

"Pff. Like you give a damn enough to go outta your way and put up with me."

"Hey, hey...Sure I do."

"You don't care about _anyone_ lately. You just sit in your room and play your video games, and when there's an issue you write it off, like...it's all just PMS and you won't hear any of it."

Wow. Lotta hostility. Katara hadn't been kidding.

"That's because it _is_ all PMS," Sokka pressed humor onto the situation. "But that's not the point, Toph. I care about you. We all do. You and Aang are dealing with a lot from this whole situation, and-"  
"Can't even make up your fucking mind."

"Beg your pardon?"

"Ya gonna be a sarcastic ass and joke me to death one minute, and then be all super analytical and shit the next."

Sokka frowned, folding his arm up on the table and putting his chin in his palm. He stared at her icy white eyes for a moment to reflect.

"I knew this wouldn't be a good idea," he sighed.

"Me, too," Toph huffed.

"Why can't you calm the hell down, Toph? You just make things worse for yourself."

"You say it like I give a fuck."

"Because I know you _do._ Obviously, you weren't happy about how things were going with you and Aang. That's why you cheated. But now that it's over, you don't know how to deal with it. Things are rough with your parents, and now things are rough in your social circle. I get it, Toph. You don't know where to go."

"Since when did _you_ start psycho-analyzing me, Sokka?" Toph growled, pounding her fist into the table. "I don't need your fuckin' psychiatry. Not like you're good at it, anyway."

"I'm trying to explain that I get where you're coming from, and help you figure out what you need."

Why was he even saying all this? Hadn't he decided from the start he was _not_ going to do exactly this? What he was doing?

"Whoop-dee-fuckin'- _doo._ I'm fine. What I _need_ is for everyone else to stop acting like they know what's best for me."

"Ah. Well." Sokka rose from his seat and scooped up his untouched food. "Don't gotta tell _me_ twice..."

"H-hey, wait a sec," Toph grunted. "Where ya goin'?"

"Not up for the theatrics, Toph," Sokka flatly explained. He walked past her, grabbed her hood, and pulled it off - she was indoors, after all, and it was making her look pretty emo, especially with her hair over her eyes. "Lemme know when you're ready to grow up a bit, huh?"

Toph's face burned with indignation, her fists balled in her lap.

"Ya know what? Good, leave me alone."

"Will do," Sokka called back with enthusiasm.


	56. Ball and Chain

\- Monday, January 22nd, 2011 -

[From: Zuko Kurosawa]  
[Subject: RE: Project Details]

[I like that idea. We should meet up this week and go over the logistics. When would you be able to start doing the actual artwork?]

[Also...We need a _name_ for this place still. Any thoughts?]

[Respectfully Yours,]  
[ _Zuko Kurosawa_ ]  
[ _Student President, Saint Roku University_ ]

[Reply]  
[To: Zuko Kurosawa]  
[Subject: RE: Project Details]

[i could prolly start on wed. as for name..i like the word unite so we should keep that in it i think.]

After finishing off his inbox, Aang checked his phone to see he had a voicemail.

["Hey. It's me, Twinkle-Toes...Uh..."] She coughed briskly. ["Y-yea. So, I was just...wondering how your weekend went. Didn't see you at all, and...I-I was just hoping we could hang out. Sometime. Soon. As a group, I mean. Sooo...That was it. Call me back...?"]  
[ _Beeeep._ ]

[To: Katara, Sokka, Jane]  
[hey guys, when do we wanna hang out? its been a little while..]  
[Sent: 11:54am]

[From: Katara]  
[I'm free tomorrow, I think Jane and Toph are, too.]  
[Sent: 11:56am]

Aang drummed his fingers on his desk for a moment, staring at his contact list as he contemplated whether to call Toph back...Well, he still needed confirmation from the others first, right? Best to wait on it, until he had an actual time he could give her.

* * *

[ **Facebook - Aang Leekpai** ]

[ **Aang Leekpai** went from being "in a relationship" to "single."]  
[4 hours ago]  
[Sokka Kesuk likes this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Free from the ball & chain. Bros before hoes.] - [Korra likes this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- good for you, little man! she's cool and all but you need someone who aint gonna pull that shit on you.] - [Mai likes this.]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- :'( :'( ]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Sokka, you're such a jerk.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- It's not like she's gonna SEE it...]

[ **Suki Kyoshi** \- i'm sorry, aang. i know things have been hard for you two.]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- O: omg omg srsly? wat happened?]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- There's an apple tree out there for you yet, Sir. Go and find it.] - [Aang likes this.]

[ **Messages** ]

[ **Meng Beifong** ]

[i'm so sorry aangy...i kno u guys tried real hard..toph talkd with me a lot abot it..shes so so sorry about wut happened you know? but i understand why you guys broke up...i'm here for you if you need amnyone to talk to kk?]

[ **Aang Leekpai** ]

[we'll live. it was a long process but we'll be ok. im worried about toph, tho. i feel like shes gonna do that thing she does. you know what i mean?]

[ **Meng Beifong** ]

[i no wat you mean...-_-;; shes been kind mean to me this week too. dont takkit personaly. she loves you as a person even not as a bf. you kno that rite?]

[ **Aang Leekpai** ]

[yea i know that...thanks.]

[i've gotta go tho. ttyl.]

[ **Meng Beifong** ]

[kk! toodles!]

* * *

"So, Sokka...How's that practicing coming?"

Sokka belched in reply to Aang's inquiry, flopped back in his chair lazily, an empty brown bottle in one hand.

" _Nice_ ," Aang complimented with a deep huff from exhaustion.

"What about you, man?"

"I've been trying to keep up my exercise routine and stuff..."

"Yea, seems like you're running every day now."

"Yea." Aang took a deep breath and rested himself in his own chair for a moment. His lungs were still pumping a bit from his jog. "I _have._ "

"2nd Aero is gonna take the Gold this year," Sokka decided, sticking out a fist. Aang blinked at it warily for a moment before realizing it was a gesture to be reciprocated, then tiredly knocked his knuckles against Sokka's.

" _Yea,_ we are," Aang agreed. He sighed out a "Whew!" as he stood back up, his legs a tad wobbly, and grabbed a clean towel from his closet, kicking his shoes off.

"I can't freakin' _wait_ ," Sokka said with another satisfied burp.

"Me, either..." Aang stripped down to his briefs and let loose a yawn.

"AerOlympics, man...Gonna be tight..."

The annual dorm event was days away. A twelve-hour affair, AerOlympics were a tradition of the House of Aero for years now, and the boys were quite eager to experience them again. With this occasion came some lamentation for Sokka as he watched Aang head off down the hall to shower his sweaty self. After all...this would be the last time Sokka would be participating in AerOlympics. This only led his mind to wander to the ever-looming idea - the one Suki refused to let him forget: in just a few months, he'd be graduated. And she would be, too. And he had to figure out what he was going to be doing with himself. His brain boiled at the prospect, so he took it off the burner and checked his YouTube subscriptions.

["Epic Meal Time - we've got a whole bunch of alcoholic unicorn blood. 'Bout to make a dangerous chili. Whashoo know about _that,_ previous-level-safety-conscious cooking shows? You ain't got what we got!"]

Ah, YouTube. When he was too lazy to play video games, he could appreciate the same vice his sister often sought to relieve her own frustrations.

* * *

Katara drowned herself in the odd canine sounds emanating from her computer, earbuds firmly wedged into her head. Toph had been progressively more sour toward her since the breakup, and especially after Sokka's failed attempt at cheering her up - which she couldn't understand how that had gone wrong - Katara felt confident that Toph had decided that since she couldn't confront Aang with her sorrows and surely wasn't going to confront _herself,_ that she was going to take out all of her aggression on her roommate. Her well-meaning, deeply-caring, wishing-she-could-help-but-couldn't-seem-to-no-matter-what roommate. Grah.

But the husky in the video continued to make bizarre sounds she didn't even know a dog was capable of making, and that somehow seemed to help her feel better.

Across the room, Toph was equally absorbed, large green headphones planted across her head whole she practiced on her keyboard, too lethargic to care about using a real piano in her practice room. As a matter of fact, it was this element of things that was playing out much differently than her episode back in December. Before, Toph had been hiding away at the music building all the time. But now, she seemed to be avoiding the music building like a plague. Katara was certain this had to do with the boy Toph had been seeing which had been the source of the whole mess, but had certainly not dared to make any implication about her hunch aloud. Hm. At least Toph was being productive. Which reminded Katara of some English homework that needed to be done. Urgh. That Pakku, he'd sprung up a pop quiz on them, and she felt she'd barely passed. Asking vague true or false questions... _grr._ What good was that, anyway? She felt certain she _knew_ most of the facts she was supposed to, but those stupid questions were phrased in such a way that-...argh. It didn't even matter.

Katara cracked open a textbook to begin the ridiculously long reading portion Pakku had assigned. A few pages into her struggle, the door was knocked.

_Tok-tok._

Katara twisted her head to see Jane poking her face through the half-open door. Toph hadn't even noticed, of course, and was still tapping away at her keyboard. Jane cast a nervous glance toward Toph, then quietly snuck inside. Katara smiled at the yellow-and-black toe socks and stuck her Hermione Granger bookmark on her current page, closing the still-fresh text and setting it beside her laptop.

"What's up?" she asked quietly.

"Not much," Jane muttered with a shrug. "Working on a writing assignment for my entomology class."

"Is it about _bees_?" Katara dryly teased.

"No, actually. Mosquitoes."

"Ew..."

"Hey, don't knock mosquitoes, Girly. They're an important part of the food chain."

"Oh, really?" Katara expressed her skepticism with a crooked brow. "And how's _that_?"

"They're the lifeblood of lots of animals, ya know," Jane informed, wedging her hands in her tight pockets. "If it weren't for them, tons of aquatic animals wouldn't have anything to eat."

"Hmph." That _did_ sound reasonable enough, given that the pesky things laid their eggs in water...

"And then adult mosquitoes end up getting eaten by birds and bats. So they're food for water _and_ sky critters."

"Aren't we being all smart today?" Katara complimented with a taunting smirk.

"At least I'm learnin' _some_ kinda crap, right?"

"Haha. I guess so..."

"So, uhh...-" Jane bobbed her head toward Toph, who was still blissfully unaware of this conversation. "How's she holdin' up?"

Katara sighed and cast a worried glance across the room.

"I really don't know," she admitted.

"We should round up the boys tomorrow night, hang out all Fearsome-like. It's been a while."

"Yea, definitely. I told Aang tomorrow should work."

"Cool." Jane gave pause, her eyes remaining fixated on Katara's face until those sapphire eyes moved away from Toph at last and up to her own. "Yea, all right," she grunted out, standing up on her tip-toes to stretch. "Better get back to work, then."

"'Kay. Have a good one, Jane."

"You, too, Kat."

* * *

\- Tuesday, January 23rd, 2011 -

"See? Piece o' cake. You got this, Freckles."

Jane was too focused too respond to Sokka's encouragement, anxious from the wait. It was just a burger and fries she was cooking, and yet she felt like she was supposed to be... _doing_ more of something here. The oil was frying, the burger was grilling, the buns were toasting beside the beef...Hm. The beef - was it ready to be flipped yet? How could you _tell_? What if she waited too long and it burnt? She fidgeted with the arrowed cap on her head. Urgh. It was making her head itch. She never really wore hats...And she had to tie her hair in a short ponytail, too. Fuckin' eh. Safety reasons, and some bullshit. Naturally, she had to have _just enough_ hair to be "too long," but not enough to actually have a real ponytail, like she used to growing up. Meaning she was stuck wearing a stupid hat with her hair pulled tight so it could stick out from the back of the dumb thing. Meaning Sokka would not shut up about how "cute" her skull earrings were, because she figured that if her hair was going to be stuck back anyway, she might as well make the best of it. Had he been serious? Did she look nice with them? Was it something Katara might like?

"Jane? _Might_ wanna flip that sucker some time..."

"Oh." Jane startled herself from her self-conscious concerns and flipped the burger. Mm...Maybe a _little_ crispy around the edges, but...it'd be fine...

Sokka patted her on the back and chuckled.

"Chill out. For real. It's just a burger, woman."

"Shut up..."

"She didn't ruin it, did she?" wondered June casually from a few feet away, putting together a BLT wrap for another student.

"Nah, it's all good," Sokka assured, making his way to the counter to take an order. "They wanted well-done, anyway. Hey, there, what can I do ya for?"

After another hour of steady grilling and frying, things slowed down a bit, and June advised that she was going to take a smoke break. With nothing to accomplish for a brief stint, Jane took a deep breath and leaned against the wall beside the fryers. She wiped sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

"Crazy stuff, huh?" said Sokka, sipping from a milkshake he'd made for himself.

"No shit," Jane sighed. "This is harder than I thought..."

"Stick with it. Builds character. Or something."

"Pff."

"So, uh...How's Toph getting along?"

"Oh, erm...-" Jane shrugged warily. "No idea. Seems to be keeping busy..."

"Ah. Suki's been trying to get in touch with her, but she hasn't been answering her phone, apparently."

"Yea, well...You know how she gets."

"Heh. I sure do..."

"But, uhh...Yea, Suki was saying something about trying to do a show for, like...a youth group, or something?"

"Sounds about right."

"I guess that'd be cool..."

"Yea, you girls should do it."

"Probably...So, what about Aang?"

"Huh?"

"You asked how Toph's doin'. How's _Aang_ , though? He seems like he's kind of been avoiding people lately, too."

"Maybe. I mean, I think he's just caught up in his work, and junk. And running, and all that."

"Oh, right. Didn't he want to do track or something?"

"I _thought_ so, but...He hasn't said anything about it. We've got AerOlympics comin' up, though."

"Oh? When's that?"

"Friday."

"Isn't that the thing where, like...you guys do sports and shit? Against each other...?"

"Haha. More or less."

"So what event are _you_ doing?"

"Root Beer Chug. Eat Crap."

"Uhh...What?"

"Root Beer Chug - drink root beer as fast as ya can."

"Eat...Crap?"

"Heh..."

"Nevermind, I don't wanna know..."

"Damnit, though...Everyone's so freakin' busy. Kind of annoying."

"You said it..."

"And this is my last semester, too..."

"Oh, _yea!_ Shit, dude...What are you gonna do after school?"

Sokka groaned, rubbing his neck nervously.

"I don't _know_ , Ginger...And Suki's been starting to put on the pressure."

"What's _that_ mean?"

"It means, like...she's trying to get me to...commit...a bit more. Like, figure out what I'm gonna do with my life, and whatever."

"What, like get married or some bull?"

"No, no...Not like _that_. Not yet, anyway...Gah. Let's just forget about all that, stresses me out."

"No prob."

"Anyway, so...-" Sokka fumbled through his recent memories for a subject swap. "-...did you hear about what Aang's working on?"

"What? An art project?"

"Er, sorta? The thing with Zuko."

"Zuko...That Jap dude? With the combover?"

"Haha. The student President?"

"Yea, yea...Whatever."

"Aang's helping him with a building project."

"Oh...kay...?"

"He was telling me a bit about it. Turns out, the school bought the bar. The one you used to go to."

"The Treetop?"

"Across from the Pizza Hut, right?"

"That's the one."

"Whoa, wait. Wait, wait. The _school_ bought it out?"

"Yup. They started doing some remodeling this weekend. Turning it into, like...some rec hall or something."

"No shit?"

"Yea."

"Huh... _That_ must be why the owner stopped replying to Korra's messages..."

"Guess so."

"Man, that fuckin' _sucks._ I wanted Korra to work there..."

"Meh. I'm sure she'll find something."

"Probably..."

"Anyway, you could ask him about it tonight. Who knows?"

"Yea..."

Sokka, who had been leaning on the wrap and sandwich prep table, bounced off when a student came up to the front counter. Jane tried to clear her head and get ready for another meal to make. It was a good thing Sokka was working with her, or she would probably go crazy. The irony of that idea was amusing.

* * *

"You invited them _here_?" Toph whined. "Way to fuckin' let _me_ know, Katara. Thanks."

"I-I thought you wanted to hang out with them, too," Katara defended, confused. Since when did she need to run it by Toph that the boys were coming up? It had never been an issue before...

"When did I say that?"

"I asked you yesterday, and you said you were gonna be free tonight..."

"So? That doesn't mean I want to hang out with those clowns..."

Katara did a double take. Hadn't Toph just been complaining the day prior that she missed Aang and Sokka? That she wanted everyone to hang out as a group, like usual, to help take the edge of the awkwardness?

"Well... _OK,_ then," Katara snipped, baffled. "We'll just hang out in the lounge, or something."

"Whatever floats your boat..." scoffed the irritable musician as she flopped into her chair, reaching for the power button on her keyboard. "I've got more practicing to do."

"Have fun with that," Katara sighed as Toph popped on her big headphones. As she reached under her bed for her shoebox of snacks, Katara's mind cranked out ideas as to how to ease Toph into spending time with the group. She pulled out a Snickers bar and unwrapped it, exiting the room but leaving the door wide open. She crossed the hall to the closed door and knocked twice.

"Come in."

Opening the door halfway, Katara poked her head inside the dimly lit room. Jane's roommate was at her desk, feverishly typing away at a word processor.

"Hi, Ginny...Jane around?"

"Oh, hey, Katara," sighed Jin, continuing to slam keys, not even looking around. "She said she was going to get something to drink and hang out with _you_ guys, I thought..."

"Ah." Katara nodded slightly and left the ever-busy girl to her work. She decided to head to the main entry lounge to see if that's where anyone was. The front desk snack bar was there, so perhaps Jane was still nearby? A brief trek later and Katara found her red-headed friend sitting on a couch in the open lounge area beside Aang. They were both drinking cans of soda and chuckling as she first saw them.

"No fuckin' way," Jane gasped out, recovering from laughter.

"It seriously happened," Aang insisted, the remnants of a humored grin on his face.

"He sure is somethin' else," Jane observed, shaking her head slowly as she lifted her can of off-brand orange soda to her lips.

"Hey, guys," Katara greeted as she approached them. "Where's Sokka?"

"That idiot decided to invite his girlfriend, so he went to pick her up," Jane scoffed.

"He'll be back soon," said Aang. "I brought his stuff, though." Aang nodded his head to Sokka's backpack, on the floor beside the couch. "We could set everything up." A plastic guitar poked out from Sokka's pack. Guitar Hero, huh? Clearly the boys were meaning to try and get Toph involved tonight...She was reminded of some simpler evenings when the plastic instrument would get passed around and played while Toph would strum and sing in genuine terms along with the 'fake' performances.

One specific memory that hit Katara's mind in that instant, while Aang picked up the pack and they headed upstairs, was when Toph had decided, via Guitar Hero, on a 'theme song' for the town in which SRU was located: "Carry On My Wayward Son," given the name of their burg being Wayward. After occupying the thankfully empty second floor lounge area, Aang began connecting Sokka's PS3 up, while Jane went off to the kitchen area in the next room to get out some snacks she'd gotten ready for the group.

"Where's Toph?" Aang wondered with some hesitation as he turned on Sokka's console. It beeped and whirred to life, a short burst of orchestral strings pouring from the lounge TV's old speakers.

"She's...being weird," Katara sighed, dropping herself down into the recliner in a corner of the small room.

Aang's eyes wandered away from Katara and back to the TV.

"Sounds about right," he mumbled testily.

"That sounds like passive-aggressiveness, Aang," Jane teased dryly from the kitchen, her voice carrying through the doorway at the end of the room. Aang sighed at her remark, which rang true.

"Maybe when everyone's here and we have this set up we can get her to come hang out," Katara offered her optimism.

"She's the one who wanted to get everyone together in the first place, wasn't she?" Aang muttered. Hadn't this come to pass because she had left him a voicemail?

"Huh?" Katara was clueless to his fact, though.

"All right..." Aang grunted out, ignoring his own comment and starting up the game, skipping past the company logos and getting straight to the main menu screen.

"So, what is this we're playing?" inquired Jane, the sounds of wrappers crinkling accompanying her.

"Rock Band 3," Aang called back complacently.

"With just one guitar?" Jane double-checked, somewhat confused. "Don't you guys have the other instruments somewhere?"

Aang's face contorted with irritation for a moment.

"We weren't exactly in the mood to drag a drumset down here," he replied with that testy tone from before.

"Gotcha," Jane concluded as she came back in with a large bowl of various snack-size candies. "Don't need to give _me_ the passive-aggressive shit, dude," she sighed with some doubt as she set the bowl on a coffee table and flopped onto the lounge couch.

"Sorry," Aang mumbled, clutching his head in his hand.

"Are you OK?" Katara wondered.

"Been getting headaches a lot," Aang dismissed her concern.

"You _have_ been handling a lot of stress lately," Katara offered an explanation.

"Yea..."

Jane observed the sympathy in Katara's face as her eyes lingered on Aang's profile. Jane's insides churned briefly with jealousy and she peeled open a Kit-Kat bar in an attempt to swallow her disgruntlement with chocolate.

"Here, I'll go get you some Advil," Katara offered, rising from the seat and heading off down the hall. She cruised through her open dorm room door to Toph, who was still hacking away at her keyboard like a lumberjack to a tree. Katara retrieved the Advil bottle from her dresser drawer, pausing with hesitation as her gaze lingered on her stone-faced roommate. She made the decision to let the matter go for now, and popped out a pair of pills before setting the bottle back and preparing a glass of water from the kitchen room.

The living room was abuzz with the sound of Jane playing solo on a song Katara didn't recognize, while Aang was still sitting on the floor, cross-legged. Katara gave him the pain reliever and water, which he accepted with a grateful smile.

"Did Toph want to come hang out?" he wondered before swallowing.

"She seemed really caught up in her work, so...I-I didn't want to bother her," Katara explained.

"Aw, c'mon," Jane insisted, flicking away at the plastic strum bar, eyes attached to the screen. "Let's go get her to come out here."

"Yea..." Aang worked his legs up straight and stretched out his arms.

The music paused as Jane froze the game to account for Aang's body now blocking her sight.

"Oh," Aang sighed through a tint of exhaustion, dragging himself to the side. "Sorry..."

"'S cool," Jane dismissed casually with a slightly flick of her wrist.

Aang stood drearily, rubbing his temple with one hand as he pulled his phone from his pocket with the other. The music continued.

[From: Sokka]  
[On our way. Just got to Aqua, picking up some snacks and heading up.]  
[Sent: 7:43pm]

"The others are almost here," Aang announced, dropping his phone back into his cargo pants.

"Great," said Katara.

"I'm gonna go get Toph to come out," Aang decided. "Uh...-" He stuffed both hands in his pockets sheepishly. "Does anyone wanna come with me?"

"Oh." Katara sprung up from her seat, just as Jane expected. "Yea, definitely."

"I'll man the fort," Jane assured, shooting their backs a slightly irked glance as they shuffled out together. Aang wasn't some baby that needed coddling, and Toph _sure_ as hell didn't need anyone trying to fix the mess she'd made for herself. Why couldn't Kat just let it be, and let things work themselves out?

A couple minutes later, they came back, Toph in tow, her arm stubbornly wound around Katara's.

"-because we thought it'd be cool to do it like old times, where we can pick songs you know and you can play the real guitar while we play the fake one." Aang was explaining their motivation for getting Toph out to see people.

"That sounds really neat," Suki encouraged. Oh, they must've picked up those two on the way back, then.

"We should do Freebird," Sokka decided, to which Toph spurted out an incredulous huff.

"Ah dun think so," she muttered dubiously.

"OK, OK," Sokka conceded. "But we'll pick some Beatles for you."

As Katara let Toph free, the blind girl ground her teeth together and stuffed her hands in her hoodie pockets.

"Should I go get your guitar?" offered Aang, halfway out the door.

"No," Toph bluntly dismissed. "I don't want to..."

"Oh..." Aang's brief enthusiasm in the moment was snuffed out like a candle.

"I just... _really_ need to practice my stuff, guys," Toph sighed, working her way to the doorway step by step, arms out. At the rate she was going, she'd run smack into a wall, so Aang leaped at the opportunity to help readjust her. "Get off me," she growled as his hands barely touched her shoulders, harshly shrugging to keep him at bay.

"I'm sorry," he squeaked.

"I can walk to my fucking _bedroom_ on my own," she continued to defend her independence, groping the doorway and winding around into the hall.

Aang paused, watching her fumble past a dorm room door. His face boiled over with frustration.

"Why'd you _call me_?" he demanded, seemingly out of nowhere. Toph froze in her tracks, back still to him.

"What...?"

"You called me," Aang reminded. "Yesterday? Saying how you wanted to hang out with everyone? Why do you think we're all _here_?"

Toph huffed quite audibly at this.

"I never said I wanted to hang out _tonight_ ," she grumbled. "I told you to call me _back_ , which you _didn't._ Thanks for that, by the way."

Monkey-feathers. He _hadn't_ called her back...The awkwardness of it had intimidated him a bit too much. Katara had assured she'd made Toph aware of the plans, so he'd concluded there was no reason to call her back...

"I got everyone else to come here tonight," Aang argued, stepping wholly out of the lounge. "I didn't think I needed to call you to tell you when Katara said she'd let you know about it."

"Yea? Well, Katara didn't tell me it was gonna be _here_ and that I was, like, fucking _mandated_ to show up."

From inside the lounge, Sokka and Suki were exchanging awkward looks, while Jane continued to play Rock Band and Katara feebly held up a finger, as if attempting to stop Aang without the true will to go forth with this action.

"The hell's goin' on?" Jane groaned, their banter outside throwing her off.

"I don't know," Sokka confessed.

"-had just _called me_ like _I asked you to,_ we coulda set up a day when I actually had fucking _time_ to hang out, instead of just, like, _assuming_ I want to just _throw myself_ at social bullshit."

" _You_ were the one who was saying you wanted us to hang out - as a _group_ \- 'sometime soon.' That was what you said."

" _Some time,_ not...not _any_ damned time you decide."

"Christ," Jane sighed from the lounge. "Are they just having at it in the fucking hall?"

"They are," Sokka confirmed dully.

"I'm confused," Suki mumbled sheepishly.

"Guys," Katara pleaded in vain, poking her head out into the hall. Aang was a few feet down, and Toph had moved a bit further away than she had been at the start.

"See? This is...This is _exactly_ one of the reasons why things weren't working," Aang informed Toph, his temper slipping. "You try and pin everything on _me._ "

"Right, _right_ ," Toph countered with sarcasm. "Yea, that's it. That's just all I fucking do. All the time."

"You _do!_ I'm sick of it! We're not even _together_ anymore and you're still doing it!"

"Like some damned lecture from you is gonna help anything..."

"So, is this how it's going to be?" Aang countered, his anger swelling out. "Just going to go back to how things used to be? Where you run away from everyone? We try to help you and _heaven forbid_ we try to cheer you up?"

"Shut up."

"Run away from your parents, run away from _me,_ run away from...from our friends. That's your solution to everything..."

"Wow," Sokka whispered. "He's really...sluggin' it to her."

"Good for him," Jane mercilessly remarked while she continued to slap the strum bar. "She deserves it."

"-think _you are,_ fucking telling me how to act. The hell is the deal, Twinkles? You decide to grow a pair _now?_ Maybe if you'd done that earlier we wouldn't _be here_."

" _I'm_ not the one who went...fooling around with-"  
"If you'd actually been a _boyfriend_ instead of a _pussy,_ I wouldn't have _needed_ to-"  
" _What?_ Are you _serious?_ You _knew_ for a long time that I-"  
"Guys? Come on, let's...-"  
"-starting to think that maybe too much of _Sugar-Queen_ is rubbing off on you, and I wonder-"  
"-and forgave you when you did that to me, you have no idea how much that-"  
"You're going to bother other people..."  
"-'cuz all of sudden you two seem _real fuckin'_ buddy-buddy. Funny how that is, since-"  
"-too stubborn to admit when you're being selfish and have to _project it_ onto everyone around you-"

By now they'd worked their way down the hall to its end, their spat echoing through the narrow passage, A door nearby door popped open, and a disgruntled Jin emerged.

"What's with all this _yelling?_ " she demanded, cutting off their jabs at each other. "Some people have _work_ to do..."

The rage in Aang's eyes withered away at this, while Toph stomped into her bedroom, slamming the door shut rather loudly, to which Aang flinched, still recovering from schock.

"I-I'm sorry, Ginny, I didn't mean to...-"

"I don't know _what,_ exactly, you two are dealing with, but I don't need to know," Jin grumbled. "And neither does the whole floor..." Her snip had dialed back a couple notches at Aang's apologetic expression.

"Right, I apologize," Aang quickly made to rectify.

"Accepted," Jin dismissed him simply, closing the door slowly and returning to her work.

Aang stood, dumb-founded at his own verbal explosion, while Katara inched her way down the hall.

"What just _happened?_ " she asked in a hushed voice when she reached him, easing him to follow her back to the lounge.

"I'm...not sure," Aang confessed. A few seconds later, they entered the lounge, and Aang was still grasping to figure it out. "I...I don't know what came over me..."

"You just showed her what's _what_ \- that's what happened," Sokka concluded. "You don't need to take her crap anymore, so _don't_."

"I... _guess_ ," Aang nervously conceded. He wasn't comfortable with the way Sokka seemed to be making Toph out to be the villain.

"Maybe you two just need more time apart," Katara sighed with a frustrated shrug. "Or-or you two need to... _talk,_ and...figure out what's going on..."

"No, I _know_ what's going on," Aang firmly resolved. "We're... _done._ Like that. It's not going to work out."

"OK," Katara agreed hurriedly. "Then you need to sort out your differences so you aren't trying to argue over who wronged who."

"Even though Toph totally fucked you over," Jane voiced her opinion with a dry, blunt edge. Katara winced at this insensitive comment, and Jane barely caught a glimpse, immediately regretting her openness.

"I think...these two may on to something," Suki voiced her thoughts, extending out her fingers to Jane on her right and Sokka to the left. "Toph can be super controlling. And you shouldn't let her manipulate you any more."

"Manipulate me?"

"Yea," advised Sokka, slapping Aang on the shoulder while Katara walked past them to the kitchen. "That thing where she guilt-trips you into feeling like she's right?"

Was that really what Toph was doing? It sounded...kind of malicious. Toph could be...thick-headed, and certainly insistent and even selfish, but...Was she really meaning to just make him feel guilty? Aang doubted this. "You need to cut her off at the pass, Bro."

"Huh..." Well, that one idea seemed correct. He could stand to defend himself a bit more. It felt... _good_ , in retrospect, saying those things to Toph. Things he'd been too scared to really push out before, when he'd been afraid of hurting her feelings. But...No, he was _right._ She needed to stop this stuff where she pushed everything away. It wasn't healthy. He still deeply cared for Toph, and couldn't stand the idea of watching her revert back to her old self - the Toph that kept to herself and forced others away.

"She can piss off," Jane dismissed. "She wants to shit on us for trying to do something for her? Whatever..."

Katara emerged from the kitchen carrying a six-pack of Dr. Pepper cans.

"Hey, here's some...drinks, guys," she mumbled with an exhausted tone. Aang could see it in Katara's face. She really was disapproving of all of this Toph-bashing, as well, but was biting her tongue about it.

"Oh, nice," said Sokka, reaching down. Suki slapped his arm with a scolding frown.

"You don't need that," she cautioned. "You _just_ had a soda downstairs before we came up here."

"Er...-" Sokka winced at the prospect of this loss, but the prospect of Suki's disfavor won out. "Yea. Right. I don't...need it."

"Exactly." Suki smiled with a hint of pride at his self-restraint and rubbed his shoulder.

Aang wasn't particularly in the mood for soda, himself, but he wanted to show appreciation for the girls bothering to get it. It wasn't a coincidence, the flavor they'd picked out. He dug his hand into the bowl of candies on the coffee table and pulled out a Reese cup. He stared at it with a melancholy look while the other shuffled into comfortable seating arrangements.

Why couldn't things have played out differently? Had this entire relationship just been a colossal waste? He couldn't accept that idea. It wasn't true. He'd learned a lot. But had _she_? And why did it matter so much to him to feel assured that she had?

"Aang?" Katara was looking up at him. He was now the last one standing, still gawking at the orange wrapper, his fingers sluggish in their efforts to open it. "You want a seat?" Katara wondered, sitting on the couch. Jane was sprawled out on the opposing end, her bony feet in Katara's lap. As the red-head noticed that Aang required seating, she was quick to align herself upward, scooting to the middle cushion to allow Aang to sit on the end while she enjoyed side contact with Katara.

Sokka and Suki were sharing the seat across the way, and Sokka was beginning to doze off. Suki ran her hand through his hair, commenting on it to him in a quiet tone, while Jane passed the guitar to Katara.

"I-I don't know how to...-"

"You got this, Kat. Just do it." Jane patted her palm on Katara's leg with encouragement.

"Um, y-yea, I just...have to...-" Katara was rearranging her fingers around the plastic device in her hands. It had been a long time since she'd tried playing with this contraption.

"Here-here-here," Jane rapidly insisted, stretching her arm around Katara's back. Pressing their bodies together, she wrapped her fingers across Katara's and showed her the proper poise, relishing the moment.

"Yea, thanks," Katara instantly shot her gratitude, relieved when her friend wasn't so close.

"Oh! _Ohhh_ ," cried Aang, pointing at the screen. "Yoshimi! Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots!"

" _Huh?_ " Katara chirped out, baffled, while she tapped the directional pad to scroll through songs.

"That's a good one!" Sokka agreed through his head massage.

Katara selected the song in question, clueless at furst, but as the music booted up, it began to come back to her. She'd heard it before when they had played this game before. It was...definitely different.

As the mellow melody flowed across the room and Aang sang along to the silly lyrics, Katara smiled, plucking away at the bar and flinching in spite of herself when she missed the occasional note.

Aang enjoyed the cooled down mood, at once appreciating the company of his friends after such an exhausting and busy weekend while also lamenting Toph's inability to partake. She'd...figure herself out. He hoped.


	57. Reading Into It

\- Wednesday, January 24th, 2011 -

"I like it..." Zuko rubbed his chin as a smile slid across his face. "This is good."

"Cool." Aang was relieved. If Zuko kept liking all of his first efforts, then he wouldn't need to re-do stuff like he often did with his schoolwork.

The two stared down at Aang's sample design, a sketch toassed across a sheet of paper. It evoked the same color scheme and design of the college's logo, including an {R} with a downward arrow to mimic the college's imagery theme. The name for this building had been decided.

{ **United Republic** }

"All right," Zuko settled that matter, handing the sheet back to Aang. "So, for today, I was thinking you could get started on painting that back room, where we'll have the fooseball and ping-pong tables, and everything like that." Zuko gestured his hand to the room at the back of the pub, where a student worker could be seen through the doorway, sweeping up the hardwood floor.

Aang nodded in compliance as Zuko handed him the next sheet, a larger, more detailed draft of a wall mural concept Aang had devised for the rec room.

"Sure, I'll get started," Aang responded, aware of and prepared for this project.

"Great." Zuko gave him a pat on the back. "I look forward to seeing the results, Aang."

"You bet." As Aang sauntered into the room, he placed his marker-drawn sample down on the floor and popped his cheap, knock-off MP3 player's headphones into his ears to begin listening to an assorted mixture he'd slapped on earlier that morning for this event. The various buckets of paints he required were lined up before him, and he rubbed his hands together with anticipation of seeing how well this abstract imagery turned out.

This room had to _pop_ at you when you entered it. It had to exude the unity of the different dormitories, of the different lifestyles and mentalities of Saint Roku University. He had to capture it in a way that simple, elegant, and effectual. Colorful. Streamlined. He decided in that moment that he may need to edit his original concept to achieve these ideals. Before, he had been regretting the decision to partake in this project, but now with some of the weights lifted off his shoulders, he was eager, elated, even. He set straight to work, paint brushes slathering the walls with rich idealism.

* * *

Toph dragged herself out of her practice room, fingers aching, back sore, head pounding. She was wishing she'd brought some pain relievers tonight but she'd neglected to do so. She hadn't achieved a level of satisfaction with her work that she'd been wishing for, either, so more practice awaited tonight, lest she wanted to pile the workload onto the next day. Which she didn't - Thursdays were supposed to be her nights for _her,_ after all, and she hadn't given herself one since the last semester. She wandered out of her door and slowly maneuvered to her right, fingertips sliding along the rough wallpaper before reaching her neighbor's practice room door. A lump formed in her throat, and she knocked twice.

After a moment of uneasy waiting, nothing happened. The doors were sealed to be soundproof, so she couldn't hear if Dougie was inside playing or not. She grabbed the long, metal handle and twisted-erk. What? Locked? But...these doors only locked from the inside. Meaning Dougie _had_ to be in there...As a discouraged frown found its way across her face, she reached for the small glass window and pounded it with her knuckles - twice. Seconds passed, still nothing. She tried thinking in terms of sight as best she could. Windows were things people could 'see' through, right? So he should totally be able to see her through the window. What the hell, man? She knocked again - two slow, deliberate thumps. Still nothing.

He was totally ignoring her.

Her guts were burning with indignation. This was how it was gonna be, huh? He had his fun, and now that was the end of it? He was going to pretend she didn't exist?

Aang's criticisms from the day before boiled inside her. This had to be have been how he'd been feeling. That truth was aggravating.

With an audible " _Rrgh_ ," Toph slapped her palm against the wall of her own practice room as she retreated around the corner and to the water fountain across the way. After spilling some across her face, she slurped down a few long gulps and wiped her lips - and cheeks - dry with her sleeve. Gah. How could he pull this shit on her? Well...Whatever. Fuck Dougie, then. He wanted to play the ignoring game? She was a _master_ at that game.

* * *

"So...Where _is_ everybody?" Jane mumbled, perplexed. She sat down at the booth across from Sokka, who was halfway through his dinner.

"Got _me_ ," Sokka shrugged as he took a gulp of root beer. He had been drinking so much root beer this week it was beginning to lose its taste.

Jane sighed as she settled into her seat, pushing back hair behind her ears. It was getting long enough where she was doing this frequently. On the one hand, it served as a good excuse to show off her earrings, which everyone said looked nice on her. Jane had been feeling oddly interested in trying to look attractive lately. She knew fully well the primary reason why...

"Have you seen Katara lately?" she asked Sokka, carving her slab of grilled chicken apart.

"Not really," Sokka replied. "Hell, I haven't seen _Aang_ much lately..."

" _Yea,_ he seems, like...super busy."

"Probably distracting himself."

"Makes sense..." Jane chewed on a cut piece of meat as she contemplated things. She suddenly noticed Sokka's plate was...green. So much green. "Whuvvafug?" she spouted between her food.

"Mm?" Sokka raised an eyebrow as he chewed on a slice of tomato. Jane swallowed.

"Dude. You're...eating _salad._.."

"...Yea...?" Sokka stabbed at a stack of spinach drenched in french dressing.

"Are you _feeling well?_ "

Sokka shrugged, inserting the leaves into his mouth.

"Suki, right?" Jane mumbled, cocking her head to the side.

"She's been trying to get me to eat better," Sokka explained.

Jane shook her head skeptically.

"No, seriously," Sokka insisted. "I've been packing on some extra pounds. It ain't good..."

Jane eyeballed Sokka for a moment. It was hard to gauge the accuracy of this statement when his body was veiled by a table.

"I'm still eating meat, _too,_ you know," Sokka assured.

Jane shook her head slowly.

"Pussy-whipped."

"Hey, shuddap."

Jane slicked her wrist.  
" _Whoo-pssh!_ "

"Just trying to be healthy. Not everyone can afford to gain weight like _you_."

Jane frowned and rubbed at her stomach. Her once pronounced abs were faded by now.

"And look better, I mean," Sokka clarified, blatantly waggling his eyebrows up and down as he scarfed some cucumber slices. Jane smirked at his roundabout compliment. She couldn't deny that he'd been helping her feel better about her looks in his own misguided way. She no longer felt like a stickly pile of bones, which was nice given that she had been trying a bit harder to look more like a girl. Not _too_ hard, but...enough where it was nice to hear people could notice. Sokka just happened to be rude and blunt enough to make her aware. Katara had been tossing on compliments, as well, which made Jane wonder what the intention was.

"I see your point," she scoffed out fake arrogance, leaning back in her booth. "You _could_ stand to lose a few pounds."

"Gotta look good for the gee-eff," Sokka let her teasing roll off his back.

"Yea," Jane agreed, taking a sip of her cherry juice.

"So, uh...You and my Sis figure stuff out with you two?" Sokka wondered.

Jane felt her insides twist. Was he referring to what she _thought_ he was?

Oh, hey. She was choking on her juice. She pounded her chest and coughed her throat clear.

"Whh...-?"

"'Cuz you two still seem like you're kinda awkward about it."

"How'd you...-?"

"She's my _sister._ I heard about it, like...New Year's. Day after the party."

Clearly, Jane had been underestimating their trust in each other...What _else_ had Katara told him?

"Oh..." Her face was flushed.

"Heh." He was amused by this. Asswipe.

"W-we didn't really...-"

"So you're still holding out for it."

"I-I'm not sure _what_ I'm doing. _Why_ is this any of your business, anyway?" She was snapping a bit. Defensiveness was getting the better of her.

"I'm just curious," Sokka tried to put her at ease. "Chill out. I ain't judgin'. I'm not a hater."

"She talked with you about this? What'd she say?"

"She told me what happened on New Year's. Hasn't brought it up since."

"Does it...weird her out? Or...-?"

"I'm not the person to ask, Ginger."

"Is something going on with her and Aang?" Jane sniped with accusation, eager to remove pressure from herself.

"Not that _I'm_ aware of," Sokka mumbled, off-put by her sudden question. "Why?"

"'Cuz...It just seems like they're acting really... _whatever_...I dunno." Her body language was heightened, her words spilling out quicker.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Sokka wondered with skepticism.

"They're all... _you_ know...like-...Kat's all _super_ concerned about him and shit."

"That's just how she _is_ ," Sokka sighed. "In case you forgot, she was like that about _you_ a while back, too."

"Right," Jane muttered. How was this not clicking in his head? Wasn't he supposed to be all smart and shit?

"Katara just worries a lot - you _know_ that. And right now, Aang and Toph are where her guns are aimed 'cuz they're both acting weird."

"Weirder than usual," Jane clarified.

"Exactly. I wouldn't read so much into it."

Jane crossed her arms over her waist, unconvinced by Sokka's analysis. She glanced up at him after a moment, noticing his apathetic expression while he ate. She concluded that - at least right now - nothing she'd say would get him to understand, so she decided to switch topics.

"So what about _you_ and _your_ girl problems? Is she worried about _you_?"

Sokka snorted a laugh through his nose, his mouth full. He swallowed.

" _Me?_ Since when did I have problems, here?"

"You're eating a _salad_ , Sokka."

"Didn't we just go over that part?"

"Why does Suki care what you're eating, all of a sudden?"

Sokka rolled his eyes and set down his fork for a moment, staring across the table as Jane chewed on more of her own food.

"We're both graduating soon. We just decided it'd be smart to try and develop some good habits so when we move out of school we'll be in a healthy...flow..." He waved his hand off in an awkward, uncertain gesture.

"You two are moving in together after school?"

"Whrr...-?" Sokka raised a brow. "I didn't say...-"  
"Then what'd ya mean?"

Sokka's eyes blinked a few times, his jaw stuck out in contemplation.

"I-...OK, so... _maybe_ we will," he decided with a shrug. "It's not-"  
"Where ya movin' to, then?"

Sokka squinted with frustration and shook his head.

"No clue, Freckles," he spat. "Listen, there's no point in fussing over that right now."

"Because you have no idea," Jane rubbed in. If he was going to be callous about her feelings for Katara, then she'd just be callous right back.

"Guess not," Sokka grumbled, leaving the matter at that. The tension they'd built up for one another left them slightly divided for the rest of the meal.

* * *

It had been a long and weary day of school and work, and Katara had been stuck dealing with a particularly dense and stubborn student for the last hour of her shift, who insisted that he needed help but refused to listen to any of the advice she had to offer. Urgh, such a waste of time...But enough of that. The day was done, and she was ready to relax in her room for the evening. After she crawled up the stairs, each step slightly harder than the last - wow, she was so tired - she could hear muffled piano notes coming from her bedroom door. She gave pause, listening to the notes. She pressed her ear against the door to hear Toph's gentle singing.

"~I'll watch the night turn light-blue~  
~But it's not the same without you~  
~Because it takes two to whisper quietly~"

Toph's fingers could be heard waltzing across the keys in a lamentable fashion. She was singing softly, with longing, a hint of desperation, regret clinging to the melody.

"~The silence isn't so bad~  
~'Til I look at my hands and feel sad~  
~'Cause the spaces between my fingers~  
~Were right where yours fit perfectly~"

Katara felt kind of like she was reading Toph's diary in some way. While it was beautiful in an almost haunting way, Katara couldn't bear to continue invading on what she knew was Toph's outlet anymore. She built up the courage to press through the door casually.

"~I'll find repose in new ways~  
~Though I haven't slept in twoo _ooo_...-?"  
Her fingers froze, slipping up and striking an off-beat, unpleasant chord.

"Oh, um...H-hi, Toph," Katara greeted, acting aloof as best she could. "That sounded nice. What was that you were playing?"

Toph's eyes were wide, like she'd been caught in the act of doing something inappropriate.

"N-nothin'," she squeaked, clearing her throat as she clicked on her keyboard. "Just some, uh...personal tinkering with stuff...Ya know."

"Oh. Cool." Katara unslung her backpack and closed the door before kicking off her shoes. "That's probably good for you, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Diving into your music," Katara elaborated, untying her ponytail and shuffling her hair before yawning into their bedroom mirror. Bleh, bags under her eyes...She really was pretty exhausted.

"Oh...It's not really a big deal or...anything," Toph awkwardly dismissed Katara's encouragement, removing herself from her chair and fumbling her way to bed.

"You didn't have to stop playing, you know," Katara offered, changing into pajamas. Toph had grown to pick on Katara about her changing into pajamas, but she didn't care. They were comfy.

"Nah, it's...-" Toph trailed off, grunting as she flopped herself into bed, jeans and all.

"It _is_ kind of late," Katara added an explanation for her roommate's benefit. "I'm going to sleep, myself."

"Right..."

"OK. Well. Good night, then."

"Yep."

* * *

\- Thursday, January 25th, 2011 -

"With all due respect, Professor Pakku, I don't understand what's wrong with this paragraph." Frustrated and struggling to hide it at this point, Katara handed the paper to the elderly man at the desk for him to double-check. They'd been talking for a few minutes now about this writing assignment, and his reasoning for marking her off wasn't making sense. There weren't any grammatical errors. Sure, maybe a few structural things he'd pointed out could be argued but...the entire closing paragraph?

"I wrote it right there, Miss Kesuk," Pakku sighed, tapping the back of his pen at the red word scribbled beside the bracket that encased the set of sentences.

{ _style_ }  
{ _run-on_ }  
{ _citation?_ }

Pakku handed the paper back and Katara stared at it, baffled, pushing loose hair behind her ear and scratching the back of her neck as she tried to comprehend.

"What's...wrong with the style?"

"For starters, it's incredibly boring," Pakku scoffed. "That's something the entire piece is marred by, of course, but in particular, your closer is simply uninspired."

What was _uninspired_ about it?

"Umm...-"

"You're attacking the author, not the _work_. Quite inconsiderate, given his contributions."

Katara bit her lip as she dropped her hand from her neck. Despite her effort, air still slipped out in a slight sigh through her nose, instead.

"And that first sentence simply doesn't read well," Pakku went on. He noticed her confused expression and gave her a dull look. "Read it aloud," he insisted. She blinked at him, then at her paper, then back - he was serious. She cleared her throat and began reading her last paragraph.

"{Despite the praise he receives, even to this day, Shakespeare's attitude toward women is disrespectful and ignorant, with _The Taming of the Shrew_ serving as a clear indication that he has no-}"  
"And you're _still going_ ," Pakku sighed, cutting her off. "And it just goes on. It needs to be segmented. Though, frankly, it ought to be removed altogether."

"Why?" Katara demanded as politely as she could through her anger. "How else am I supposed to close this? That's the whole-"  
"Where's your citation?"

"I...beg your pardon?"

"You say that Shakespeare is 'disrespectful and ignorant.' Where's your evidence to support this?"

"It's...-" Katara tapped at her sheet. "I have a whole bunch of examples in here, I thought-"  
"So his _work,_ you could say, is disrespectful. But not _him_ , by proxy."

"Well...I-I don't see how it makes a diff-"  
"The work's themes and ideas don't necessarily reflect the person who wrote them, Miss Kesuk."

"Then...what's the _point_ of him _writing_ it, if that's not what he _thinks_ about it?"

"If you can't understand _that_ , then I'm not sure you'll be able to take much away from my classes."

Pakku shrugged with nonchalance, stroking at his white chin hairs as he swirled his chair around, attending to his work, leaving her to stand in befuddlement.

That was it? What was that supposed to _mean?_

"Have a good day," Professor Pakku dismissed. Katara's hand tightened over her sheet and she fled from his office, restraining herself from slamming the door behind her. What did he mean? Why did he insist on treating her like some stupid idiot, no matter what she said? She'd hoped that perhaps he just acted like in class, but no. Nope. He was just a grumpy old man. That was all there was to it.

* * *

After a dinner alone - because no one was returning her messages - Katara trudged her way to the small resource room in the Gyatso building. She had a desk set up - no frills - and placed her laptop upon it, booting it up. She was filling in for a co-worker tonight, checking over papers for students and helping them straighten things out before handing them in. It was a job suited well to Katara's nitpicking and desire for order. Since class had started this semester, she was trying to use this new job as a means of exerting such energies out of her social life, but wasn't so sure this was succeeding. She had just run a scheduled shift the day before, and then offered to cover someone else. She could use the money, especially after what she'd spent on Christmas, and it wasn't like it was very difficult work, anyway.

She was all set up, so it was just a matter of waiting for a student in need to show up. After her computer was booted up, she was digging through her backpack for a drink and a red pen she needed to mark papers. Ha. Yea, that was it. Pakku wanted to scribble all over her paper with...dumb nonsense? Well, she'd correct people's papers the _right_ way. So there.

[" _~bwop_ ~"]

The familiar sound of her Skype receiving a chat message stirred her from her pack as she pulled up a bottle of orange cream Sobe drink and set it on the desk.

[ **Skype** tm]

[Thursday, January 25th, 2011]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- yo yo yo!]  
[6:03 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Oh. Hi, Korra. What's up?]  
[6:04 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- chillin like a villain. you?]  
[6:04 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Working my new desk job. Nothing happening yet.]  
[6:04 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- desk job? gross.]  
[6:05 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- anyway so whats the deal with you and aang?]  
[6:05 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Huh? What do you mean?]  
[6:05 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- like you've been spending hella time together and you seem all worried bout him?]  
[6:06 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Um...I haven't really spent much time with him. We've all been super busy...=_=;]  
[6:06 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- And of course I'm worried. Him and Toph just broke up. I'm worried about them _both._ ]  
[6:06 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- yeeeaaaa...but c'mon, i remember how you two were during break.]  
[6:07 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Yes, and I told you back _then_ that it wasn't like that. I still don't appreciate you saying this...=S ]  
[6:07 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- i'm just saying what i'm seeing cousin. you really don't dig him like that?]  
[6:09 pm]

Katara's insides were quivering at this conversation. Why was Korra suddenly asking about this _again?_ Hadn't she explained herself during Christmas vacation?

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I haven't really had time to think about it like that, Korra. We all have a lot going on, and they _just broke up_.]  
[6:10 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- soooo...]  
[6:10 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- yes?]  
[6:10 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Toph is like a sister to me, and Aang is like a brother. I'm really sad for both of them, even though I know this is what's best for them.]  
[6:10 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I don't want any rumors of something that's not going on to mess things up and make it worse for them. OK?]  
[6:10 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- So could we please just drop this stuff?]  
[6:11 pm]

After typing out her irritations, Katara huffed into her palms and rub bed at her face before yawning. She was already getting sleepy and it was barely past six. Ugh.

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- kk. didn't mean to ruff your feathers. geez.]  
[6:13 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- but i heard it from j.b. think shes jealous. might wanna clear that up.]  
[6:13 pm]

Katara's face contorted into a whimper. And now _this,_ too? Couldn't she just, like... _not_ be surrounded by all this romantic drama? She never asked for any of it...

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- You mean Jane? We already talked this out.]  
[6:14 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- if nothin's going on with you an the little man then why dont you get a taste of some irish cream? ;D]  
[6:15 pm]

Katara's gut jerked at her cousin's crass phrasing. It'd be best to just ignore that.

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I'm hetero, Korra.]  
[6:16 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- so you already had your bicurious stage?]  
[6:16 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- What? _No._ I'm straight.]  
[6:17 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- how do you know if you never tried?]  
[6:17 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I don't want to try, Korra. That's...just not who I am.]  
[6:17 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- haha i'm not surprised. you always were a stick in the mud.]  
[6:18 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- No, I'm not. I just know that I'm not into that kind of thing.]  
[6:18 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- if you never TRIED then how do you KNOW? you just THINK you arent.]  
[6:19 pm]

Katara's hands were tightening the longer this conversation went on. She was done with it. Her patience had already been pushed by that stiff professor, and now her cousin was saying all of this...this _stuff._ Trying to make her uneasy on purpose. Grr.

She clicked the [X] at the corner of the window and ignored the conversation, opting instead to work on some reading while she waited for a paper that needed correcting.

* * *

Toph cleared her throat, sliding her hands along the lovely wood in her hands. She slowly pushed the worn, familiar stool of the Jasmine Dragon's stage a bit closer to where she knew the mic was. The gentle presence before her Helped shuffled her into place, and she could hear the mic being placed before her. They felt familiar, somehow. A soft hand patted her on the shoulder before light footsteps exited the small, wooden stage.

Toph took a deep breath, her passageway clear. She'd practiced this song for the past few days. She'd just drunk some hot tea to sooth her throat and eaten some food before that. Full stomach, hydrated, steady hands...But was her _mind_ ready for this? She tapped at her mike.

"Check, check," she muttered, hearing herself loud and clear to her sides. Ugh. She sounded so stupid. "I'm uh-...Hey." She cleared her throat. "Gonna do mah thing..."

She struck a few practice strums, testing that her guitar was in tune - even though she'd tuned it before she left. She took a deep breath, shook her wrist to loosen it up, and began playing.

"~I'm scared today, more than I told you I was yesterday  
Give me a moment to catch my breath  
And hold me every second left~"

Her sandal tapped against the stage floor in rhythm, her face pointed downward, hair blocking her audience from seeing her eyes.

"~Proud of me, that's the only way I want you to be  
Look at me and love what you see~"

His warm, gentle hands around her back. Secure and safe.

"~I won't make it alone, I need something to hold~"

She missed that feeling. So fucking bad.

"~Kiss me on my shoulder, and tell me it's not over  
I promise to always come home to you~"

_If I could go back and try again, I'd do it differently. I'd make you proud, make you feel the way you should've._

"~Remind me that I'm older - to be brave, smart, sweet, and bolder  
And don't give up on what we're trying to do~"

_But I still love you, and you still love me...right? You're still my friend, aren't you?_

"~Don't count the miles, count the 'I love you's~"

_I don't care what kind of love it is anymore, I need any kind I can get._

"~We made it out, and all the other people are asking how  
This doesn't even sound like truth to grow from a bruise~"

She had heard it in his voice during their argument - he was different. He'd changed some through all this pain she'd caused him.

Was she changing, too?

"~But one day we will realize how hard it was, how hard we tried  
And how our hearts made it out alive~"

Their tears melding together one last time, that evening in which the decision was made.

"~Kiss me on my shoulder, and tell me it's not over  
I promise to always come home to you~"

"Here ya go." Ty-Lee handed her customer an empty cup after accepting payment.

He smiled weakly at her and wandered to the coffee dispensers on the counter to his left.

~"Remind me that I'm older - to be brave, smart, sweet, and bolder  
And don't give up on what we're trying to do~"

As he listened, he was reminded of how her singing was as sweet as ever. She always sang so much better here than in her practice room.

"~Don't count the miles, count the 'I love you's~"

Douglas poured some hazelnut coffee into his cup, sighing to himself as Toph continued to play.

"~And these are words I wish you'd said~"

 _Words_ I _should've said myself..._

"~But that's not how it went~"

_Because I messed up._

"~'Cause you gave up on us in the end~"

 _I'm the one who really gave up on_ you, _though, huh?_

"~And I won't make it alone, I need something to hold~"

The stinging reality of this truth frustrated her so much. It made that line maddeningly hard to sing each and every time.

And it needed to be sung. Because that was the only way she could get the words - the idea, the need - out of her.

"~Kiss me on my shoulder, and tell me it's not over  
I promise to always come home to you~"

Mai, who had been sitting at a table near the stage in the back of the shop, had lost track of her poetry writing. This girl's singing was too distracting.

"~Remind me that I'm older to be brave, smart, sweet, and bolder~"

What Mai did with words - leaking out emotions she couldn't figure out how to express otherwise - this girl did with sounds.

"~And don't give up on what we're trying to do~"

Poor girl. Mai had been pretty hard on her in discussions with Aang. She _deserved_ it, but...still. Being faced with the train wreck afterward, laying its pain out on display...it made Mai feel sorrow for the other half of this situation she had witnessed from the outside.

"~Kiss me on my shoulder, and tell me it's not over  
I promise to always come home to you~"

Douglas frowned at himself as he sat down at an empty table near the front counter, blowing at his steaming cup. He had to force himself to avert his eyes from her stunning, smooth, melancholic face.

"~Remind me that I'm older - to be brave, smart, sweet, and bolder  
And don't give up on what we're trying to do~"

Her words filled Douglas with remorse, pity, anger...and yet he insisted on coming here, on listening.

He wondered what was she saying with her music _this_ time.

"~Don't count the miles, count the 'I love you's~"

Her song complete, Toph took a deep breath.

She took solace in knowing that she had the Jasmine Dragon to come to, to sing her heart out - somewhat literally - where her friends wouldn't know. She had been missing this place for the past month during vacation and the beginnings of school, and now - more than ever - she knew she had to rely on it and her music to maintain her sanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Christina Perri song: http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOZzbbsD8P0
> 
> United Republic is referencing the city that Aang and Zuko founded after the events of the series but before The Legend of Korra.


	58. Go For Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the House of Brave Men, Shenawana Hall. As iron sharpens iron, so did we sharpen each other's spirits - a true brotherhood if ever I had one.

\- Friday, January 26th, 2011 - AerOlympics

" **CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG!** "

The crowd of young men cheered as the four, lined up in a row, guzzled down root beer. Sugary brown liquid dripping down his cheeks, Sokka's insides were fizzing and ready to burst from the two bottles he'd just rapidly consumed.

"C'mon, Sokka!" he could hear Aang bellow from the crowd before him.

"You got this!" Haru encouraged.

A man with a beanie hat on was tossing his arms frantically in the air, shouting like a maniac as the race to consume the last bottle was underway. His eyes bugged out and he began frothing at the mouth like a rabid psychopath.

Sokka shut his eyes at this sight and swallowed each painful, rushed gulp through the racket until there was no more. When he was finished, he slammed the glass bottle on the table before him and opened his mouth, sticking his tongue out to prove it had all gone down. A fellow Aero Man checked his throat and flashed a thumbs-up. By now there was already whooping and cheering, as another team had already stolen first place. While Sokka coughed and sputtered on soda, he received slaps on the back and head while the noise overwhelmed him.

Sokka was leaned back in his chair, breathing heavily, his stomach tender. Trash cans were nearby in the event that someone needed to hurl out what they'd consumed. Sokka was thankful he didn't seem to require this as another student from the first floor of Aero leaned over and puked out his beer into the can. A few seconds passed and things died down in the cafeteria hall. President Bumi, who had been watching things from the front of the crowd and applauding along with the students, made his way to the event's participants hands up in the air.

"Excellent show, gentleman! Quite entertaining..."

He folded his wrinkled, weathered hands across one another and smiled wryly.

"Well, now. The first event has concluded. It is with great honor that I shall present the first set of medals."

With this, Bumi raised up a small piece of circular metal. It glinted in the cafeteria's lights. It was a brown bottlecap.

"First floor takes fourth place." Bumi's deceptively firm hand dropped this cap into a tin mug labeled {FIRST}.

"Basement floor takes third." A red cap was placed in a pewter mug which read {base}.

"Second floor takes second." Bumi dropped a silver cap into a glass steiner marked { **Second** }. At this point the cheers of each respective floor were overlapping one another and increasing in volume.

"And the first gold medal of the Seventeenth Annual AerOlympics...-" Bumi held up a shining gold bottlecap for all to see. "-...is awarded to the Third floor." As it plinked into the empty bottom of a handmade { _third_ } pottery jar, the Aero men of the respective floor went nuts, hooping and hollering. The table that the Root Beer Chug took place at was pounded vigorously. Various students across the cafeteria were off put or amused by this entire series of events. From a distant booth in the corner of the hall, Jane sighed, rolling her eyes.

"The fuck are they _doing_?" she grumbled, mixing around her macaroni salad.

"It's AerOlympics," Katara reminded. "That thing? You know, where the boys do all of their...silly 'sports' and like...weird stuff?"

" _I_ heard they run around naked like stupid cavemen," Toph remarked with a sneaky smirk.

"Psh." Jane shook her head, stuffing some food in her mouth.

"Boys will be boys," Katara applied the phrase with an endeared smile as she watched from afar Sokka and Aang tossing their arms up amongst the crowd of men who were parading their way out of the cafeteria. She noticed that Aang had caught sight of them, and he waved goofily in their direction. "Goofballs..."

* * *

Aero House quaked with the stomps of a hundred men. After the flurry of boys had jogged straight from the ACC back to Aero after dinner, they'd congregated in large, furnished basement lounge to begin their annual ceremonies. Their resident director had just finished his speech - more or less the same one that was passed down each year to begin this seemingly sacred event. He was a stocky fellow, probably recently out of school himself, with his head shaved bald and a bushy, orange tangle of beard to highlight his bright smile. The stomping and macho shouting eventually died down, and the director was able to speak once more.

"All right, gentlemen. We're going to move on to the Squeeze Hand Relay next. Line 'em up!"

An hour or so later, the dorm's students were split up across a few floors, with various events happening simultaneously. One lounge was taken up by board and card games like chess, checkers, and poker, while another played host to air hockey and Foosball, and the basement's large TV was used to host the video game events. It was a building wide male bonding session packed with competition, friendly trash-talking, and a unifying sense of brotherhood.

Aang was watching four of his dormmates compete in a tense game of Foosball when Sokka sauntered into the room, a packet of Tums in his hand.

"How's your stomach holding up?" Aang wondered with an amused smirk.

Sokka groaned, patting at his tender tummy.

"Not so sure how it'll do when we get to Eat Crap, buuuut...I'll survive. How'd _you_ do?"

"I got second in Smash Bros."

"Second? I thought for sure you'd win that one."

"Nah...This other guy was super good. I just couldn't get him."

"Well, still...Second ain't bad."

"Do you know how we're doing overall?"

"Last I checked, we're in first."

"Whoa, really?"

"Yea, we're rockin' it so far."

"Nice."

" **OHHHHHH**!"

The Foosball table exploded with noise as a goal was made.

A student poked his head into the room, gesturing Sokka.

"Sokka! Time for Eat Crap, man. Get your ass in gear."

"Ulllghhh..." Sokka winced before taking a deep breath and sucking up his regret.

"Heheh. Have fun," Aang encouraged, slapping him on the back. Aang wasn't going to watch this particular event. Rows of men rotating to consume edible but difficult-to-eat objects was not something he thought he'd find terribly appealing. After watching Foosball conclude, Aang meandered back to his room for a brief break. He sat down with a bottle of water and drank, trying to prepare himself for his next event. His phone, which had been left idle on his bed, had a new message.

[From: Katara]  
[Hey, good luck tonight with all those silly games, Bud. =) ]  
[Sent: 6:48pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Katara]  
[hey thanks. its pretty crazy.]  
[Sent: 8:36pm]

Aang was left to simmer in his thoughts for a few minutes about his recent argument with Toph and how things were going rougher than he had originally hoped. Consequently, this made him linger on Katara. Grr. No, he shouldn't be thinking about all of this. His dreams had let up, he was sleeping better, getting more done...He simply needed to ride it out, and take things easy. Before he knew it, it was his turn to get called to participate. By the time the herd of Aero Men had been corralled to the track and soccer field, Aang was feeling uneasy. He was tired, his mind was clouded...he didn't really want to participate anymore. It was so easy to sign a sheet, but to have to run around a track - with a bunch of comrades counting on you - was another matter.

Cat calls were made as the men participating stripped off their shirts to face the brisk, late winter night, but Aang was going to remain fully clothed, thank you. After stretched his limbs, he knelt down in the ready position, his thoughts blurry and lost.

The whistle blared through him, startling him from his concerns, and he ran.

His lean body rushed through the bitter air, his sneakers pounding the pavement below him. He propelled himself forth, feeling as if he were the wind itself for just a second. The visceral rush felt like a short eternity as he rounded the last leg of the track, realizing in this moment that he was in first. Reality smacked him hard: the shouting, the cheering, his legs burning, his heart exploding, the air stinging his lungs with each gasping breath. With each step he could feel his legs weaken, his ribs ready to burst from the lungs beneath pressing against them like hammers. A taller, more muscular lad from the third floor was suddenly in front of him. He couldn't bear the pain from it all. He was slowing.

Suddenly, it was over. Hollering rang through his ears as he stumbled to the chainlink fence that surrounded the field. He grasped at it, dazed from his exertion. As he recovered from the event, the ground around him suddenly become full of clothes. He glanced up to see nearly every man who had just been watching this event was either but naked or in the process of transformation toward this end. A stream of flesh of every color and shape made its way around the track in a trickle, with some pushing far ahead and other lagging behind. Aang chuckled at the sight - one that he had seen the year prior - and coughed out the cold in his chest.

Sokka came wheezing toward him, arms stretched out to show off his bulky pectorals which lacked toning.

" _woOOOooOoOo..._ " he managed out in a gasp, joining his roommate at the fence while the flurry of men poured around them, filing back into their clothes. After (nearly) everyone was no longer in the nude, the group hobbled back to their dorm in the dark night. When they had nearly gotten back, Sokka, who was still regaining his breath, slapped Aang on the head.

"Ow! What...-?" Aang flinched after the fact, expecting another.

"You...you quit," Sokka criticized, throwing out words between breaths. _Yuck,_ and what nasty-smelling breaths they were.

"No, I didn't," Aang defended himself.

"I...freakin' saw it," Sokka puffed out. "Just...gave up...near the end..."

Aang sighed, squinting from the rank smell his friend's mouth was radiating, and cast his eyes away, hands sunken into his pockets.

"Can't do that...when the goal's...in sight...Gotta...make that... _push_...to the end..."

"You OK?" Aang asked with skepticism, deflecting Sokka's advice.

"Go for the g _o_ L **d** ," Sokka cried, his voice cracking at the end. "I did..."

Aang rolled his eyes. Sokka's team had won the gold medal in the Eat Crap challenge, largely in part to Sokka chomping down a clove of garlic and a can of sardines.

"You sure _did_ ," Aang patronized. "Yech. Now you smell like an idiot."

"Say what...?"

* * *

The gymnasium reverberated with cries of triumph and cheer. Men were tackling each other, slapping one another's buttocks, carrying their fellow man around in victory...It was a time of celebration, a rewarding end to another amazing event. Aang was beside himself, swelled up in the cloud of brotherhood that surrounded him. The resident director was slapping the shoulder of respective resident adviser who managed the third floor. They had won in the overall standings, when all was said and done. A simple but large plastic goblet was the trophy that was held up in the air - passed onto the winner each year, it was nearly two decades old, dinged with scratches and some minor dents from its travels across the building. The cheering went on, and a couple students took the liberty of spilling out the bottlecap medals from their cups into the air like confetti. The metallic lids shimmered in the bright light before clattering to the recently buffered wooden floors.

A random boy that Aang didn't recognize came streaking by wearing nothing but a pair of aviators on his eyes. His voice hollering out a woop as he jumped on another student's back in a hug from behind.

" **Oh God!** " cried the young man, chortling as he struggled his way out.

"Surprise sex!" bellowed Aviators, as more third-floor Aero men dog-piled over top one another.

"Way to go, dudes!"

Aang's attention was diverted to Haru, who jogged past he and Sokka, delivering high fives.

"You too!" Sokka called back, giving him a wave.

"That was _epic!_ " said Teo, the boy in the wheelchair from first floor that Aang occasionally interacted with whilst he was wheeling his way out.

"I know!" Aang agreed.

"Damn," sighed Sokka with satisfaction. Ew. Oh, bleh. Sardiney. "That was some goooood times."

Aang took in a deep breath, absorbing the whole thing. This was his second time. This would be Sokka's last. It was a crazy, exciting day in the year of a life at college. So much activity, so much spirit, and kinship. Whoever had come up with this idea - the AerOlympics - must have been...a mad genius.

* * *

\- Saturday, January 27th, 2011 -

"That's too bad," Katara sympathized. "But you guys did your best, right? And you all had fun. Isn't that the whole point?"

 _But did I_ really _do my best?_ wondered Aang to himself as he shuffled his salad around.

" _Tch,_ the whole point was to _win_ ," Sokka disagreed. "That's why it was a competition, not some Kumbaiyah campfire session."

"Your floor got second place at the end, right?" Toph reiterated. "Stop your bitching. Just a stupid bunch of kiddie junk, anyway..."

Sokka gave her a dagger glance and jammed out an index she couldn't detect.

"The AeroOlympics are _sacred_! A tradition passed down for generations..."

"Pff. Yea, _real_ sacred. Because eating mystery shit from plastic bags is _sooo_ _holy._ "

"You couldn't possibly understand," seethed Sokka in his theatrical manner.

Suki, from his side, frowned with disgust as he spoke, leaning back slightly, her nose wrinkled tight.

"I can't believe you _ate_ all of that garbage," she complained. "Did you even _try_ brushing your teeth?"

" _Yea_ ," Sokka insisted. "Like, three times!"

"Garlic and sardines don't go away very easily," Aang pointed out, trying his best to contain a laugh.

"Oh, is _that_ what that smell is?" Toph snorted. "That's your _breath,_ Meat-Head? I thought someone was eating roadkill for lunch today."

"HA-HA, very funny, I-"  
Before Sokka could even finish his thought, everyone leaned back in their seats, away from him.  
"Oh, come on, is it _really_ that bad?"

Suki was pinching her nose now.

"Nut dunna kith yew," she cautioned warily.

"Fine, I'll just...not _talk_ the rest of the day, then," Sokka scoffed, bitter in the face of their cruel mockery.

"For the best," was Toph's curt advice.

"Maybe if you weren't such a damned retard we wouldn't be so mean to you."

As Jane rubbed this in, Toph pulled out her phone, which was vibrating.

"Uhh...Hey, could someone tell me who this is...?" she mumbled, sticking her hand out over her food. Katara, from her left, poked her head over Toph's shoulder.

[Calling...]  
[ **Parents** ]

"Um...It...looks like it must your mom and dad," Katara informed with doubt.

"What?" Toph spat, her fingers clenching tight across her phone. "Are you serious?"

"Y-yes, it...it says 'Parents' on there..."

"But...That doesn't even make sense," Toph grunted, the device still rumbling in her palm. "Urgh. Whatever..." She clicked a button on the phone's face, causing the call to be ignored, and tucked it away in her sweatpant pocket.

"Maybe it's something important," Suki considered. Toph frowned at this comment.

"Maybe it's more of their _bullshit_ ," she growled.

"It might be that they're trying to make up with you," Katara pushed for optimism. "I _know_ they haven't exactly gone about things the best way, Toph, but they _are_ your parents, and I'm sure they do love you..."

Toph's face was beginning to boil over with impatience as she chewed on a grilled cheese sandwich.

"You won't know if you don't answer their call," Aang pointed out with a stern sigh.

"I don't _need_ to, Twinkle-Toes, I'm pretty sure I know them better than _you_ ever did."

"I'm just _saying_..."

"He has a point, Toph," Katara interjected. "You can't just write them off when you haven't spoken with them in so long."

"This is _lunch,_ guys," Toph snarled, "not some damned family therapy session."

"Oh, right," Aang huffed, rolling his eyes as he swirled a tomato around in the dressing at the bottom of his salad bowl. "We're idiots. The solution to every problem is just to _ignore it_ and do whatever we feel like."

This created a moment of thick tension, with Aang glaring down at his bowl, and Sokka and Suki trying to keep to themselves across the table.

"Back off, Twinkles," Toph dismissed through grit teeth. "Not your fuckin' obligation anymore."

"Then maybe you should stop _calling me that_ ," countered Aang, leaning forward in his chair to stare at Toph across Katara, who sat between them.

"Huh?" Toph cocked a brow, confused amidst her irritation.

"Aang. My name is _Aaaayyynnn-guh._ I'm sick of your stupid nicknames. It's awkward and...and childish."

Toph's eyes widened with some pain at this, and Katara wondered if she was the only one at the table who detected it.

"...This whole-... _all_ of this shit's 'awkward' now," said Toph in frustration, slapping the remnants of her sandwich down. "I'm supposed to fucking put on this _show_ for all you, and you all just judge me, anyway!" She huffed out air through her nostrils like a bull, tossing her long bangs around, hands tucked in her green Terra hoodie. "I didn't ask what all you asshats thought I should do about _my_ deranged family. I don't tell any of _you_ what to do with _yours_ , do I?"

"Some of us don't really _have_ families," Aang reminded her.

"I am so fucking _done_ with all the guilt trips, OK?" Toph snapped, pounding her fist against the table. Her milk splattered around, and various food items were disheveled.

"Maybe you're tripping so much because you _are_ guilty," Aang continued to berate. "If you stopped blowing up on everyone and admitted when you were wrong, then this wouldn't-"  
" _Stop it!_ "

Aang and Toph, both scornful and steaming, paused their words, but the air was still heavy with retribution. Katara's firm command had only put things at a standstill. Katara could feel her face heat up with embarrassment as students from nearby tables slowed their chatter, all staring at their group. In the distance, Jane was cautiously making her way over, a plate and drink in hand, and a tired expression on her face.

"We're in the cafeteria," Katara scolded the two of them, toning her voice down. "You two are acting like...like morons," she grumbled, fists clenched in her lap. She turned to her left and stared into Aang's cold expression with disappointment. "Aang, I know you've been hurt in all this, but you _know_ better." She shut her eyelids for a moment in frustration as she turned to Toph, biting her lip with controlled rage. "And Toph, you need to get a _grip_. I know this isn't easy for you, either - for _any_ of us - but we don't know what to do with you...just blowing a lid every time some stupid little thing sets you off."

"Right, 'cuz _I'm_ the villain in all this..." Toph's nostrils were scrunched tight as she huffed out through them again.

"That's not what I said," Katara calmly insisted.

"Yea, ya _did._ Fuckin' Twinkles gets a slap on the wrist and I get railed on."

"That's-...I wasn't...-" Katara was fumbling to explain herself, just now realizing that she _was_ being harsher on her roommate than the boy beside her.

"Ya kinda deserve it," Jane casually tossed in her thoughts toward Toph, having finally reached the table. She stood, taking a sip from her glass of milk.

"You talkin' to _me_?" Toph grunted indignantly. " _He's_ the one who started this crap today."

" _Yea,_ 'cuz ya keep flippin' out over every goddamned little thing. Chill the fuck out."

"We can't keep doing this, guys," Katara whimpered, trying to contain this social nightmare.

"Ya don't have to," Toph decided, scooting out her seat and standing up, pulling her cane up off the floor with her. She bumped into Jane on her way through, nearly spilling food over.

"Christ, watch out," Jane snipped.

"Would if I _could_..."

"Toph?" Katara began to rise from her seat in a panic. "W-wait, what did that mean, 'don't have t-"  
"Let her go." Katara was stopped by Aang's hand pulling on her arm. They exchanged lamenting looks, but Katara accepted his solution.

Jane set down her food and took a deep breath.

" _So_ ," she sighed out loudly, blinking at those around the table. "That was fun. Arguing. Yep. Gooood stuff."

"I didn't mean to...-" began Katara, sighing at herself with doubt.

"It's my fault," Aang placed the responsibility on himself. "I...shouldn't have gotten so defensive."

"Or criticized her out of nowhere," Sokka pointed out with nonchalance.

"I was-...She needs to...-" Katara smirked at how Aang was struggling to meekly insult Toph. "-...grow up. You know?"

" _That's_ true," Sokka conceded with a simple shrug.

"She's not here anymore," Suki observed. "So let's not worry about her for right now."

"I hear that," cheered Sokka, raising his glass of water.


	59. Build

\- Sunday, January 30th, 2011 -

"...a...wh...ol...fo..."

Aang flinched awake, bumping his head against the car's window. He had been stirred by a nudging hand on his shoulder.

"Tch!" Katara, at the wheel to his left, barely contained a chuckle. "So you _were_ sleeping on me," she teased.

"...Huh...?" muttered Aang with a groggy yawn, still gathering his senses. The dim sunlight of Sunday morning bounced off the snowy fields around them, pricking at his sandy eyes.

"So you didn't hear a word I just said," Katara observed with an endeared smirk.

Aang shook his head, eyes still hanging half open. Where was he? What was this? He couldn't really remember even getting in the car. Was he dreaming again, or something?

"I was talking about what happened yesterday at the cafeteria..."

"What...?" He rubbed at his face.

"You and Toph? How you both keep bickering at each other?"

 _Ohhh,_ bleh. Definitely not a dream. Katara was talking about Toph and it was all serious. No way this was a dream.

"Right..." mumbled Aang, turning away from Katara and staring out the window. It was dawning on him now: Sunday morning. They were on their way to church.

"I was...just saying that maybe it'd be a good idea if you two-...I don't know..." Katara sighed, casting a glance up at her mirror to steal a look at Aang's expression. She couldn't tell if he was just groggy or grumpy at the subject. "-...should maybe give each some space for a while?"

Aang laughed a snort through his nostrils.

"Try telling _Toph_ that," he noted with a tint of bitterness.

"Huh?"

"She's the one who's been...trying to spend time with me lately. And then she just...flips out, and... _rrrgh...-_ "

"Oh..." Katara wasn't sure she understood what Aang was talking about, but decided it best to leave things be, as it was clearly a sore subject. "Well, you both really need to calm down and give it some time."

"I know..."

"So...Um...I guess that's all I was getting at."

"'Kay..."

Katara's fingers drum-rolled along the leather steering wheel casing as Wayward drew close.

"Listen. Aang..." She swallowed, her insides jittery. Why were her insides jittery? "Is there anything I-...W-well, _we,_ like...the group...can do to help you? Um, you _and_ Toph, I mean..."

Aang shrugged, shaking his head as he turned his head to look at her concerned determination.

"Anything to make all this easier?" Katara reiterated. "I know that...that breakups can be really difficult..." She took a slow and deep breath as her grip on the wheel tightened, her memories threatening to flood over. The air poured out of her quivering lips, and she tried her best to hide it. "Even when it was your own choice...a-and you knew it's what was best..." She scratched at her nose, tactfully rubbing traces of water from her eye as she did so. Aang noticed.

"It...It's not really that bad for me," Aang lied, trying to lessen his own doubts in the face of how Katara's last relationship had ended. Here he was, getting all grouchy and gloomy, but...his ex was still _friends_ with him...Well, probably. At the very least, she was still _alive._ Which meant he didn't have that lingering cloud of guilt that he could only imagine Katara was being reminded of.

"All this arguing with you two...-" Katara went on, her stomach churning. "-...I just can't deal with it. Seeing you two hurt each other, and...-" She stared at the familiar sign as they passed by: { **Welcome to WAYWARD** }. "I just care about you too much to keep watching it..." She cleared her throat. " _Both_ of you, I mean...Toph...She's...like a sister to me. And...and I _know_ that's kind of silly, because it's only been...what...a year? But that's...how it is."

"Yea..." Aang nodded vehemently. "No, that-...I get it. We're like this...makeshift family. You know?" Aang felt sure this conversation had happened already at some point, but his mind was too muddled to do much about it - chances were that Katara's must have been, too.

"Exactly," Katara said, flicking up her wrist. "It's like...watching a domestic dispute, or...something..."

"OK," Aang was quick to ease her. "I'll...try to talk with Toph about it, and...we'll just need to give each other some space. I promise it won't happen anymore. The arguing, and the fighting..."

Katara's face flashed a weak smile for barely a second before she concealed it with a calm, cleansing sigh.

"All right...That would mean a lot. And I know Sokka and Suki would appreciate it, too..."

"Heh...Y-yea, we've probably been getting on their nerves with all of this...drama..."

"Just a little."

* * *

"Wait, like...right _now_?"

Aang had gone from church to a lunch alone with Katara back to Wayward with Zuko to continue working on the wallart for the Unite Republic's rec lounge, back to campus for dinner, to the art building to wrap up homework and...just as he was getting ready to take his shoes off after a busy day...-

" _Yea,_ right now," Sokka demanded. "Put those sneakers back on, man. It's serenading time. Can't leave those ladies waiting, right? It wouldn't be gentlemanly."

Aang sighed, begrudgingly sticking his sore feet back into his converse shoes and re-tightening the laces. It wasn't everyday that the men of Aero went serenading, after all...Another of the brotherhood's traditions, this one entailed a flock of young men sneaking around campus as quietly as they could in the dark evening, while many were studying, gathering in front of each of the two girls' dorms, then breaking out in unanimous song, wooing them with their attempts at harmony.

As they were putting on their jackets - it was bound to be pretty cold out by now - Aang was smacked with a realization: he'd be singing love songs to women when he no longer had a specific one to sing _to._ The idea was...kind of awkward in his head, though trying to explain why didn't work out.

"Wow, this...will be weird."

"Why's that?" Sokka questioned as he locked their door behind them.

"You know...How I'm _single_ now...and everything."

"Huh?" Sokka raised a brow. "Not sure I follow..."

"I don't have anyone in specific to sing _to_ anymore."

"Erm...I thought the whole point was that we were singing to _all_ the ladies..."

"Well, _yes,_ but...-"

"Besides, you can, like...sing to _Freckle-Face_ or something."

"Wh-what?" Aang popped back, his cheeks lighting up.

"Maybe we'll sing a _country_ song and you can romance your little _cowgirl_ ," Sokka picked, opening the door to the stairwell.

This now marked the third and most embarrassing time Aang had regretted telling Sokka about that dream.

"Shut up," he grumbled. "It's not like that."

"Oh, sure, sure," patronized Sokka with wide eyes and a polite nod. "And all those dinner dates you were taking her on - all of a sudden - don't mean anything. And it's not like you two have been acting odd around each other or anything at _all_..."

"Huh...? N-no, we were talking about, like...our histories, and everything."

"Exactly."

"Wh...-?"

What in the heck was he getting on about? As far as Aang was aware, Jane _did_ seem kind of annoyed with him lately, which was no-doubt related to how he was constantly moping around and starting arguments with Toph...Sokka's radar was obviously off, but since he seemed oh-so-convinced, there was no point in trying. Was he really serious, though? Nah, he was just being stupid. Yea, that glint in his eyes. He _was_ just causing a ruckus. What a jerk.

"Stop screwing with me, Sokka..."

"I'm just _saying_...You both just seem to be on each other's minds a lot lately."

Huh? What did that mean? Had Jane been talking with Sokka about him, or...-?

"Uh, Sokka, I think you're misreading things..."

"Maybe, but...Have you thought about it?"

"N-not really," Aang spat out in defense. Darnit. Lying again. "We're...completely different people, Sokka, I don't think anything like that would work out..."

Sokka paused as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"She's right, you really _are_ too easy to mess with when it comes to this stuff." He grinned.

"Who?"

He didn't get an answer as Sokka strolled through the front hall and out the doorway into the winter air, which was filled with the bustle of a herd of college boys. After practicing their pair of songs for the evening - Aang was still having trouble remembering the lyrics to one and needed a printout to read off of - the pack set off for Aqua House.

"Sokka," Aang said quietly to his roommate as they made their descent across campus. "Could you please not...pick on me about anything like that? It doesn't really help..."

Sokka glanced over to notice Aang's genuine irritation and frowned.

"Hey, Bud, lighten up a bit, huh? You just seem all down in the dumps, and acting weird. You just went through a breakup - crap happens. Instead of focusing on how bad that is, I'm just saying it might be better to indulge yourself in something - or some _one_ \- else. Ya get me?"

 _Like what you always do when_ you _get depressed?_ Aang found himself tempted to say.

"It's not that simple for me, Sokka..."

"Listen. Bro. Aangster."

"That one _better_ not get put in your...nickname rotation."

"Why not?"

"It's stupid."

"Fair enough. Anyway-anyway, OK. Listen." They were whispering now, drawing closer to the first girls' dorm on their trip. "All I'm saying is that Jane's a pretty awesome girl. You both seem to...have that whole..."insecurity" thing going on. It's like a starting point."

_Gee, thanks. Yea, rub that stuff in. I'm feeling better already. Yup.  
_

"Aang, what I'm getting at is that if you're _dreaming_ about the girl and get all embarrassed when I bring her up, maybe it wouldn't hurt to experiment?"

" _What?_ I'm not gonna-"  
"I just mean a date, dude, chillax."

"I can't...-!" Aang spurted. What was Sokka's problem? Dancing all over this sensitive subject...He definitely didn't get it.

"A date and date- _ing_ don't have to be the same thing! It doesn't always have to be some grand huge commitment. God. Calm down."

"I'm not like that, Sokka. I'm still...dealing with a lot of stuff here..."

"OK, OK, I get it. You're afraid, and all nervous, and everything..."

Aang's teeth ground together a bit at this, which he was taking offense with. He was getting kind of fed up with being treated like a spineless wimp.

"And I mean, going out on a date _is_ a scary thing," Sokka went on. "So it makes sense. But maybe it would help you realize that all this garbage with Toph isn't as important as you're making it out to be."

"Sokka, just...please stop. Stop. OK?" They'd reached their destination now, and were huddling together in a clump along the sidewalk that led to Aqua's main entrance. "Sometimes being a...a stupid idiot, and acting all dumb to be funny, it...it can make things _worse_..."

Sokka's lips hung open just a bit as he realized how carried away he'd gotten, and that instead of lightening his roommate with some humorous advice, he'd in fact gotten him actively agitated.

"Sure. Yea...Sorry," Sokka sputtered out, swallowing a lump in his throat. Aang was one to spout out steam very often - and when he did, it was almost always at Toph, it seemed - but right now, Aang was most certainly about to boil over through his calm body language. It was somewhat intimidating in this moment. Yeesh.

Their resident director stood at the front of the group, glancing back at them with a large, satisfied grin, his hands on his hips as he nodded approvingly.

"Ready guys?" he said to them with anticipation. They nodded and remained quiet, familiar with the procedure. The men were group under the lights that cast a glow in front of the entrance, the sidewalk behind them black in the winter evening. The RD, whom Sokka insisted on referring to as "Captain Red-Beard" rather than his real name, shattered the night's tranquility with a thundering roar.

" **HOOOOOOOOLD!** "

The men before him were hushed. He called again.

" **HOOOOOOOOLD!** "

Girls in their dorm rooms could be seen stirring about through their windows as some were opened, giddy faces poking out.

" **NOOOOWWW!** "

At the RD's command, the lot of them pounded their feet, clapped their hands, grunted and shouted...anything to make loud noise. This dragged on as more young women gathered.

From the second floor, Katara was opening the window near the end of Toph's bed, scanning the crowd for two particular crazy men.

"Fucking _Christ_ ," Toph groaned at the racket, ripping her headphones off and slapping the power button on her keyboard. "Can't hear myself _think_ with those ass-tard cavemen doing their...-" Katara couldn't hear the rest of Toph's complain as it was trailed off, drowned in the cries from the outside. As Jane strolled into their open door, she

"Where are _you_ goin'?" Jane wondered as the screaming from outside died down.

"To the bathroom," grunted Toph, waiting for Jane to pass.

"Didn't you just go to the bathroom?" Katara prodded.

"That was for Number Two," Toph testily informed. "Now I have to go Number Three." With that, she marched out, feeling her palm across the wall to find her way.

"Number...Three...?" Jane muttered, turning to Katara with a confused look. Katara's eyes were dulled as she rolled them, lids half closed.

"She means she going to...uhh...have 'fun.'" Jane appreciated the way Katara's cheeks were warming up just at the thought - one she looked pretty unhappy about knowing.

" _Ahhh-_ haha," Jane laughed in realization. "Oh, that's...er...good to know," she said loudly as the boys began to sing.

**+ **http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=QXJL5B3Lb3s** +  
**

**"~Why do you build me up (Build me up)~"**

Katara was happy to be distracted, and spun around, peering out the window. A chilly breeze blew by, sending a shiver up her spine.

**"~Buttercup, baby, just to let me down (Let me down) And mess me around~"**

Jane wedged herself into the window, as well, and the cast a wide grin down at the crowd of young men.

**"~And then worst of all (Worst of all) You never call baby When you say you will (Say you will)~But I love you still~"**

Standing in the sidewalk, peering up at two familiar girls from the second floor, Aang was relieved that the third wasn't there.

**"~I need you (I need you)~More than anyone darlin'~"**

It made it easier to focus on the face he found himself interested in.

**"~You know that I have from the start~"**

Gah. Those sapphire eyes were staring right at him. His cheeks were burning, he could feel it.

**"~So build me up (Build me up) Buttercup~Don't break my heart~"**

He looked elsewhere, eyes glancing across different windows and different faces.

As the song went on, Aang found himself fumbling up lyrics, so he simply tried to mimic as best he could. When he'd look back up, those eyes would still be looking at him with a bright smile.

* * *

\- Monday, January 31st, 2011 -

"Great work today, ladies," Suki congratulated everyone as instruments were being packed away.

Katara watched Toph mechanically lock away her electric guitar in its case, her eyes glazed over and dull.

"Yea, you were really on top of it tonight, Toph," she threw out an earnest compliment. Toph had seemed more focused than usual on their music, and hadn't caused any trouble at all. Then again, she had hardly talked...Just like she was right now, showing no reaction.

"Hey, you, too, Kat," said Jane, giving Katara a casual thumbs up as she slung her bass over her back. "Your singing was pretty spot-on."

"And this really is a good song choice," Suki pointed out. "I hadn't heard this one before, Toph. Thanks for showing it to us."

Toph had her case in one hand, her cane in another, and was standing complacently, waiting for everyone else to finish up.

"Did you need help with anything?" Katara wondered, noticing that Suki's drumset was still arranged.

"Oh, no, thanks. I'm going to stick around and work on some of my own stuff."

"Oh, OK..." Katara nodded and went to Toph's side. "Hey, Toph, do you want me to help carry your-"  
"I got it."

"R-right. Sure. Um...-" She glanced over to Jane, who looked all set. "Ready to go?"

"Yep."

"All right. Have a good night Suki."

"Peace," called Jane.

"Good night!"

Katara checked her phone as they exited the practice room in the basement of the auditorium.

[From: Aang]  
[hey did you eat yet? were gonna get food at appas.]  
[Sent: 7:21pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[Not yet! I'll come meet you guys there and see if the girls want to come.]  
[Sent: 7:47pm]

"Hey, are you girls up for getting food at Appa's?" Katara checked with the group as they exited the building.

"I thought we were going to make spaghetti back at Aqua?" Toph pointed out.

"Well, yes, it's just...the boys just invited us."

"I'm down," said Jane with a shrug.

"What about you, Toph?"

"Uhh...Nah. I'm fine. Just wanna get back to the dorm. I'm tired."

"Oh. OK..." Katara wasn't going to force it. Maybe Toph was acknowledging the risk of her having another fit or something? "Are you-...Well, like...What are you going to eat?" There was no way the blind girl was going to fool around with boiling water in a setting she wasn't terribly familiar in.

"I'll...figure something out," Toph shrugged.

"I could...make you food when we get back," Katara offered. Grah. She desperately wanted some hang-out time with the boys and _not_ have a fight break out for a change, but...she didn't want Toph to feel ditched, either.

"Don't worry about it," Toph bluntly dismissed her kindness. "I just said I'd take care of myself."

"Right. Yea. I was just...-"  
"I know what you were doing," said Toph tiredly. "I'm _fine,_ OK? Seriously..."

"Of course. I wasn't-...I-I mean, yea. All right." Katara's words were hasty as she snapped her thought around. The more she explained herself, the more agitated Toph would get. Of that she was pretty certain. "So, um...I guess we'll just...head off to see them, then..."

"Yup..."

"OK...Well...I'll catch you later tonight." Katara wanted to reach out and give her wary roommate a hug, but opted not to.

"See ya."

"Later, Toph," bid Jane. After they'd broken off and were close to the ACC, Jane piped up, "So, erm...What's up with her _now_?"

"Huh?"

"Toph. She's, like...acting all emo or something."

"Oh...Yea, I...don't really know what's going on..."

_Aang probably talked with her earlier today about them giving each other some space. Shoot, I'm such an idiot, trying to get her to come with us...That probably just rubbed it in..._

"A-actually," Katara corrected herself, "I just remembered...Aang was telling me yesterday about how he and Toph are going to try and, like...take a break from each other for a while."

"Uhh...Say what?" Jane seemed baffled by this. "They already broke up, right...?"

"Yea, yea, I meant...like, they both need some time to...to heal. You know? I think that's why they keep arguing. There's still some bitterness there, and...-"

"So this was _your_ idea," Jane guessed.

"What? I-...Y-yes, I guess..."

"Heh...Sounds about right..." Jane nodded and cocked a shoulder up. "Prolly will do those two kids some good, though."

"Yea, I think so, too."

* * *

\- Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 -

Discouraged, Katara closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. Toph wasn't picking up. Sokka and Suki were going out for dinner, Jane had already eaten and was busy with schoolwork, and Aang was downtown working on that community project that seemed to be taking up so much of his time lately. Katara decided she'd save a meal and make the dinner she had intended the night prior. Maybe Toph would be at the dorm and it would allow her to make up for the night prior. After being late to class and being chastised by Professor Pakku before being allowed to leave afterward, she had already made her big mistake for today. It'd be nice to do something to make up for it.

When she got back to her dorm, however, she was disheartened by a surprise guest.

"-... _care_ whether or not you meant...like...whatever," Toph huffed out the end of a sentence as Katara entered the room. Her burning eyes were doused, left to smolder a bit at the sound of Katara's entrance. Toph was sitting on her bed, and Aang had been sitting in Toph's desk chair, facing her. He spun his head around to see her, and while Toph's eyes had been on fire, his were stoic and cold.

"Umm...Hey, guys," Katara shakily greeted as she closed he door behind her, ensuring Toph knew who had just entered. There was an awkward moment of silence until Toph blew bangs from her eyes and went on with her ranting, regardless of Katara's presence.

"Anyway, the point is, Twinkles, that this whole-"  
" _Aang._ "

"Ugh...Whatever! This whole thing is bullshit, it's not exactly fair."

"It's not like I'm saying you shouldn't hang out with everyone _else,_ Toph..."

"No, no, _right,_ of course not...Except when the hell am I gonna get to?"

"I didn't say...that you _couldn't,_ I just said...I thought it might be a good idea if _we_ didn't spend time together for a while, because when we're with the group we make this...tension...and when we're alone, _this_ happens."

Katara snapped out of her confused trance in the break between words, perplexed as to why the conversation was continuing in her presence. She unslung her backpack, setting it beside her bed, and hung her winter coat up on the rack attached to the back of their door.

"I _know_ what you said, Tw-..." She sighed. "I heard it the first time, when we talked _before._ What _I'm_ saying right _now_ is that it's fucking unfair."

As Katara cautiously sat down in her desk chair, she caught a glance of Aang's profile. She could see it in his eyes - that bitter expression, the one he wore anytime he thought about how Toph had hurt him. The words hung on his face: _'The way you treated me was unfair, the way you cheated on me was unfair, the way you try blaming our breakup on me is unfair_.' But nothing like this came out.

"I know it isn't," Aang solemnly agreed with Toph's comment, tempering his own anger. "And I'm sorry. But I didn't want this to happen. I thought we co-"  
"That's it, then? Just gonna...fuckin' dump me on the side of the road altogether?"

"N-no. No, no, never. I'd never do that."

"You're doing that right now."

"No, I'm not. I'm only saying that we spend some time apart for a _little while_. Temporary."

Katara woke up her laptop and tried to pretend like she could casually focus on checking e-mails, or...something. Grr. She had to hold her tongue. Wait, maybe she ought to just leave...?

"Uh- _huh,_ " Toph acknowledged sarcastically. "Aaaand...That's different _how_?"

"Wh-...? B-because it's _temporary_ , Toph. I'm still your friend. We _all_ are," he insisted, casting a glance to Katara for approval. She nodded.

"R-right. Definitely. We all care about you, Toph, we don't wan-"  
"Did we _ask_ for you to butt in here?" Toph snapped at her roommate. "Why are you still here, anyway?"

"Umm...Because this is _my_ room, too," Katara testily replied, her sympathy swiftly draining.

"Can you not tell that we're trying to have a conversation here?"

"I figured if it was supposed to be so _private_ that someone would've _asked_ me to leave when I got in..."

"So when it's other people, you'll bend over backwards to be all sensitive about their crap, but when it's _me,_ 'who cares?,' right? I'm just-"  
"Toph, please stop," Aang firmly requested. "Katara's right. This isn't just your room. We can keep talking somewhere else."

"Of _course_ you'd jump to defend Her Highness," grumbled Toph, picking wax from her ear with her pinky. "I'm sure she has _nothing_ to do with any of this..."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Katara asked, egging on Toph to carelessly toss out her hold accusation.

"Don't even _pretend_ like there's nothing going on with you two," Toph spat impatiently. "Just because I'm blind doesn't mean you can _hide_ shit from me."

"What?" mumbled Aang, distraught at the blunt force of Toph's words.

"Toph, there's nothing like that going on between us," Katara was quick and rigid to declare. "We haven't done anything like that, and I think you're just overreacting because you're stressed, an-and upset, and-...Aang's like a little brother to me, and you're like a little sister."

Toph's jaw was cocked at Katara's sudden outward stance on the subject. Aang's back was to Katara, still facing Toph, and Katara couldn't read exactly what was on his face. She found herself considering the notion that maybe the reason this idea was in Toph and Jane's heads had more to do with Aang than her.

"Fine," Toph groaned, fed up with the explanation. "Doesn't even matter. Whole fucking reason we're talking here is 'cuz I don't think it's right that I'm not allowed to hang out with everyone but _Aang_ is."

"You are, too, Toph. No one's saying you can't," said Katara. "But things...just get so awkward now when you two are both together with everyone else."

"And that's _my_ fault?"

 _Actually,_ yes, _it pretty much is, Toph. You made this mess._

"It makes things difficult for _everyone,_ and it's not good for either of you _or_ the rest of us."

"I don't want to keep making everyone feel uncomfortable," Aang calmly explained in addition to Katara's defense.

"So why don't _you_ avoid our little damned club if you're so worried?"

"Because I still want to see my friends."

"And I don't?"

" _Do_ you?" Aang retorted, stealing the words from Katara's mouth.

"I-...The fuh-?... _Yes_ ," Toph declared, wiping her hair back over her head. "What kind of question is _that_?"

"You keep _doing_ that..." Aang muttered in a tired tone.

"Doing what?"

"Every time I try to make a point you just...turn it back around on me, and turn it into a question I'm supposed to answer. Just keep switching it back on me."

"And you're not doing that to _me_?" The words popped out of Toph's mouth before she recognized exactly what she'd just said.

"Like _right now_. Jeez..."

Toph sighed, her hand still on her head. She let it droop down into her lap, frowning. Aang took this opportunity to drill things home. Katara could tell that throughout this whole exchange, Aang had been struggling to remain calm, to keep his temper under wraps, and even now, he was still speaking in a controlled manner.

"Toph. You don't seem to understand." He slowly shook his head, wiping his eyes. "You go to band practice - you argue with Suki. We ride in the car - you argue with Jane. Sokka has a meal with you - you argue with _him._ Your roommate tries _so hard_ to help you, and you argue with _her._ Your boyfriend gives you more patience than...than any other person he ever _has,_ and...and you just will _not_ stop arguing with _him,_ even after it's all said and done."

Aang's words were loaded, but delivered in as rational a manner as he could contain them. Toph was speechless, but maintained her signature grumpy frown in the face of her own faults. That look when Toph _knew_ you were right, with her dark, brooding eyes and crooked jaw, refusing to admit that she was wrong...Katara _definitely_ was familiar with that one.

"Toph, I love you. Katara loves you. Sokka and Jane - they love you. And...I'm sure there's other people, too - people you probably aren't giving enough credit to. Maybe even your parents - how would you _know,_ when you won't speak with them? But that's all your business, not mine anymore. But what _is_ my business is how your stubbornness and arguing is hurting me. And our group. And _you._ There's a wonderful, strong person inside you - but you have so many rough edges and clutter on top. And I tried... _so hard_...to help you get out from under it all...And look where that got me." Aang's eyes were wet now, his voice trembling a little. "You keep saying how everyone's being so 'dramatic?' It's _you._ You're the source of all the drama going on right now. You say that I'm supposed to 'grow up' and not be a wimp? _You're_ the one who hides from your problems, who won't admit when you're wrong. And this feels like the twentieth time someone's tried explaining this to you, and it won't go through your head. I'm sick of trying. I just can't tolerate this...this _nonsense_ anymore. I feel like we're bringing out the worst in each other right now." Aang got up from Toph's chair and tried to place a hand on Toph's shoulder, but she swatted him off in a flinching gesture. "I think it'd be best if we gave each other some space until we both get ourselves figured out."

Aang knew Toph wasn't going to respond to him, and he sighed, his heart heavy with this decision to break away. He gently pushed Toph's desk chair in its proper place, leaving the angry girl with her arms crossed over her waist to contemplate his words. As he walked past her, Katara wanted to reach out and offer some physical assurance of support in his actions, but couldn't find it in her to go through with it.

As Aang scooped his winter coat off the ground, avoiding eye contact with Katara, he made one last comment.

"If we're going to be Fearsome, it should be because of how strong we are. If we're going to be a Fivesome, we can't be divided. I'm sorry, Toph. I'm not trying to be a jerk."

Toph's eyes closed shut, and she looked ready to say, ' _I know_ ,' but a choking grunt came out instead.

"I really care about you, and I'm not going away. I'm still going to be here. I'm just giving you the space you need to...clean up the mess you've made for yourself."

With that, Aang was gone, leaving Katara to watch a forlorn Toph wrestle with herself. Her own stomach quivering with pain and sorrow at the whole situation, Katara did what seemed to come naturally to her - she pushed the music note blanket aside and sat next to Toph in silence. A few seconds passed, and Katara stared at the floor, waiting for what she knew was coming.

A strained " _Gyuh_ " coughed out of Toph's lips as her breathing trembled, tiny trickles drizzling down her cheeks. A sniffle came next, serving as Katara's cue to put her arm around her roommate's shoulders and ease her into a hug. Toph whimpered out her tears, releasing the frustrations and hurt that had been shut inside for some while.

Through the extended process of grieving, Toph didn't speak a word. Katara knew her pain had less to do with Aang and more to do with the truth of his words - that she was dealing with issues she couldn't seem to resolve on her own. While she poured ample sympathy over Toph in comfort, Katara's mind kept lingering to Aang - the confidence in his voice, his vulnerability outshone by his resolution. The way he'd controlled his emotion, executing what he believed to be best when she could tell his compassion didn't favor it. It was a courage she hadn't seen come out of him in quite some while - if ever.

* * *

\- Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 - Groundhog Day

The grass was still covered in shallow, crusted snow, but the sidewalks across campus were dry, the salts laid down the day before having done their duty. His wheels rolled across the walkways with a low, rhythmic rumble. He pressed one foot against the concrete and pushed himself forward. He was achieving the same sensation of speed he felt when sprinting, but with much less exertion. It was as if he were gliding across campus.

This was the first time he'd actually ridden the skateboard Katara had given him beyond quick fooling around inside the dorm halls. The weather was finally allowing it - at least, for today. He was on his way to the art building to work on a project for the evening. The street lamps across campus lit his way, and the lack of students traversing to and from class made his ride easy.

His memories traveled back to the AerOlympics in this empty spot of time. He was still angry at himself for giving up at the track event. He'd pushed too hard too early, and then had given up at the critical moment. If he'd really cared, he'd have pushed himself. He'd have made himself do what he thought he couldn't. Right? Katara's words from the evening prior still stung. He was like a little brother? Was that really all? He felt guilt pounded at him as he found himself frustrated with this. He shouldn't be so concerned over these matters.

Then he saw her, and his guilt faded. He couldn't seem to resist but getting wrapped up in these ideas. In her winter vest, with those cute earmuffs - crescent moons on them, so adorable - her hair tangled into a delightful mess of a ponytail. His skateboard seemed to take on a will of its own and led him her way. She didn't notice it was Aang in the dim night until he slowed to a stop before her.

"Hey, Katara," he called out, eager to appreciate just a moment alone with her. It seemed rare these days, with all of them busy with school, and work, and the like.

After a second of gawking, they both fumbled to initiate conversation, tripping over eachother's words.

"Aang, I...-"  
"Katara, I...-"

"You go first!" Aang rushed his offer out with a nervous smile, holding his skateboard up with one hand, the other tucked in his coat.

"OK..." Katara smiled back with the same sheepishness. She spoke with an affectionate, reflective tone - the way one speaks when looking through a cherished photo album. "We've been through so many things together, and I've seen you grow up _so_ much. You're...not that little goofy freshman I found all alone. Not anymore." A smile worked its way through her nerves as she watched Aang's face turn pink under the pale street lamp. He looked away with a bashful shrug. "I guess what I'm trying to say is..." She extended her mittened hand and patted at his shoulder, sighing out a cloud of steam into the frigid winter air. Her next words were gentle and deliberate. "I'm really proud of you."

While Katara dropped her hand back down, Aang's chin shrunk into the scarf wrapped around his scrawny neck as butterflies swarmed his stomach, fueled by her compliment.

"Everything's gonna be different after today, isn't it?" he mumbled with some doubt, uncertain of how to proceed with the situation ahead of them.

Katara puffed out a melancholy sigh through her wide nostrils. She rubbed the back of her neck, then nervously tugged at a tied lock of hair that hung over her cheek.

"Yes," she solemnly agreed. "It is..." The two shared a silent moment of contemplation as to how this whole mess would be solved, and that mutual knowledge - that they would both work toward solving it - only seemed to heighten their building tension. "For a while, at least," Katara added with a hopeful shrug.

They blinked at one another for a few seconds, their chests swollen with a confused blend of emotions.

The butterflies in Aang's stomach were now on fire, frantically flying around inside him.

"What if I've just made everything worse?" he mumbled with uncertainty, clawing at his abdomen from inside his vest pocket.

"Aang, don't say that." Katara's brows furrowed at his doubt. "Of course you haven't..." She drew a bit closer, peering at his gloomy face with an insistence to brighten it.

Aang's heart was pounding at her proximity. He had just broken up with Toph...he shouldn't be getting involved with someone else. But...she was so _amazing_...What if he waited too long, and someone else-...Did she _really_ just look at him like a brother?

Where was all of this coming from? Why did it all have to slam at him like this so suddenly? What was _wrong_ with him?

"Aang? Are you all right?"

His eyes popped up at her sapphires, her concerned expression captivating in the shadow of the street lamp.

He leaned forward a few inches, grabbing Katara's shoulder and pulling her toward him.

He pressed his lips against hers with a tenderness he had reserved for that very moment. At first she cried out in surprise, muffled by the kiss. Wide-eyed and panicked, Katara was startled by this gesture at first. But her eyes quickly found their way closed after a moment, though she was slowly willing herself away from him. After a couple of seconds, she managed to break away, her lips still puckered. By the time she'd opened her eyes, Aang's skateboard was on the ground. She reached out her arm, but it grasped at air as Aang wheeled off into the night.

Once again, the boy had caught her quite off guard with his suddenly courageous behavior.

Katara's mind was reeling. She had convinced herself that nothing like this was going on between them, and now, like a smack in the face, she had to face these questions head-on.

Irritation pricked at her, as well: what was she doing to make people think she was "easy," just...just jumping out and _kissing her_ out of nowhere? What was with that? Grr.

Then the weight was piled on. She had just assured Toph that this very thing wasn't happening. Jane had seemed rather keen on their interactions, which led Katara to believe that her red-headed friend was still coping with her own attraction. She didn't even want to _think_ about what Sokka's reaction would be. There was already _enough_ dramatic frustration swirling through their social circle... _Argh._ What was going on? She didn't need any more complications on top of everything...She'd find a way to set everything straight. Somehow...


	60. Roads We Have to Walk

\- Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 - Groundhog Day

"Ugh, I don't... _get_ it..." Toph dug her fingers into her face in aggravation, shoving skin up and down as she lay on her back, talking to the computer sitting beside her on the bed.

["Um...No offense, Tophie...Sweetie...but I _think_ that's been the problem this whole time..."]

On the screen pointed at Toph, her cousin Meng cast dull, sympathetic eyes on the snippy scowl that formed as a result of the comment she'd just made.

"You're _totally_ helping..."

["I'm sorry, Cuz...But...based on everything I've heard, this just...sounds like-"]  
"Wait up a sec. Everything you've _heard_?"

["Eh..."]

"Like...heard from people that aren't _me?_ "

["I wasn't-...It's not that I was trying to snoop around, or-or anything like that, I was...-"]

"So...What, then? Aang was gossiping about me to _you,_ too?" Toph smacked her palms against the side of her head, squinting to contain her frustration.

["He wasn't _gossiping,_ Toph,"] Meng snapped in defense. ["I asked him what was going on, 'cuz I was worried, and-"]  
"So you couldn't ask _me?_ "

["Not like _that,_ I was asking how _he_ was doing, you know? And he opened up to me a bit, and...it seemed like he wanted my advice. Since I know you and stuff."]

"Oh. So _you_ told him to be a dick and just... _push_ me away?"

Meng was biting her bottom lip with her own scowl, but took a deep breath through her nose.

["No, Tophie. I didn't tell him to _do_ anything. Except...to try his best not to hurt you. That's all."]

A shot of guilt pierced through Toph's stomach at her cousin's words. Toph knew Meng was telling the truth - she could detect it in that tone.

["You really oughtta stop...overreacting so much,"] Meng sighed. ["I don't know exactly what Aang told you, but...maybe instead of freaking out ya could _think_ about it...Maybe a _little_ bit?"] Meng tried squeezing in some gentle empathy at the end.

"Urgh, but...-" Toph slammed the back of her head against her pillow. "I don't want to _think,_ or whatever bullshit. I just want things to go back to how they were before."

["Well...I don't think they _can_."]

"Oh, great. Thanks. Feeling even better now."

["Toph, I mean it. Ya can't just...go cheating on your boyfriend, and...yelling at people all the time...and expect things to fix themselves. Because...that's not how it works."] Meng's words were escalating with emotion now. ["When you do stuff like that, it hurts people. You can't just tell them to 'suck it up,' that's... _dumb._ It doesn't work that way. If you aren't careful, Toph, you might lose _more_ people...just like...-"] She was teary-eyed now, arms crossed over her chest. She puffed out a trembling sigh. ["Is that what you want?"]

"Nnn...No, Meng..." Toph managed out, swallowing lumps of shame, detecting Meng's unnatural tone. "I'm just trying to...be independent, and...-"

["Good! But don't be such a _jerk_ about it."]

"I-I'm not gonna do what your dad did," Toph was quick to assure in a solemn mumble.

["You mean, like...up and leave? You kinda already _did_ that..."]

Toph rolled onto her side, trying to make sure her face was pointed toward the source of her cousin's voice.

"Meng...I didn't-...I wasn't trying to leave everybody, I...-"

["Yea, you were. You don't care about this family. You said so yourself. Tons of times."]

"Whh...-" Toph's mind was whirling about in circles. Where was this conversation going? Meng had seemed so understanding about all of this before. Was she just having a sucky day now, or...-? "Maybe if people hadn't been so...so fucking _stupid_ to me in the first place, I wouldn't...-"

["Right. Yea, because having a mom and a dad who give you _everything_ you want and need, that's _so horrible._ And having...like...a personal _maid,_ and everyone always talking about how _beautiful_ you are, and how _amazing_ it is that you're so good at music, and...-"] A sniffle. [...Yea. Such _jerks._ All of 'em. Who wants to be treated like a _princess_ , right? So _awful,_ I bet..."]

Whoa. Meng was...jealous? Sounded like this was all stuff that had been held in for a while, too...

["I'm sure being the center of attention was just _so hard_ for you. Even after you _left,_ everyone wouldn't shut up about how sad it was that you would try and go off on your own, but how _brave_ you must be, and...and when everyone found out about your music on the internet-... _hmph_...It was _all you_. Didn't matter that _I_ was the one who convinced you to do it, who helped you get it all working in the first place, and... _stuff._ "]

"Hey, hey," Toph weakly worked through Meng's boiling over. "I really am glad you did that for me, Meng..." There was a pause with no reply. "Like...Like _seriously,_ thanks for doing all that. It's been...really awesome."

["Mm..."] She didn't sound terribly convinced. ["Everyone gives you so much and you just... _throw it away._ That's why this is happening. You have a super cute, super nice boyfriend, and you go and...-"] Meng trailed off. ["I'm almost in college, and I've _never_ had a boyfriend. _Ever._ You've had, like...a _bunch._ And you're jerks to _all_ of them..."]

Meng's flood of suppressed rage and envy was gushing out over Toph like a wave of acid. It burned deep. The only family member she had left that she'd learned to care about, and...she couldn't even treat _that_ person right...

["Everything's always gotta be about _you_ and _your_ problems, and what _you_ want, and...I'm just supposed to agree with _everything_ you say, huh? Just hang around so you have someone you can complain to. And you don't want me talking with any of your awesome friends, or...anything. Just wall me off from all of them? I have enough trouble just trying to hold onto the friends I have _here_ , everyone's so busy, and...sometimes I even wonder if they _care._ You have this, like... _group_. That you always see. All the time. It's...like a freaking TV show or something. But in real life. And you're so busy being a _jerk_ you can't even see how _amazing_ that is."]

"Wow, Meng," Toph mumbled. "I didn't know that you...-"

["Of _course_ not. You never _asked._ "]

"Whoa, hey...Calm down a bit, huh?"

["What's wrong? Don't like it when _you're_ the one getting yelled at?"] Man, she was just twisting that knife, wasn't she? What the hell?

"Meng, what...is going _on?_ What's wrong?"

["And _now_ you ask how _I'm_ feeling, after I shout at you a bunch. 'Cuz that's your language - yelling. I don't even care right now. Aang's right - you need, like...a time out or something."]

"OK, _OK,_ I get it, I'm gonna try...I want-"  
[" _Good,_ so...do that. I gotta go..."]

"Wait! Whoa, hey, wait up, Cuz, I'm-"  
[~ _sshhhhhooOOOOmm-BWOP!_ ~] The SKYPE conversation ended.  
"-...sorry...Ugh." Toph grasped at her laptop's screen and slammed it shut. " _Fuck._ "

Toph wanted to convince herself that Meng was just being bitchy. Just having PMS or something. But that part of her that was trying to claw its way out - the part Aang had dragged halfway out the night prior - knew better. It stung something fierce - the one person she'd been looking to as external support in all of this crap, and now she was realizing that even _that_ person was mad at her. What was she supposed to do with all this?

_Clicktsnik.  
eeeekk..._

The door. Was it Katara?

_Tip, tip, tip. Scfff._

Huh. Weird. That was definitely Katara coming in and sitting in her chair, but...no greeting.

_Clik._

Getting on her computer, no doubt. What the hell? She was being really quiet. Katara pretty much _always_ announced herself when she came in, or...at least said 'hi' or something...Great. More weirdness. Just what Toph needed.

"What's up with _you_?" Toph wondered. Her voice, she now realized, was trembling a bit, her mental state still shaken from her cousin.

"Huh?"

"You seem quiet."

"Oh...Y-yea, I guess..."

"Sooo...The hell's the deal?"

"I-I'm sorry," Katara muttered. "I don't-...Just a lot on my mind."

"Like... _What?_ "

Katara blinked at Toph with a nervous smile - thank goodness Toph couldn't see it.

 _Like, oh, how your ex boyfriend who you can't get over just kiss-raped me and I think I kinda liked it I mean I don't know if I liked it because it was so sudden and I was caught off guard and oh GodohGodyou'dbe sopissedifyouknewwhatdoI-  
"_ Fine, whatever. Forget I fuckin' bothered to ask..." Toph rolled onto her stomach, chin on her pillow.

"Oh, n-no, Toph, I'm...I'm sorry, it's just that I was...-"  
 _Clikka-clik. Clik.  
_ "-...checking e-mails, and...I was reading."

"Something happen?"

"Whh...Why would you...-?"

"You're all freaked out."

"Ha. _Ha_ ha..."

Toph shuddered at the sound. That was a bizarre, nervous laugh she had never heard slip from Katara's mouth.

" _Yeaaa._ You're creepin' me the hell out."

"I'm, umm... _really_ tired...Heh."

"Sounds _like_ it. Christ. Get some sleep or something."

"Shhhhure. I will. But it's...ya know...not _that_ late yet."

"...Right."

_Takka-tappa-tatta-tatta-takka-taktaktak._

There she was at the keyboard.

"...Uhh...'Kay. Well...Have fun. With that."

"Yup!"

"I'm...gonna practice." Toph squirmed out of her bed. Damn, whatever was wrong with her roommate, it was swiftly getting under her skin and making her even more uncomfortable than she already was. As Toph popped on her huge headphones, Katara scanned her e-mails, struggling to take her mind off of recent events. Like the taste of Aang's lips, which were- _-ech,_ no. Stop. Thinking.

[Saint Roku University Mail] - [Katara Kesuk]

[Alice, George, ... ] - [Peer Reviews] - [9:23pm]  
[Suki Kyoshi] - [good job ladies!] - [7:09pm]  
[Dr. Pakku] - [Shakespeare Article] - [1:23pm]  
[Facebook] - [You've received a friend invite] - [12:48pm]  
[Jane Fitzpatrick] - [hey] - [11:16am]

[From: Jane Fitzpatrick]  
[Subject: hey]  
[Sent: 11:16am]

[phones dead. was wondering what you were up to tonight. been forever since we went out somewhere.]

Katara could certainly use a distraction. She poked her head to the still open door. The one across the hall was closed. Katara cautiously sneaked over, knocked on the door, and a few moments later, Jane's curious face greeted her. In an instant, it lit up from dull and tired to alert and joyful.

"Hey- _ehh_ , Kat. What's goin' on?"

"I just got your e-mail," Katara quickly explained with a shrug. "Sorry, I've been out all day. What did you have in mind?"

"Ah..." Jane ran her hand across her neck as her eyes rolled up in thought. "Was just thinkin' we could go out, get our mind off homework for a while."

"Right. I...would like that," said Katara with an optimistic smile through her stress.

Jane went wide-eyed for a moment at her friend's sudden enthusiasm.

"Erm...Cool. Yea. We could...go out for food."

"Sure." Katara nodded, her eyes wandering back to her room.

"Just, like, Wendy's, or...or something," Jane hastily clarified. "Nothin' fancy."

"Right."

It was getting a little late, and Katara had in fact already eaten dinner, but all of this mental strain was kicking in her comfort-food cravings.

* * *

Chowing down on a chicken sandwich and some chocolate soft-serve ice cream, Katara's worries had melted away in lieu of discussing TV shows she was following with Jane, who seemed more receptive than usual to the girl-talk.

" _No,_ it's different," Katara insisted, defending her tastes from Jane's picking. "Seriously."

"Uh-huh..." Jane's cheek was on her wrist, elbow to the table as she plucked curly fries with her other hand.

"Really."

Jane's brows made her skepticism clear as she slurped on her soda. Katara went on to explain.

"No, no...See...Stuff like Big Brother and Jersey Shore is stupid. It's just...people being all...-"

"Dramatic?" Jane finished her friend's thought with a snarky smirk.

"Y-yes," Katara conceded.

"Which you don't find interesting at _all_..."

"No, that's-..." Katara was irked by Jane's snipe, yet had no counter. "It's different."

"I don't see it."

"You're miscon-...No, see, let me finish what I was saying."

"Go on..." Jane seemed highly entertained by how flustered Katara was getting. She grabbed her cup and slurped through her straw.

"Those shows are just about people being stupid. But, like...the ones _I_ watch are actually _productive._ "

Jane _apphhh_ 'd out a laugh of disbelief in mid-sip, spitting out droplets of soda onto the table.

"Ewww," Katara snickered, leaning back in surprise.

Jane laughed in spite of herself, arm over her face, and swiftly wiped up the small mess with a napkin.

"Productive?" Jane managed out after their laughter had died down. "How the hell's that crap productive?"

"It's...it's artistic."

"Don't make me cough up all over the table again," teased Jane.

"I mean it! In my shows, it's always about people improving a craft."

"Taking fuckin' glamor shots ain't a _craft_..."

"Sure it is. Why _isn't_ it?"

"Filling your face up with gunk and puckering your lips for a camera isn't a _craft._ "

"Exactly. But being a good model takes a lot of work, and it's _more_ than just posing for a camera."

"And making a dress out of _trash_ is art, too, huh?"

"Well... _Yes._ It is."

"Pff...Christ..." Jane rolled her eyes, humored by Katara's seriousness. "You're somethin', Kat," she said with amused endearment.

"They're _contests,_ Jane, where people can get exposure if they're good at what they do. I really like that."

"Clearly."

"I want to teach some day, but Toph - she wants to be a musician. It's because of stuff like American Idol that people like her can make a name for themselves, you know?"

"Oh, is _that_ her plan now? Get herself on TV?"

"No, I'm just...saying."

"People could be doing better things with their time than sitting on their asses and watching people work so hard at shit that doesn't _matter_ ," scoffed Jane before she munched on some potato wedges. Katara studied her friend's head, sunken into her shoulders, the tint of remorse hanging from her lips. It was a sore subject that didn't need to be directly approached, and one Katara had rapidly learned to leave by the wayside: Jane being booted from ROTC.

"OK, sooo...What do _you_ want to do?" Katara asked gently, sucking soft-serve from her straw.

Jane's shoulders bobbed up and she pushed hair behind her ear.

"Dunno."

Katara drummed her fingers on her cup as she considered how to encourage.

"What about your major?"

"What _about_ it?"

"You don't want to do _anything_ with your Biology major?"

"I sure as fuck don't want to be a _teacher_ , if that's what you're saying..." Jane sighed, and scratched at her now exposed earlobe, glancing up at Katara. "I'm not a psycho like you," she said jokingly. "Soon as I'm done with school I never wanna see it again."

"Haha...Well, OK. So...If you're going to pick on _me,_ what about you? What do _you_ watch on TV lately?"

"I don't...really _watch_ TV..."

"Oh, whatever. _Netflix._ I've seen you on it. What do you watch on your own?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Katara grinned knowingly. "Maybe...Animal Planet? Discovery Channel stuff?"

Jane's cheeks went red.

"...Sometimes..."

"Heehee." Katara delivered a devilish nudge on Jane's arm. "Maybe you need to...take up _beekeeping_."

"Ha. Ha," Jane's deadpan replied. "So friggin' funny..."

"You could be a farmer," Katara said with a facetious wink. "You know, we _always_ need farmers..."

"So you're saying I'm not smart enough to do anything _else._ Anything scientific."

"Not at all. I just think being a farmer would suit you more. Overalls, gallon hat, boots...Gettin' yer _grits_ all dirty."

"I'd look retarded. Already been there, done that."

"So now _you're_ saying that you'd look good in a labcoat? I don't think so."

They shared goofy smiles, Jane's face still bright with embarrassment.

"So you _do_ want to be a scientist," Katara egged on. "We'll get you a nice little pocket protector. And some thick-rim glasses. You've already got the freckles, you'll look cute n' dorky." Katara nodded in mock self-approval.

"Then we'll match, 'cuz you already look cute n' dorky all the time," said Jane quietly, finishing off her drink.

A strange silence fell over the two as subtext came knocking at the door.

Jane got up from her seat, somewhat suddenly, clearing her throat.

"I'm, uh...I'm out. Gonna...re _fill_." She blinked awkwardly at her empty cup for a moment. "You need...-?"

Katara shook her head with a quick gesture, avoiding Jane's glance. As her friend wandered off to the soda fountain, those uneasy feelings Katara had come here to forget about stared at her through the glass window she was sitting beside. Jane sat back down a few moments later, drinking from her straw, and staring curiously at her friend.

"So, uhh...Have you thought about things?" Jane mumbled, her intestines tangled.

"Huh?" Katara pulled her gaze from the window toward two nervous, olive eyes.

"About...y'know...-" Jane shrugged, her eyes wandering about. They came back Katara. "-...about us."

Oh, boy. No, _no_ , not this again. Why this? Why now? Was Sokka suddenly the only person she could be around without there being any awkwardness now? The whole point of going out tonight was to get _away_ from all this complicated stuff, to work on ironing it _out_ of her relationship with Jane, not...-  
"Guess not, then," Jane grunted with a bitter downward curve of the lips.

"Jane..." Katara paused, removing her hands from her ice-cream cup and setting them in her lap. "I thought...that we'd already talked about this."

"Kind of..." Jane conceded, swallowing hard.

"I told you that...I'm not like that."

"Not 'like that?'" Jane grumbled testily.

"I-I meant...that I'm not...-"

"It's not a fuckin' _curseword,_ Kat," Jane huffed out, rubbing at her eyebrow. "Bisexual. That's the word. _Bisexual._ "

Yikes. Katara hadn't meant to give Jane that kind of impression - that she looked down upon bisexuality in any way.

"R-right. Bisexual. That's-...I'm not-..." She tugged at her bushy ponytail, giving her hands something to do.

"Still haven't tried it," Jane concluded with a discouraged shrug. "Scares ya _that_ much, huh?"

"No, no, not at all," Katara spat out in an effort to alleviate the self-infliction Jane was exhibiting.

"How do you _know_ then?"

 _Urgh,_ what was with everyone all of a sudden getting on her case about all of this stuff?

"I'm not interested in trying that kind of thing out, Jane," Katara insisted with a firm sigh.

"Not right now."

"Nnn...No, not right now," Katara grunted, not appreciative of how Jane was forcing the topic around.

"Because there's someone else."

"I didn't _say_ that."

"Yea, it's _funny_ how you keep _not_ saying it," Jane countered, eating more fries. Neither girl was giving eye contact at this point, each irked by the other's implications.

"Listen." Katara's leg was bouncing up and down on its toes underneath the table, her arms wrapped around her waist. "I'm...dealing with a lot right now, and...I need some space with this whole...-" She loosely grasped her hands up and trailed off, shaking her head.

"'Kay..." Jane muttered with dull pessimism. "Get it."

"I'm sorry," Katara whimpered. "I just want everything with our group to stabilize. Everything's too confusing right now."

"Gotcha..."

Seeing Jane's torn expression was painful. The girl's heart had been cracked, split in half, duct-taped back together, broken apart again...Why did Katara have to serve as part of the problem? The whole point of becoming friends with Jane in the first place was so she could _help_...Help put that broken person together again.

"You OK?" Katara asked quietly after a minute of silent eating.

"I'll live," Jane shrugged, pulling out her cell phone and checking for messages in an effort to contain her refreshed disappointment.

"Hey..." Katara got up from her booth and rounded the table, sitting beside Jane. She reached out her arms to offer a hug of sympathy but was pushed away as Jane's irritation intensified. "I'm sorry," Katara reiterated with a frustrated shrug. "What do you want me to do?"

"What I want doesn't matter," Jane affirmed, continuing to scroll through her phone. "Told you - I'll _live._ Ya don't have to look down at me all the time, I'm a big girl now, Kat..."

"All right..." Katara took a deep breath as she went back to her seat, unsure if anything she could say would brighten the mood back up. There weren't any more laughs or smiles for the duration of their meal or the ride home, and both girls bid each other good night as soon as they arrived back in Aqua. With Toph gone - no doubt at the music building - Katara took advantage of the empty room to sail off into uneasy slumber.

Making herself the driving force of "goodness," trying to help everyone around her...It was worth it, she was sure...But it also put her smack in the middle of everyone's problems, which was becoming a massive weight in light of discovering she now had her own issues to figure out. It was nights like this that Katara wished she could...flip some switch, or something - be like Sokka. Just detach from things and not get involved. Rely on logic and reason alone, and acknowledge that she had no obligation to any of this. But whenever she considered this prospect, the Kesuk family motto always hit her on the end: _I didn't do it because I_ had _to, I did it because I_ wanted _to._ But what _did_ Katara want to do with all of this?

* * *

\- Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 -

Aang stood in the doorway, hands crossed over his chest as he surveyed his work. One wall's mural was complete, the opposite one half finished. He took a deep breath as he stared at the empty space that needed filling.

"My, things sure seem to be coming along smoothly."

"Mm?" Aang turned around to see a plump, familiar old man surveying his work.

The man stroked his smooth, white beard.

"I can see why my nephew chose you - you have quite a talent for abstract art."

"Uh..." Aang shrugged, flattered by the professor's compliment. "Thanks, Professor."

"I'm not sure we've been properly acquainted." The man put out a wide, wrinkled hand. Aang shook it, surprised by the girth and muscle in the handshake. "You are Aang, correct?"

"Aang Leekpai, Sir."

"Baha. I have outgrown formalities. Just call me Iroh, if you please."

"Sure..." Aang nodded weakly, confused by the man's presence here in the ex-pub.

"You know, it brings me great joy to see this place being reborn," Iroh noted, glancing at Aang's multicolored artwork on the wall. "This building seemed to be the source of much trouble in town in recent times. It makes me quite proud to see Zuko working with such spirited students to rejuvenate it."

"Yea, it's...great," Aang agreed. "It's an honor to be a part of it."

"I hope it has not been making things troublesome for you."

"Huh?"

Iroh turned around to face Aang.

"The work, I mean. I understand you have been quite busy lately, from what Zuko has told me."

"Oh, I...Y-yes, well...College life, you know?" Aang shrugged off his concerns. Today he'd felt quite lifted and light, heavy burdens thrown off his shoulders. Life had gone from feeling like a dark cloud of doubt and stress and fear to a bright open sky of possibilities.

"But you do not look as stressed as he does," Iroh chuckled.

"Actually, I'm...doing pretty good."

"I am glad to hear it. Perhaps you can rub some of that ease onto Zuko."

"Oh?"

"The pressures of office and school can be a bit much."

"Ah...Yea, I can imagine."

"My nephew can use all of the support he can find right now," Iroh explained. "So I do appreciate your help, Leekpai."

"It's no problem, I'm glad to work on this."

"Good, good...Well, I must be off," Iroh concluded.

"Right. Uh...Nice seeing you, Iroh." Aang scratched at his arm. He was still a bit confused as to the man's visit.

"And you, as well." Iroh's strong hand pounded Aang's shoulder as his other hand handed him a card. "A little something to express my gratitude. Farewell."

"Bye!"

Aang examined what he'd just received. It had a green dragon logo he knew well printed on it.  
{1 FREE Drink}  
{ **Jasmine Dragon** }

* * *

"Nah, you're good," Toph mumbled out, uneasy at the noise this girl was making setting things up. She recognized this ditsy moron as Ty-Lee, that irritatingly quirky girl Aang's classmate often hung out with. Apparently Jin wasn't working the Jasmine Dragon Thursday nights this semester, which meant every time Toph came in for her weekly therapy-err, open-mike session, she had to tolerate the busybody and her oh-too-cute mannerisms before any music could be played.

"'Kay. Well, you're all set then," Ty-Lee whispered, clicking on the equipment.

"Yea," Toph agreed, running her fingertips along the coffee shop's keyboard, traces of dust clinging to her prints. She welcomed the sensation. The subtle grime, the air filled with the scents of coffees and teas...It had yet to grow old. "Check-check," she spoke, directing her voice straight ahead. She could hear herself projecting across the room. "Hey, guys," she muttered, to which she received some light applause, a few cheers, and...was that a cat-call whistle? Anyway...

She cleared her head, letting the therapy of the stage take over.

\+ http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=1qWxptQqsw4 +

"~The stars lean down to kiss you~And I lie awake and miss you~Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere~"

Ty-Lee, having just finished Toph set up, arrived at the table at the back of the shop, near the register. Still wearing a green apron with a black dragon printed on it, she sat beside her roommate, who was closing up her composition notebook.

"~'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly~But I'll miss your arms around me~"

Lean arms, wrapped tight around her waist. Soft, slender hands, rubbing her stomach.

"~I'd send a postcard to you, dear~'Cause I wish you were here~"

Toph's hands danced across the keys like two star-crossed lovers.

[~]

"I never realized how _good_ she is," Ty-Lee muttered in awe to Mai, who was keenly observing Toph's mannerisms. "I mean, guitar _and_ piano...?"

"Yea..."

"~I'll watch the night turn light-blue~But it's not the same without you~"

Toph's hands slowed to a pause as she sung gently:  
"~Because it takes two to whisper quietly~"

The notes took off again with longing.

"~The silence isn't so bad~'Til I look at my hands and feel sad~"

Fingers intertwined, locked together tight - peeled apart.

"~'Cause the spaces between my fingers were right where yours fit perfectly~"

Her hands, grasping at air. Grasping for _him._ Gone/

"~I'll find repose in new ways~Though I haven't slept in two days~'Cause cold nostalgia chills me to the bone~"

_"I love you, Taters."_

_"You, too, Twinkle-Toes."_

"~But drenched in vanilla twilight~I'll sit on the front porch all night~"

Douglas, sitting on a side table, alone, kept catching himself glancing up at her elegant melancholy in motion, only to pull his gaze back down to his music history reading.

"~Waist-deep in thought because when I think of you I don't feel so alone~"

"Gee-whiz," Ty-Lee sighed, her eyes glimmering with sympathy. "Poor girl..."

"She's got a lot going on," Mai admitted, a finger twirling at a long lock of hair as she contemplated.

"~I don't feel so alone, I don't feel so alone~"

"I get what you mean now," observed Ty-Lee. "About how she really sings her heart out."

"~As many times as I blink I'll think of you...tonight~"

The burning pain of his words, searing the scratches and scars on her heart.

"~I'll think of you tonight~"

And yet, so many _less_ scars than had been there before he had come into her life.

"~When violet eyes get brighter~And heavy wings grow lighter~I'll taste the sky and feel alive again~"

His arms, his words, his kindness...He'd shown her what it was like to fly - high above her fears and doubts.

"~And I'll forget the world that I knew~But I swear I won't forget you~"

The Beifongs were no longer her life. And having him as her lover wasn't, either - but she couldn't let things end like this.

"~Oh, if my voice could reach back through the past, I'd whisper in your ear-...~"

_I never meant for any of this._

"~'Oh, Darling, I wish you were here'~"

_I'm sorry. I want you back. Even just as a friend. I still need you._

[~]

Toph's body swayed to and fro with the hopeful notes she played. Notes that asked for forgiveness, for a second chance.

"So...They really broke up for good, huh?" mused Ty-Lee. "That's so...tragic..."

"It is, Ty," Mai agreed solemnly. "But sometimes it takes some rain to make the flowers grow."

"Wow...That's so _deep_ ," Ty-Lee whispered, awe-struck by Mai's remark, which had been borrowed - but Mai didn't bother to confuse her roommate with this detail. The piano stopped, and applause overtook the coffee shop. The shop's door bell, signaling entering customers, went off through the racket, causing Ty-Lee to bounce back to her position at the counter. Mai studied Toph's dulled demeanor as she took her leave, pondering what kinds of thoughts were floating in the blind musician's head. As a young blond man took the stage, violin in hand, Mai soaked in the classical music. By the time the gentleman had finished, she realized that Zuko and Aang were at the counter, getting themselves drinks. A surprise - she hadn't expected to see either of them here.

"Hello, _gentlemen,_ " she teased as they sat down at her table. Zuko planted a gentle kiss on her cheek and took her hand as he settled down.

"Hey," Zuko greeted. His eyes were weary, a bit of skin sagging beneath. Aang, on the other hand, looked much better than he had when they'd last met.

"What brings you two here?" she wondered.

"Iroh gave me a coupon for a free drink," Aang proclaimed with a grin.

"We finished up for the day, thought it'd be nice to just relax for a while."

"I see..." Mai smiled at Zuko's optimism. He was making a friend. This was good. "Well, don't let me spoil your 'bro-time.'"

"Haha, it's good," Aang insisted.

"Yea, you should stay here," Zuko advised, rubbing Mai's wrist with his thumb.

"All right...So, how's the...United...uhm...-?"

"United Republic," Aang announced, holding up a finger.

"Heh. Yea. How's the 'United Republic' coming along?"

"Remodeling is going well. A lot of things need to be rearranged. But it's, erm...it's good." Zuko nodded to himself and yawned, to which he received a light back scratch from Mai. "Aang's almost done painting the rec room."

"It's going to look _awesome_ ," Aang promised.

"Ha. I'll have to see it when it's done - make sure it's up to standard," Mai picked. "After all of your art I've seen, you've got a high bar to match, Aang."

"Heh. Thanks..."

"Once we get closer to finishing it, we're really gonna need to find some student workers, and someone to manage the place."

"Ah. Right." Mai nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds like it'll be a bit tricky."

"Probably. I guess we'll come to that bridge when we cross it."

"You mean...Cross that bridge when you come to it?"

"Uh...Something like that. However it works..."

"Heheh..." Mai smiled and kissed Zuko on the forehead. "You need to get some good rest tonight. Are you sure coffee is such a good idea right now?"

" _ZuZu!_ " Ty-Lee teased from the counter, setting a cup aside. "Drink's ready!"

"Ugh..."

Aang and Mai snickered a bit as Zuko trudged to retrieve his drink.

"You seem to be doing a lot better," Mai noted.

"Yea, I'm _feeling_ a lot better..."

"Did...anything happen with you and your friend?" Mai asked with a coy brow raised.

"Heh..." Aang's cheeks began to light up. "I-I'm not sure...Maybe?"

"Ah- _ha_ ," said Mai with piqued curiosity. "So maybe you're more ready for a new relationship than you _thought_?"

Zuko sat back down, sipping at his hot drink.

"I-I guess so," Aang admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Whoa, whoa...What's this, now?" Zuko asked. Mai was happy to see that Zuko's cup was filled with tea instead of coffee, which would hopefully relax him enough to get a good night's sleep.

"Aang's apparently quite the _stud_ ," Mai teased, sending a grin at her colleague and friend. "Ladies are just lining up to go out with him."

"Haha, is that so?"

"N-no, not at all," Aang brushed aside the notion. "I just...realized that maybe I have feelings for someone...I didn't really know I did..."

"Seems kind of fast," said Zuko thoughtfully, taking a sip. Aang's eyes widened at his observation.

"Oh, it...it _is_ ," he admitted. "I-I mean, it's...not like we're... _doing_ anything. Like dating. N-no, definitely not anything like that..."

"Right," Zuko nodded in understanding. "Don't want to rock the boat, or anything like that."

"Y-yea, exactly," Aang agreed, the notion suddenly overflowing his mind.

 _I'm such an_ idiot _! What was I_ thinking?

"But you're talking about it?" Zuko theorized, having a suspicion he knew who this was about. He'd been wondering if there was something going on with his friend and Katara.

"Oh, erm...-" Aang shrugged. "A...a little, yea. We're-...I-I mean, it's just, like...a _maybe_ kind of thing...You know?"

"You should probably take it one step at a time," Mai attempted to calm him down. "From what you've told me, it's a bit of a complicated situation. Just make sure that you talk things out with her, one way or another."

Aang blinked at Mai's confident advice, baffled. Wait, was he supposed to be continuing to pursue this, or...not rocking the boat?

"Yea, I'll...think on it."

"See, now we've got the poor guy all riled up," said Mai, smirking at Aang's embarrassment.

"Irish Cream~" Ty-Lee sang out from the counter.

"Oh, that's mine," said Aang, jumped up from his chair.

"We're talking about Katara, aren't we?" Zuko mused quietly to his girlfriend.

"Heh. Yea, I'm pretty sure we are," Mai replied.

"She's a real nice girl," Zuko recalled with a slow nod.

"A real nice girl is what that guy deserves," Mai concluded.

* * *

[ (+ http:/youtu.be/J6kRViduPAg +) ](http:/youtu.be/J6kRViduPAg)

Toph's sandals, clapping against the salted sidewalk beneath her feet. Her hood drawn to keep her ears warm, her walking stick sliding across the bumpy walkway.

**~I walk a lonely road~The only one that I have ever known~**

They all hate her now. She can't fix things - only break them.

**~Don't know where it goes~But it's home to me and I walk alone~**

All that she can create is music, because words will not come out right.

_~Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you~_

Aang, running along to reach his class on time. His mind whirls with possibilities.

**~I walk this empty street on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams~**

Jane, marching through the snowy street downtown, desperately checking her phone.

**~Where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone~**

[To: johnny]  
[still havent heard back yet. everything ok?]

_~By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do_   
**~I walk alone, I walk alone~**

Katara - her gaze on Aang. Gray eyes of courage, determination, decision.  
What is she supposed to do?

_~I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now~_   
**~I walk alone, I walk alone~**

Katara - her gaze on Jane. Olive eyes of longing, despair, hope.  
What is she supposed to do?

**~My shadow's the only one that walks beside me~**

Toph - she is lost, angry, her fortress walls cracking.

**~My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating~**

Jane - she is afraid, discouraged, her blade dulling.

**~Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me~**

Jane wonders if she really belongs here.

**~'Til then I walk alone~**

Toph hides behind her piano, each note a brick, stacked to rebuild the wall that has fallen apart.

_~Every day I wake up and it's Sunday~_

Katara, knelt before the Cross.

_~Whatever's in my head won't go away~_

_What am I supposed to do in all of this, Lord?_

_~The radio is playing all the usual~_

Aang's smile, a consistent comfort and goal.

_~And what's a 'Wonderwall,' anyway?~_

Jane's scowl, pricking guilt and confusion.

_~Backbeat; the word is on the street's that the fire in your heart is out~_

[To: johnny]  
[srsly i really need to talk wit you. get back to me.]

_~I'm sure you've heard it all before, but you never really had a doubt~_

They eat their meal together. Sokka jokes, Suki laughs, Aang consoles Katara's stress.

_~I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now~_

Jane is silent. How can he care for her more than _she_ does? Katara has become everything to her.

**~I'm walking down the line that divides me somewhere in my mind~**

Toph plays her songs in solitude. She is split in half.

**~On the border line of the edge and where I walk alone~**

Should her walls fall down as she bends to the will of others?  
Should she not tolerate those who cannot accept who she is and what she wants?

_~Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you~_

Aang alludes, hints at his feelings, but Katara will not return them.

**~Read between the lines what's fucked up and everything's alright~**

Jane pushes, pulls, insists on being given a chance, but Katara will not offer it.

**~Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive and I walk alone~**

Toph argues with her roommate - the only way she knows how to tell if Katara still cares.

_~Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you~_   
**~I walk alone, I walk alone~**

Another day - will Aang invite Toph back? Is her sentence over?  
No. He still ignores her.

_~By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do~_   
**~I walk alone, I walk alone~**

Another day - will Katara stop pushing Jane away?  
No. She still keeps her distance.

_~And all the roads we have to walk are winding~_

The week passes. Classes, tests, projects. They push forward despite their doubts.

_~And all the lights that lead us there are blinding~_

Their motivations burn. Their desires seem like lights at the end of tunnels.

_~There are many things that I would like to say to you~_

Aang walks Katara home from his dorm. Small talk. He wants to discuss that night.

_~But I don't know how~_

He doesn't know what to say. She pretends like it didn't happen.

**~I walk this empty street on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams~**

Toph's sandals.  
Crunching through the snow.

_~Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you~_

Toph's sandals. Aang's sneakers.  
Crunching through the snow.

**~I walk this empty street on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams~**

Toph's sandals. Aang's sneakers. Katara's fur-edged boots.  
Crunching through the snow.

_~By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do~_

Toph's sandals. Aang's sneakers. Katara's fur-edged boots. Jane's tall bee-striped converse.  
Crunching through the snow.

**~Where the city sleeps and I'm the only one and I walk alone~**

Toph's sandals. Aang's sneakers. Katara's fur-edged boots. Jane's tall bee-striped converse. Sokka's loafers.  
Crunching through the snow.

  
_(Unfinished SRU image by[PochiMochi](http://pochimochi.deviantart.com/))_

_~Because maybe~_

"Um...Well, good night, Aang."

"Yea...Good night, Katara..."

**~My shadow's the only one that walks beside me~**   
_~You're gonna be the one that saves me~_

Toph is alone right now. The only one who speaks with her is Katara.

**~My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating~**   
_~You're gonna be the one that saves me~_

Jane is confused. The only one she truly cares about is Katara.

**~Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me~**   
_~You're gonna be the one that saves me~_

Aang is determined. He feels affirmed that she is the one he must pursue.

**~'Til then I walk alone~**

Toph trips, bumps into a low-hanging branch. Her feet are frozen as she wanders home on her own.

Is it really her home? Is _anywhere_ home anymore?

_~Sing with me~Sing for the year~_

Sokka sucks in a deep breath of clean, frigid air.

_~Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear~_

He smiles up at the pale, clouded sky, the light snowflakes sprinkling down.

_~Sing with me, if it's just for today~_

Life is pretty simple these days. He feels like he didn't have a care in the world.

_~Maybe tomorrow the Good Lord will take you away~_

He whistles, hands stuffed in his pockets, as he saunters down the sidewalk, wondering with optimism what tomorrow has in store.

"Sokka!"

His eyes popped ahead to his left to see his sister running up to him.

"Oh, hey, Sis. What's up?"

Katara galloped through the snow, each step sinking her booted shins in ice.

"I was hoping I'd run into you," she called out, waving to him. He met her on the edge of a sidewalk leading to the ACC. "Where are you going?" she asked, pounding snow off of her feet.

"I was going to go grab lunch," he replied.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure," Sokka said with a shrug. "It's been a while."

"Yea, it's-...Heh...This week has been busy," Katara muttered with a forced smile. She seemed... _off._ Sokka hadn't really seen her for a few days, but she'd been a little odd all week. Something was going on...

"Yea, sure has," Sokka agreed. He wrapped his arm around his sister's back and led her onward. "How're you holdin' up, eh?"


	61. Confused

\- Friday, February 11th, 2011 -

"Wow. Shocker," Sokka sighed to his sister sarcastically, shaking his head as they swiped their student IDs to get into the cafeteria. "Putting yourself in the middle of everyone's drama makes your life _dramatic_? Who-would-have-thunk-it?" He cast an amused glare at her while they grabbed utensils and plates.

"I know, _I know_ ," Katara pleaded, cocking her head back in frustration. "Sokka, I'm not expecting you to understand."

"Heh. Good, 'cuz it defies logic. You're a crazy person."

"I just really need to talk with someone right now, and...-"

"I'm the only _not_ dramatic person to talk with." Sokka rolled his eyes as he they entered the line to the main entrees.

"W-well... _Yes._ I guess so..."

"All right. Lay it on me," Sokka muttered in a tired tone, his back facing her.

"Um...Can we maybe...get our food and sit down first?" Katara requested, miffed by what she perceived to be her brother brushing her concerns aside.

After they'd collected their meals and found a small table, Sokka stared blankly at her for a moment as she fidgeted with her fork, shuffling her mixed vegetables around.

"Soo...?"

Katara blinked up at him, then took a bite, half of the food she'd scooped up falling back onto her plate.

"It's all... _bleh._ I don't even know where to start..."

Air puffed out of Sokka's nostrils with impatience as he scratched at his scruffy, unkempt goatee.

"Well, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Freckles has been giving you issues?"

"Agh, yes...Kind of...Did she tell you?"

"Nnnot exactly, but...We _do_ work together, so...I got the feeling. She's not exactly good at hiding when she's in a pissy mood."

"Yea..."

"Tell her to give you some space, right?"

"Pretty much..."

"She's still not over you, huh?"

"No..."

" _That's_ kinda awkward..."

"I know, right?" Katara clenched her hands up at her sides. "I just wanna...like... _smack her_ upside the head, and be like, 'hey, let it go!' _Urgh._ Ya know?"

"Heheh...I know the feeling."

"And all this _bullcrap_ with Aang and Toph, it's really frustrating. They're both avoiding each other, and I'm stuck in the middle."

"Weren't you the one who _suggested_ they avoid each other in the first place?"

"Th-that's-...I-I guess so, but...but _still,_ it's...aggravating."

"That's what you get for getting involved, Sis."

"Oh, so I was...what? Supposed to just sit and watch them keep fighting with each other?"

"Fff. Hell if _I_ know."

"Exactly. So don't go...all acting like I'm some idiot here..."

"I wasn't, yeesh. Chill out." Sokka frowned at Katara's wide eyes and flared nostrils - tell-tale signs that she was in quite a fussy mood.

"Everything has to be so _complicated._ It's been like this for...for weeks now. Months? I don't even know...Sokka, why do I keep getting myself involved in all of this complicated junk?"

"Why are you asking _me_?"

"Because I feel like I _shouldn't_ be, but...but I just keep doing it."

"You know the reason why you get involved, Katara."

"Huh?"

Sokka took a sip of root beer and stared at her knowingly for a moment. She look perplexed. He reached his arm out toward her neck, grasping at it, to which she flinched and leaned back slightly. The motion caused the object Sokka had been grasping to slide up from under her sweater - a smooth piece of round sapphire attached to a band. Her mother's necklace.

_I'll never turn my back on people that need me._

"Sis, I'm not gonna tell you to not...be _yourself._ I know better than that."

"And that _infuriating_ English Professor, and...everything else..."

"Yeeehhp. Sure is school, ain't it?"

Katara, her forehead buried in her fingers at this point, took sighed out deeply.

"You ever miss the old days, when...-" She wiped her sleeve across her drippy nostril. "-...Saturday mornings were the best thing ever?" She laughed weakly in spite of herself.

"Yea," Sokka said with a warm smile. "Dad would cook french toast and we'd sit on the couch with Mom and watch cartoons...And she'd pretend to get all into it with us..."

"Heh..."

"Simple days, simple times," Sokka noted with a slow nod. "Ha." He waggled an index finger as a thought hit him. "What is it Shamrocks says...? 'Little things amuse little minds?'"

Katara smirked, recalling the phrase that Jane would use from time to time - usually in reference to Sokka.

"Yea...I know," Katara muttered with a sniffle. Stupid nose, getting all runny... "We have to deal with bigger...things for...better reward...It's just been...a bit much lately."

"We should go out tonight."

"Huh?"

"Go out, see a movie. Ya know, something we can do together without all the social pressure. Ya get me?"

"Hm." Katara pushed hair behind her shoulder and took a bite of her vegetables. "That sounds like a really good idea, actually..."

"Awesome. Let me get in touch with everyone, then, and I'll get back to you when I've got everything worked out."

"Oh..." Katara stared at Sokka with confusion. Wait, whoa... _Sokka_ was going out of his way to set up a social outing? That was...a nice departure.

"Hm. Prolly shouldn't invite Toph, though, huh?"

"What's that?" Katara muttered, snapping back to her senses.

"'Cuz of how her and Aang are trying to keep their distance and junk. And I mean, c'mon...movies don't exactly do a lot for ol' Dead Eyes, am I right?"

"Yea," Katara agreed, trying to cope with the situation. She didn't like the idea of leaving Toph out of a group activity, but at the same time, it was Toph seemed to _want_ given her actions over the past few days. And Sokka was right - why would Toph want to go see a movie, anyway? Especially when she was sick? The foolish girl was stubborn and insisting on walking out in the cold in sandals - on her own, she claimed to not like the lack of feeling that boots subjected her to. It was probably best for her to stay in and rest up, anyway.

"Then it's settled. Movie night."

"Movie night."

"So, um...Would I be able to get your thoughts on some of the details going on here?" Katara wondered.

Sokka sighed through his nose and bit his lip cautiously.

"Honestly, I'd really rather just stay _out_ of all of this stuff...No offense."

 _Wha? But...you're my_ brother, _you've always been around for me to bounce ideas off of...What gives?  
_

"O-oh...Sure. I understand," Katara mumbled in reply, perplexed and distraught. She had been hoping she could get Sokka's no-nonsense reassurance and advice on the finer points of these matters.

"Is school going all right, though?"

"Ermm..." She swallowed her personal concerns. Maybe she shouldn't be burdening Sokka with them, anyway. "It's...Y-yea, it's OK, just having a hard time with that Pakku jerk..."

"The more I hear about the guy the less I want to ever meet him."

"Consider yourself lucky that you _haven't_ yet..."

* * *

"Man, it's been... _forever_ since we went to a movie..." Aang yawned from the backseat, rubbing his full stomach. He'd eaten a hearty dinner and was ready to relax.

"Yea, like...since Thanksgiving, maybe?" Sokka guessed from the steering wheel as they drew close to Wayward.

"It's good to get together," Aang continued to push out his enthusiasm. Katara couldn't help but smile from the passenger seat at the joy in his voice. She glanced at the mirror above, seeing Aang's eyes glowing with excitement. How could he be in such a great mood, with all of this social tension going on? In the middle of the backseat, Suki was relaxing, and to her left Jane was staring out her side window, dull and unamused.

"Yea, it is," Katara agreed with Aang's statement. "We've all, um...-" She coughed a couple times and wiped her nose. "-...been pretty busy these days, right?"

Silence fell over the car.

"It's good to be at the weekend again," Suki offered up awkwardly, trying to break the ice.

"Hell _yes,_ it is," Sokka agreed heartily.

"Hey..." Jane cast a sly look toward Suki. "How come you're not sitting up front with your boyfriend, anyway?"

"Huh?" Suki replied, jaw slightly agape. Sokka had requested that Suki sit in the back due to "social stupidness," but Suki was not entirely aware of the details. She was just doing as asked.

"What, are _you_ guys avoiding each other, too?"

"Uh, _no,_ " Sokka quickly replied.

"Ah, so it's _Kat_ who's the one playing keepaway..." Jane's scowl projected to the front mirror, causing Katara's eyes to immediately avert.

_No, no, God, no, not this again..._

"I don't see the problem," Jane continued to cast out with passive-aggressive flair. "I mean, I'm sure _Twinkle-Toes_ here would be happier with you in the back seat..."

"What...?" Sokka mumbled, confused and oblivious.

"Oh, is...is there something between you two going on?" Suki probed with gentle optimism to the right side of the vehicle, wiggling a finger between the two.

Aang struggled to act aloof and shrugged.

"Psh," Sokka discounted the theory with an eyeroll. "Sounds to me like Shamrocks here is just projecting her problems out on everyone else."

"Seems like something that's been going around lately," came Suki's stiff words, her eyes closed, lower jaw out. Sokka swallowed hard, drumming his fingers along the steering wheel sheepishly.

"Hey, _I'm_ not projecting _shit,_ I'm just pointing out how when two people _date_ they shouldn't hide it..."

Katara's fingernails dug into her jeans while her nostrils popped open wide.

"I'm not dating anyone!" she growled, glaring at her friends through the mirror as she wiped at her nose. "OK?"

"So all that touchy-feeliness with you two is just me makin' shit up?" Jane retaliated.

"Oh, _stop it_ ," spat out Katara, without thinking. Another cough. Words lacking forethought poured out in defense. "Aang's just a good friend. He's like a little brother to me!" She just wanted Jane to leave her alone and push back any suspicions.

In the moment after she said these words, however, she immediately cast her gaze to Aang, who was watching snowy fields pass by. His expression stung with disappointment. The very sight pricked at Katara with a focused, deep needle of regret.

 _Agh. No. Shit. Grrrahh. I didn't mean that! No, that came out wrong! No, no, Aang, stop pouting. With the pouty face. Awwww..._ Damnit.

" _Ah_ ," Jane nodded slowly, seeming to relish this admittance. "Guess I must be...reading into things, then." She shrugged with nonchalant satisfaction. "My bad..."

"It sounds like _all of you_ are having a problem with assumptions," Suki threw out her opinion with a cautious sigh.

"That's _women,_ bein' sensational for ya!" Sokka jeered with a stupid grin. Maybe if he pulled attention toward himself, they'd all stop being drama llamas on each other?

"That's _Sokka_ ," Katara grunted, "being _sexist_ for ya!"

"I'm just joking..."

"That's _all_ you do," Suki sighed from the backseat. Guhhhh, and there it was again. She wouldn't let up...What did Sokka have to do to please her all of a sudden?

"Hey, _someone_ has to try to lighten the mood. Right, Aang? Bro?"

But Aang's attention was lost. Was he even listening at this point? Sure didn't _look_ like it...

"Sweetie," Suki huffed, "Your ' _Bros_ ' are not going to help back you up when you're graduated in a few months and don't have a _job_..."

"Heh," was Jane's commentary to this, an amused smirk on her face.

"Could everyone _stop,_ please?"

Silence fell at Katara's thundering request. She wheezed out a pair of sickly coughs.

"Is it...-? Can we just... _not_ be in a car together without...without all this?" Her voice was cracked, throat beginning to get sore. _"_ I mean, it's so-...Urgh. _Toph's_ not even here, and we're _still_ at it! What's _wrong_ with us?"

"What's wrong with _you_?" Jane wondered, baffled by Katara's overreaction. "Missing out on your meds lately, or something?"

"Huh? That's...-" Katara shook her head in slight, quick motions as she suddenly realized that she couldn't recall when she last took them. That was a bad sign.

"Fff. Figured as much," Jane's eyes wound around in their sockets. "No wonder you're wiggin' out..."

{ **Welcome to WAYWARD** }

"Maybe _this_ is why we haven't been doing anything together lately, guys," Suki pointed out with a tired tone. "Seems like you all have... _things_...you need to figure out..." Piercing eyes pointed to the mirror and in turn the driver. "Let's agree to stop this and just watch our movie. How does that sound, everyone?"

* * *

"Where are _you_ going, now?" Sokka muttered with confusion as Aang rose from his seat.

"Oh, I...actually need to go to the bathroom," Aang explained in a rush, scurrying out of the chair at the end of the movie theater row and out the double doors. His eyes adjusted to the light and he headed for the bathrooms. His head was still in a panic over what had transpired earlier on the ride over. He hadn't been able to take his mind off of it. The familiar, beautiful bush of brown hair he'd come to admire was instantly recognizable from between the two bathroom doors.

"Katara..." Aang was frowning with disappointment as he stared at Katara's back while she drank from the water fountain. "Did you really mean what you said earlier?"

"Huh?" Katara feinted ignorance, wiping her lips with her sleeve. "Whhhat are you talking about?"

Aang's eyes wandered away from her nervous curiosity. "Back...with the others. In the car, when you said I was just like a...'brother' to you, and you didn't have feelings for me..."

Katara felt like throwing up her popcorn in that moment. The rejection in his eyes was scalding hot against her heart, which was simultaneously sinking like a stone.

"I didn't mean...-! That's...not what I said, I...-"

She was in damage-control mode. Aang knew it all too well - she was just trying to avoid hurting his feelings. Was this why she'd been avoiding him all week?

"So it's true, isn't it?" Aang snapped with quiet bitterness, jamming his hand in his pocket. "We kissed the other day, and...I-I thought that meant we were gonna... _be_ together..." He ran a trembling hand through his hair. "But we're _not_."

"Aang..." Katara whimpered with a sniffle, latching a hand to her arm with a wistful, sideways glance. "I don't _know_..."

" _Why_ don't you know?" Aang demanded in desperation, flicking out his wrist.

"Because we're...-" She dropped her arms in anguish, eyes rolling upward in thought. "-in the middle of a _lot_ of stuff right now, and you only just broke up, and...-" Her eyes sneaked off to the side as she dabbed at her nose. "-...we have other people to worry about. This isn't the right time..."

"Well...When _is_ the right time?" he grumbled with an impatient shrug.

"Aang, I'm sorry, but...-" Katara huffed through her nostrils, closing her eyes to avoid her trepidation of looking at his own. "Right now I'm just a little confused..." She tugged at one of her twin braids, stroking both hands down along it with a mixture of anxiety and doubt.

Her eyes bulged open wide as Aang's lips smacked against hers without provocation. She tightened her mouth and pulled away immediately, nostrils open wide with discomfort and irritation.

 _What the hell? OK, it was kinda cute the first time, but..._ No. _Not gonna work the second time, Bud..._

"I _just_ said I was _confused_!" she snapped through grit teeth. Her eyes flamed out her aggravation at Aang, and she ignored the pain of watching his expression crumble into that shock of rejection again. "I'm going inside," she huffed, whirling around, unable to stand the sight and all the more enraged that it affected her as much as it did. More hacking was forced out as she made her exit.

Aang watched in stupefied silence as she stomped off. Oh, crap, why had he done that? He just couldn't help himself, could he? He pounded at his forehead with his palms and growled out in anguish.

"Urgh, I'm such an _idiot_..."

A hole in his chest, Aang sighed to himself, disposing of waste in the restroom while his mind burned with regret. Ashamed of causing the disturbance, Aang waddled back to his seat at the edge of the row, beside Sokka, who was leaning forward in his seat, captured by the film. His head sunk between his shoulders as his arms wound themselves across his lean waist, which felt like it was shriveling up.

"Oh, hey," Sokka whispered, completely unaware of Aang's discouraged mood. "Here's what you missed..."

But Aang wasn't paying attention. While Sokka rattled off details, Aang could only be bothered to focus on that lovely mane of hair in the seat just ahead of him, lamenting the notion that he'd never be able to run his hands through it. _Gullgh,_ ah, what was _wrong_ with him? How could he be so selfish? What would Toph think about this? She'd be devastated...And clearly, Katara was uncomfortable. Man, he'd really messed everything up good...And even Jane seemed all flustered - what was up with that, anyway? Probably just defensive about how Toph would feel about this...Agh..Sokka was right: getting tangled up with women led to all kinds of problems.

* * *

\- Saturday, February 12th, 2011 -

[From: Aang]  
[we goin to church tomorrow?]  
[Sent: 11:23am]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[No. I'm sick. Have a good day.]  
[Sent: 11:26am]

Katara groaned to herself as she closed her phone and dropped it onto her bed beside her pillow. Her nose tightened and tickled, eliciting her to frantically grasp for a tissue from her nearby supply so she could sneeze into it.

" _Grughhh_..." She dropped the tissue in the small trash bin beside her bed, staring up at the ceiling drearily.

 _Stupid Aang. Making everything complicated. Stupid Jane, being all pushy. Stupid Sokka, not even caring...Stupid_ Toph, _getting all sick and making_ me _sick! Rrrrgh..._

 _"...rRrgHhHaAgHh.._."

Speaking of Toph, her snoring had picked up and was practically deafening now. Just great. Katara had lost sleep over Toph's illness-induced snoring and had to wake the girl up a few times to make the noise cease long enough to fall back into slumber.

" _Toph,_ " she called with irritation.

Another loud, extended snore.

Katara's fist balled up, she punched at her pillow and she clambered out of bed, sluggishly making her way to Toph's bed. She administered a grumpy shove to her roommate, who was sprawled on her back.

"Zuhfugg...?" groaned Toph before pouring out a foul-smelling yawn.

"You're snoring again," Katara curtly explained.

"ShhhhiiiiIiIiIiIiittTtTt..." Toph slowly rolled onto her stomach as she moaned out the word like molasses. Her stomach gurgled out loudly. "Ullghh..."

"When was the last time you ate?" Katara asked in exhausted words/

" _I_ dunfuggin know..."

"If you don't _eat_ you're not gonna...-" Katara sniffed as she could feel her nose running wet. "-...get better... _Guh_..." On that note, Katara opened the half-drinken water bottle on her desk and took a few gulps before throwing herself back into bed, face-first into her pillow.

_Tok. Tok. Tok._

Both girls could hear the door open up, and Katara rolled over onto her side to confirm that it was, indeed, Jane.

"What is it...?" she asked, her nose stuffy.

"Oh, err...I didn't...know you guys were still sleepin'..." Jane mumbled awkwardly, retreating back to the doorway.

"We're _trying_ to..." Yep. Katara was still pissed at her about yesterday. Expected.

"Oh...'Kay...Sorry..."

After closing their door, Jane shuffled back to her bedroom. Asking Katara out to lunch was clearly not an option. In her empty room, she took a bottle of room temperature Mountain Dew she'd purchased from the snack desk the night prior and opened it up. She took her hormonal medications, washing them down with soda, and checked her phone, considering asking the boys what they were up to.

[From: johnny]  
[what did you need?]  
[Sent: 11:02am]

Her heart lept with excitement. It had been weeks since she'd heard from her friend, and at this point she was thirsting for some kind of social interaction outside of this group she'd gotten herself entangled in.

[Reply]  
[To: johnny]  
[hey! just want to catch up. you online? we culd chat?]  
[Sent: 11:32am]

She sat in thought for a couple minutes, sipping on her soda as she booted up her computer.

[Calling...]  
[ **johnny** ]

Oh, he was...calling her? In the blink of an eye, she turned the device on.

"Hello?" she breathed out with her raspy voice.

["...Hey."]

" _Hey_...What...erm...'Sup?"

["Still on the mend."]

"Yea...Gettin' better?"

["You could say that."]

"...Cool. That's...good."

["What's going on?"]

"Nothin'...I just, uhh...missed you a bit. Ya know?"

["Yea."]

_Don't you miss me, too?_

"Shit's...kinda whack right now."

["Uh-huh."]

"Uhh...Toph and Aang broke up."

Well, it was some kind of conversation, wasn't it?

["Ah. That's...too bad."]

"Yea..."

["You're holding up?"]

"Pff, yeaaa...I'm fine..."

["Good."]

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat as she wondered if he was struggling with the same mixture of emotions that she was.

"Sooo...Yea. That's been kinda awkward..."

["I believe it."]

"But...uhh...-"

["Mm..."]

"You?"

["Taking it easy..."]

"You're...heh...not in _jail,_ right?"

[" _No,_ no..."]

"S-so...that's a good step."

["Yea...I guess so."]

"Uh...Wanna tell me...about how all that went down?"

["Oh, er...Sure..."]

* * *

\- Sunday, February 13th, 2011 -

Zuko scrutinized the resume in his inbox, still confused by the whole thing. Aang seemed quiet confident in this candidate's ability, but Zuko had his doubts. He checked the time: [3:05pm]. They were late. Not a good sign. He glanced around the empty student office, aware that everyone else was probably taking the afternoon easy. He still had a stack of reading and homework to finish, not to mention some more technical papers that needed his attention. There was already enough he had to worry about without waiting around for-  
["...~..."]

His phone went off. He verified the number on his display to match the one on the resume. They matched. He answered the phone.

"Hello?"

["Hey...Is this...uh...Mr. Kurosawa...?"]

"This is he. And this is Miss...-" He stared at the name for a second, bewildered. It sounded so familiar... "-...Kesuk, is it?"

["Yea, that's right."]

"Ah. Good. I've been waiting for you."

["Oh. Sorry, I literally just got in the door, Sir."]

"You can just call me Zuko."

["...Right. Uh...OK, Zuko."]

"So...Korra..." Ah, _that_ was right...This was Katara and Sokka's cousin. That explained the familiar last name. And the distant location of her address. Canada? "I was told that you're interested in the open position we have?"

["Definitely."]

Zuko cleared his throat. "I couldn't help but notice that you're...quite far away from our location. You _do_ realize we're in central Pennsylvania, right?"

["Oh, I know. Got family that goes to school there there."]

"Yea...Katara and Sokka. Correct?"

["Right. You know them?"]

"Yea, a bit...Regardless, you're...willing to relocate?"

["Obviously."]

Hm. Bit of snark, there. Zuko wasn't sure if he liked that or was off-put.

"I see. And...what makes this position worth such a huge move?"

["Uh, well...Keeping college kids in line, small town...nothing I can't handle. I'm ready for serious change of scenery, and being someplace where I can keep my eye on my kin - that's a big plus, eh?"]

"Mm...Well, as long as you're completely aware of what you'd be getting yourself into...Now, I have a few questions I need to ask..."

* * *

"Argh, no. Suki..." Sokka shook his head with disapproval. "I _really_ don't think that's such a good idea..."

Suki glared at Sokka with crossed arms and a raised brow of skepticism.

"Oh. And I suppose _you_ have a better one? Since you're Mr. Idea Guy?"

Sokka gaped at her snippiness, unsure of how to reply at first.

"Errr...You could...not get _involved_...? I'm pretty sure that's the best plan here."

"How can you _say_ that, Sokka? These are our friends. And I'm sorry, but yesterday? That was ridiculous. What's going on with everyone? You seem like you're just trying to check out. And from what I can tell, Toph probably feels like she doesn't have anyone in her corner right now."

"Uh- _huh._ And...you're thinking that ought to be _you_?"

"Well..." Suki shrugged, surprised by just how defensive Sokka was being over this. "I don't see _you_ doing anything to help..."

"It's not my _business_..."

"OK. Fair enough. You know what _should be_ your business? Figuring out what you're going to be _doing_ in a few months..."

"I _told_ you, I'm...working on that."

"You'd better be. Sokka, this is serious stuff. We need to get our act together if we want to not be _miserable_ once we get out of school."

"Right, yea, I _know_..." Gurgh, he'd heard this already.

"I'm not just going to sit idly by while our friends push themselves apart. I don't feel like there's much I can do, but I _do_ know that I've made connections with some folks downtown - folks who'd be interested in Toph's music. The way Toph talks about it - and the way Katara tells it to me - Toph's music is about the only thing she feels like she has any control over right now. And I want to help her with that. Maybe iron out some of the wrinkles she gets with me."

"All right, I getcha..." Sokka sighed, scratching at his goatee thoughtfully.

Suki smiled weakly at him and placed a comforting hand on his rugged cheek.

"Things are going to fine, Dear. We just need to be assertive." She ran her hand through his hair, which was tied up in a tight, short ponytail toward the top-back of his head. "And you need to shave, and stop wearing your hair in a ponytail," she snickered, untying the band and scratching her hand through the thick, dry hair that fell down.

"It's a Warrior's Wolftail," came a sullen Sokka.

"Of course it is..." teased Suki as she kissed him on the cheek, his prickles feeling funny against her lips. Sokka stretched his arms around her waist as she leaned against him in their corner booth at Appa's, embracing their mouths together.

* * *

\- Monday, February 14th, 2011 -

["YOU HAVE **TWO** NEW MESSAGES."]  
[~ _BEEP_ ~]

["Toph, it's your father again. You still aren't picking up your phone. If you aren't going to use it, it's a wonder we ever got it for you to begin with...Your mother and I have been talking, and we-"]  
["MESSAGE DELETED. NEXT MESSAGE."]

["Hi, Toph."] Suki? ["Just calling to check in on you. I heard you and Katara are sick? Hope it's not too bad...Anyway, I actually wanted to talk with you about something. I know we've been kind of stalling about playing together as a band, but...I've noticed you still seem hard at work at your own music. Katara showed me your YouTube channel - you've got some nice stuff there. I was thinking maybe I could help you get a small-time show downtown. The Fire Cave is always interested in performers, you know? So...Get back to me. OK?"]  
["END OF MESSAGES."]

Toph, sprawled on her back, her phone open on her stomach, yawned a great yawn - it was cut short as she suffered shortness of breath, causing the yawn to mutate into a wheeze. She whimpered at the discomfort. Her fuzzy mind lingered on Suki's offer. Seemed like everyone was turning their backs on her lately - yea, yea, her own fault, blabla bullshit, whatever...So why did _Suki_ want to try and help? What was her angle? Didn't matter right that second, anyway. What mattered was that she needed to take a dump. Which required getting out of bed. Blagh. As she forced her self out of bed, she fumbled her hand over her alarm clock, tapping the familiar button.

["TWELVE TWENTY-FOUR PEE-EMM."]

'Kay. So much for classes today. Fuck...Whatever, she was sick. Psh, like she was _learning_ anything at her classes, anyway...

* * *

[ **Facebook - Korra Kesuk** ]

[ **Korra Kesuk** is movin to PA, bitchezz!]  
[3 hours ago]  
[12 people like this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Wait, say what? O_O ]  
[3 hours ago]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- got the job! moving in a couple weeks! you can't escape me MWAHAHAHA!]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Aang, Sokka, Katara, and 2 others like this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Holy crap! That's amazing!]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- I'm so happy! That's great! ^_^ ]  
[32 minutes ago]

[ **Facebook - Katara Kesuk** ]

[ **Katara Kesuk** Dear Life: mind letting up a bit, please? =_= I don't know what you want from me. Regards, Katara.]  
[4 hours ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- sounds like you need to figure out what YOU want..]  
[3 hours ago]  
[Mai Chiao likes this.]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- HUUUG. hang in there katara. we're all here for ya!]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Katara Kesuk and Aang Leekpai like this.]

[ **Facebook** \- **Aang Leekpai** ]

[ **Aang Leekpai** is such a big stupid idiot! ugghhhh.]  
[45 minutes ago]  
[Sokka Kesuk and Korra Kesuk like this.]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- what happened? :( ]  
[41 mintues ago]

[ **Suki Kyoshi** \- hey, don't blame yourself just because everyone else is having problems. you didn't do anything wrong.]  
[32 minutes ago]  
[Meng Beifong and Zuko Kurosawa like this.]

[ **Zuko Kurosawa** \- Sounds like you need another round of drinks at the Jasmine Dragon.]  
[24 minutes ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- What my Darling Zuko means is that we're going to be there tonight after 7. You should join us. ;P ]  
[11 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- k i'll see you guys there.]  
[2 seconds ago]


	62. Mean It

\- Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 -

{ **The White Lotus** }

Zuko scanned through the pages of the previous weekend's edition of the local school paper. By this point, he'd already caught a lot of the headlines, so he decided to start flipping through some of the smaller, more miscellaneous articles while he waited for Mai to arrive for breakfast.

{The building project, in its final stages of construction, will be located in downtown Wayward - a quick trip for students. Tentatively dubbed 'The United Republic,' the establishment will be owned and operated by Saint Roku University and is scheduled to open at the end of the month. Students wishing to apply for part-time work can contact President Zuko Kurosawa for more information via e-mail.}

Bleh. Boring. Why would he want to read about what he was already spending a lot of time on? Next.

{The local indie sensation The Flamey-O's have been accumulating quite the attention this semester, having been recently included as part of multiple local concerts, including last week's Bloomsburg Bonanza-}  
 _Ugh_. Music? Pass.

{ _Philadelphia Fires Continue_ }  
{by Ginnie Ackland}

{A week after the tragic death of a family of three, yet another home was found burned to the ground this weekend by the Philadelphia Police Department. The remains of father and husband Daniel Dawes were found inside, though his wife and son were away with relatives during the fire. This marks the third serious fire-related incident of this nature in two weeks, and authorities have suggested that the events are connected, suspecting arson. The nature of what has been the exact cause of these fires is still under investigation, and no known connection between the victims has been made public. The police say they have yet to determine any suspects or motives behind these incidents. In the meantime, the supposed serial killer behind this arson has been dubbed "The Combustion Man" by various media outlets due to the unknown causes of the fires. Anyone who may have any information on this matter has been asked to contact the PPD for-}

"Hey, Zuko."

Zuko set the newspaper down, eyes tired and wide, and blinked up at Mai's pale skin, an apologetic smirk about her.

"Sorry I'm late," she said as she set her breakfast plate down. "Your food's probably cold," she lamented, glancing at his barely-touched meal.

"Oh, uh...-" Zuko shrugged, taking a sip of his morning coffee and glancing to the bright winter morning outside the cafeteria's window. He yawned wide, scratching sand from his eyes.

"You don't look like you slept well," Mai mumbled with a tint of disappointment, stabbing her fork into a pancake.

"I slept fine," Zuko assured. "It's just...I didn't sleep as much as I had _wanted_ to..."

Mai sighed through her nose as she chewed on a glob of cooked dough. The awkward tension stuck while she swallowed.

"ZuZu, I understand how busy you are, but if you're literally losing _sleep_ over all of this, it might be time to re-think your priorities..." She continued to delicately consume her food.

Zuko shrugged again, slowly shaking his head. He took a mouthful of eggs in.

"Hey..." Mai's eyes narrowed with concern and she reached out a hand to Zuko's, still wound around his coffee mug. Her eyes burned into his. "You're doing it again, Zuko. If you're having problems, you're supposed to talk to me. I'm your girlfriend."

Zuko forced down his eggs and coughed, nearly choking on some. He gave a weak smile in spite of his clumsiness and took Mai's dry, cold hand, squeezing it back.

"You're right, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"OK, then," Mai said, her expression cooling off. "Then tell me: what is it?"

Zuko took a deep breath, grasping Mai's hand tightly as he ate more food with his other hand. Mai took another bite, as well, giving him some time to formulate his words.

"It's just been busy, and...more stressful than I was expecting," Zuko sighed. "All of this planning and working on the United Republic, on top of everything else I have to deal with...Oh, right, and _class?_ That, too. And then to make things even _better_ I get this group of protesters who are saying that with the way the economy is, the school shouldn't be 'wasting money' on extraneous projects like this..."

"You just need to take things one step at a time."

"And let's not forget Azula," Zuko pressed on, venting out all the steam. "On my heels about how _pointless_ all of this is..." He grunted as he glanced at the paper. "I read about how people are getting killed, and can't afford a living, and how many troops we still have mobilized in the middle east, and...-" He growled to himself. "It all makes me wonder if maybe Azula's _right_ \- that I'm just wasting my time here."

"How could you _say_ that?" Mai was quick to retort, her feelings stung. "Lots of people here look up to you - _need_ you..."

"But there's so many _more_ people out there who _also_ need someone...Maybe that someone is supposed to be me."

"Hold up a minute," Mai huffed, shaking her head at his words as she retracted her hand. "Zuko, I know you have...grand aspirations, and all, but...Seriously: one step at a time. And stop trying to make it sound like what you do here is so pointless..."

Zuko blinked at her fickle attitude, his mind lingering on the way her trimmed black bangs gracefully hung over her forehead.

"OK," he puffed out, rubbing his eyes some more. "I didn't mean it like that...I want to be doing more good, or... _something_..."

"Grand aspirations," Mai muttered with a doubtful sideways glance.

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing," Zuko grumbled with perplexation.

When Mai's eyes turned back to him, a thin brow raised, he read her expression through the context: _  
Do you want to end up like your father?_

"There's nothing wrong with focusing on smaller things," was what Mai's mouth said. "They aren't inherently less important."

"Right..." Zuko took a swig of coffee. "I understand that, Mai, I...-"

"I'm not mad at you."

"I know..."

"But I don't want to see you fall into the same pitfall your father did."

"But I'm not _going_ to," Zuko insisted, pained by his girlfriend's hint of doubt.

"Zuko...Your sister used to say the same thing when we were younger..."

Zuko's stomach churned with unease, which he covered with some more eggs. He clenched his fingers around Mai's tightly.

"My sister didn't have someone as amazing as _you_ tokeep her on the right path..."

* * *

_Tok-tok-tok._

Toph rolled over in her bed slowly, her stomach sensitive to movement.

"cOmE iN..." she groaned out as loud as she could.

__Clicktsnik.  
eeeekk..._ _

"Toph?" It was Suki. That was...kind of surprising. No one had come to visit Toph in some time, unless occasional pop-ins from Jane counted.

"hEy..."

"Whoa...Are you OK?"

____eeeekk...___  
Clicktsnik.  
_

"nN...-" Toph was cut short by a tingling sensation in her throat, eliciting a harsh cough. " _hEgH..._ nOt WhAt i'D cAlL iT, nOoO _..._ "

"Gosh..." Toph could barely hear Suki sitting down in Katara's chair. Fuckin' ears had to be plugged up, too... "I heard you were sick, but...I didn't know you were stuck in bed..."

"iT's WhAtEvEr..."

"Well...Maybe we should discuss this some other time, then, when you're feeling better."

"wHaT iS iT...?"

"A while back I sent you a voicemail - not sure if you got it or not - about me helping you get some work playing music around the area. I mean...it...seems a bit pointless right now, given your condition, but...-"

"sUrE..."

"What's that?" Suki hadn't heard - fuckin' voice was nearly gone. _Urghh._

"sAiD yEa...LeSsDoOiT..."

" _Oh._ Of course. That's...great. OK. I know you're sick, but it'll take some time to make some arrangements, anyway."

"kAy..."

"Umm...All right. Let me know when you're feeling better, and...we'll work something out. Get you out there."

"MmM-hMm..."

"OK. Well, I hope you feel better soon."

"yOu AnD mE bOtH..."

"Then you can hang out with us next time we go out. I felt bad that you got left out last time."

"...hUh?"

"But I guess you wouldn't have had much fun, anyway, being sick and all..."

_Skfff._

"Is there anything I can do before I leave?"

"uHh...n-NaH...aHm GoOd..."

"OK. Rest up, make sure you're getting lots of fluids. Have a good night."

"yEp..."

* * *

Sitting in the floor lounge, doing homework on her own, Katara scanned her contacts list once again after a while of waiting.

[ **Skype** tm]

[Tuesday, February 15th, 2011]

[ _Chief_Hakoda_ ] - [Offline]

Argh. Dad must've been too busy tonight to get online...She'd left her Skype open all evening through her homework, but still no dice. Wait, what was this...?

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- hi katara. you ok?]  
[9:47pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Oh, hey, Meng. Sorry, I've been busy.]  
[10:19pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- its fine. you holdin up ok?]  
[10:21pm]

Katara hesitated at her keyboard. She sneezed into a tissue and wiped at her nose.

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Not really...=_=; I'm sick...]  
[10:22pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Plus everything else...]  
[10:22pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- aw. i'm sorry. :( HUUUG.]  
[10:22pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Thanks. ^^ ]  
[10:22pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- what about tophie?]  
[10:23pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I'm not really sure...Why?]  
[10:23pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- oh...guess she's keeping busy then.]  
[10:23pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Well, she's really sick, too. I'm sure it's not personal if she hasn't talked with you.]  
[10:24pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- no, it is. we're not talkin right now.]  
[10:25pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I see. =/ You're not the only one...]  
[10:25pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- i know. things sound trickty w/the breakup thing]  
[10:26pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Yea. They are...]  
[10:26pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- i got mad and kinda freeked out on her..]  
[10:26pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Ha...Toph seems to have that effect on people...^_^; ]  
[10:27pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- exactly.]  
[10:27pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- BRB]  
[10:28pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- kk!]  
[10:28pm]

Katara sneezed again, filling another tissue with gunk. She groaned as she dropped it into nearby waste basket and retreated to the floor's kitchen one room over to fix a bowl of tomato soup in the microwave. She took the couple minutes of downtime as she waited for it to cook to ponder her circumstances yet again. Sokka was ignorant about what was transpiring between her and Aang, but even Suki had seemed suspicious about it...Could she _not_ get involved with someone without complications? Was it simply not possible? _Urgh,_ and what was she supposed to do with it, anyway? She couldn't bear the idea of leaving Toph devastated over the matter...But on the other hand, leaving Aang to dry after the surprisingly courageous advances he'd made didn't seem too good an idea, either. She hadn't had any contact with Aang in a couple days now. The time was giving her space to consider how she really felt about him...Right from the start, a year and a half ago, she'd always looked at him as a timid, lost little kid who she'd look after.

But that simply wasn't the case anymore.

["- _BEEEEEEEP_ -"]

Katara was startled by the loud sound of the microwave, but quickly recovered, cupping the hot bowl in her hands and slowly making her way back to the couch of the lounge, careful not to spill any.

[AquaGirlKatara - I'm back.]  
[10:33pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - Soooo...Why did you and Toph argue?]  
[10:33pm]

[fortuneteller114 - just the same stupid junk she won't stop doing...]  
[10:35pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - She wants to get better. I know she does.]  
[10:36pm]

[fortuneteller114 - me too. but using me to make herself feel bettr isn't goin to help.]  
[10:36pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - I think you're right. She needs some space right now.]  
[10:37pm]

[fortuneteller114 - well that's what i'm giving her.]  
[10:37pm]

Katara lightly blew at her soup, which looked about ready to consume by now.

[AquaGirlKatara - I understand.]  
[10:38pm]

[fortuneteller114 - so what's going on with you? i saw in your fb you seem upset?]  
[10:39pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - Everything's strained lately. Just social awkwardness, and then school on top of that.]  
[10:40pm]

[fortuneteller114 - ah i get it.]  
[10:40pm]

[fortuneteller114 - so what's the deal with you and aang anyway?]  
[10:40pm]

_Grruuughhh..._

Katara's disposition twisted even further into the realm of irritation as she slurped her soup.

[AquaGirlKatara - Huh?]  
[10:41pm]

[fortuneteller114 - tophie seems convinced you two have a thing now...?]  
[10:42pm]

Katara was progressively getting more fed up with all of this gossiping about her and Aang's business.

[fortuneteller114 - i noticed you two aren't talking on FB lately, either...]  
[10:42pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - We kissed.]  
[10:43pm]

 _Wait, shoot...Argh, why did I just type that out without thinking?_ _Ugh, gotta clarify..._

[fortuneteller114 - oh! O_O ]  
[10:43pm]

[fortuneteller114 - wow...guess that makes sense tho.]  
[10:43pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - But we're not involved or dating, it was a mistake, I would nev]

Katara's fingers stopped moving when she noticed what Meng had written. She paused, contemplating Meng's thought. " _Makes sense?_ " Then Meng added more.

[fortuneteller114 - i mean it just always seems like there's something there w/you 2.]  
[10:44pm]

Katara deleted her previous thought before she posted it. Why did even the long-distance person assume this? Katara wasn't...some _floozy_ or something, home-wrecking and such...

[AquaGirlKatara - We're not dating or anything. I don't really know why it happened.]  
[10:44pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - To be honest I feel like it was wrong. Like we shouldn't have. I'd never want to hurt your cousin like that.]  
[10:44pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - _Please_ don't tell anyone about this.]  
[10:45pm]

[fortuneteller114 - it's ok i get it, katara. i won't tell anyone. that's your business.]  
[10:46pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - Thank you.]  
[10:46pm]

[fortuneteller114 - that explains why aang's been acting so weird, tho.]  
[10:46pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - Yea...]  
[10:47pm]

[fortuneteller114 - geez. that really is a tricky sitch.]  
[10:48pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - =_=; I know...]  
[10:48pm]

[fortuneteller114 - so do you have feelings for him?]  
[10:49pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - I don't know.]  
[10:49pm]

[fortuneteller114 - that's why you two haven't been talking then. you guys aren't sure?]  
[10:49pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - More or less...]  
[10:50pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i hope you figure that out soon.]  
[10:50pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - What if I _do_ , though? Then what?]  
[10:50pm]

Katara typed out, [We can't just] but Meng was quick on the draw.

[fortuneteller114 - you date him, silly. :P ]  
[10:50pm]

Sniffling, Katara rubbed her sore throat before eating more soup, deleting her previous half-sentence, and trying again.

[AquaGirlKatara - But Meng, we have to think about Toph's feelings. Doing that to her? It's...just not appropriate.]  
[10:51pm]

[fortuneteller114 - neither is cheating on your bf. or all buncha crap tophie does.]  
[10:52pm]

Hm. Not a bad point.

[fortuneteller114 - i love her but she's been making stupid choices. her feelings aren't your rsponsibility right now.]  
[10:52pm]

[fortuneteller114 - YOURS are.]  
[10:52pm]

Katara sighed, scratching her hand through her disheveled hair while wistfully humming along to the music she had playing.

[AquaGirlKatara - I appreciate your thoughts, Meng.]  
[10:54pm]

Katara couldn't accept the idea of ignoring how Toph would be affected. But Meng was Toph's cousin...and Katara knew that she was the only family member Toph had expressed actually feeling attached to. So the girl's opinion wouldn't get ignored, either.

[fortuneteller114 - think about what you want and no one else. that's how you'll really figure it out.]  
[10:55pm]

[fortuneteller114 - once you do, whatever you feel? you tell em either way. it's all about saying it like you mean it.]  
[10:55pm]

[fortuneteller114 - and hang in there. everyone will make it out ok. HUG]  
[10:55pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - All right. Thanks, Meng.]  
[10:56pm]

[fortuneteller114 - have a good night.]  
[10:56pm]

[AquaGirlKatara - You, too.]  
[10:56pm]

* * *

\- Wednesday, February 15th, 2011 -

Katara entered the room to catch Toph at her keyboard practicing with her big, green headphones. Having come back from her shift of correcting papers for students, she was mentally fatigued. Coat, backpack, shoes, hair...She took everything down and collapsed into her chair. She was feeling a bit dazed, still ill, and took out her bag of Wood Frog cough drops to start sucking on one. The things didn't taste very good, but they helped clear her passages, and that was the important part. As she finished the drop, Toph wrapped up her practicing.

"yOu'Re BaCk..." Toph's hoarse voice caught Katara while she was browsing through YouTube.

"Oh..." She turned around in her chair. "Hey, Toph..." Her own voice wasn't exactly healthy, but wasn't nearly as bad as Toph's.

"oUt HaViNg FuN?"

"Umm...No, I just got back from work, actually."

"mM. sO wHeN _aRe_ YoU gUyS aLl GoInG oUt AgAiN...hUh?"

Katara was confused, and couldn't tell if Toph was being spiteful or...what.

"I...I don't know, we haven't really...-"  
"gOnNa LeAvE mE oUt AgAiN, tHoUgH, rIgHt?"

"Are you talking about last weekend?"

"YeA, tHaNkS fOr ChEcKiNg To SeE iF _i_ WaNtEd tO gO..."

"Toph, it...-" Katara rolled her eyes. More snippy hostility from her roommate. _Exactly_ what she was hoping for when she got home. "It was _Sokka's_ idea." She sputtered out a couple coughs. "We went to a movie. You've been sick. And, frankly, you've been giving off the impression you don't really want to hang out." She took a tissue and clamped at her nose, which was starting to run again. " _Dot tuh menchun..._ -" She snorted gunk out in the tissue. "-...that you and Aang are supposed to be giving each other some space to avoid all the trouble." _Let's leave out the part where we all had temper tantrums, anyway, shall we? She doesn't need to know._

"sO nOw I jUsT dOn'T gEt tO sEe AnYoNe. SoUnDs FaIr..."

"No, Toph, ergh..." Katara sniffled, reaching for another tissue. "There wouldn't have been room, anyway, and...movies aren't really your kinda thing, right? Besides, it's...not like you have any _money_ right now to go to one..." Yea, that was a good reason. Everyone didn't need to always be paying for her. It was her own fault she didn't have any spending money.

"gRrMm..."

"B-but I mean...things will get better, right? I'm sure you and Aang will get past everything, and...-" _God, I sure hope so..._ "-...Suki is going to try and help you find work playing your music. So soon you'll have some spending money, and by then we can probably try to get everyone together again."

* * *

\- Thursday, February 17th, 2011 -

June's shifty eyes glared at her student worker from the opposite corner of the room. The red-head seemed to have a permanent scowl glued to her face all shift. Sokka handed her a slip of paper detailing a wrap order, so she broke away from her staring and went to work on it.

"Hey - what's eatin' you?" June inquired. She received no response as Jane continued to tend to a bacon cheeseburger on the grill. "Jane. Hey." She snapped her skinny fingers. "Talkin' to ya, here."

"Yea?"

"Somethin' crawl up your ass, or what?"

"No."

"Then wipe off the grump. Sick o' lookin' at it."

Jane's face scrunched up with rage for a brief moment before she sucked in a breath and slowly breathed out, calming herself. Their backs were facing each other, so June didn't notice this detail, but Jane was nevertheless confused. What did her fucking manager care? She was doing her job, wasn't she?

"You're not gettin' sick, too, are ya?" Sokka wondered as he came back from the next room with a finished milkshake.

"Nah," Jane replied with a shake of the head, adjusting her uncomfortable cap.

["Billie,"] came Sokka's voice over the speaker system. ["My milkshake is bringin' that boy to the door."] Some chuckles from the students that populated the restaurant. The one who ordered the shake came up and grabbed it with a grin as Sokka nodded to him, then turned around to face his friend.

" _Better_ not be sick," June said with threat. "I'll send your ass straight home."

"I'm _not,_ " Jane insisted in a grumble.

"Then what's got your boxers in a bunch?" June taunted casually, finishing up the wrap she was on. Jane flipped the burger and the accompanying bacon. As she reached for a slice of cheese to slap on it, she sighed.

"Just people yankin' my fuckin' chain, all right?" she snipped, not budging her gaze from the grill. June sent a dull and confused glance to Sokka, who shrugged as he accepted the wrap.

["Yo, Cassandra. Got a tunafish wrap with your name on it. Literally."]

"You ever try yanking _back_ when they do that?" June retorted.

"Yea. Doesn't usually work out so well."

"Uh- _huh_. Enjoy your brooding, then."

"Sure thing," Jane murmured with some dejection.

"I'm off to the bathroom," June advised with a nonchalant wave coupled with a yawn, sneaking out the back door.

"Ginger, lighten up, eh?"

"Back off..."

"All right," Sokka defensively surrendered with a shrug. He checked to make sure there was no line, then leaned against the front counter and stretched out his arm. He waited a moment, watching Jane wipe sweat from her head.

"Just a shitty situation." And there it was, as Sokka expected. Women often needed just enough space when they were fussy, but they'd often spill their beans just when they wondered if you really cared or not. "Katara's sending mixed messages and...then there's someone _else_ who just...-" She let the rest fade away while she used her spatula to stack the burger onto a paper plate. "But I'm fine," she said with a firm look, passing the plate to Sokka, who nodded solemnly. Better her sucking it up and facing things for what they were than freaking out, as far as he was concerned.

"Gotcha," he replied, taking the food and its tag and setting it on the counter. After calling out for the student and watching them take their food, he stood, scratching at his goatee. He recalled Aang's frustrated attitude as of late, and the way Jane seemed to be getting jealous over all this Katara/Aang business. Maybe he could do something about it. "So you're feeling torn between two people."

"I...-" Jane's eyes darted away from Sokka's glance. " _No,_ I'm...-" A passive shrug and she let the rest roll off into nowhere.

Pff. Lying. Typical Jane, right?

"You want me to talk with Aang?" offered Sokka with a blunt, exhausted tone. It wasn't that he wanted to get involved, it was that he wanted to see all this nonsense end. Jane's face went red, her eyes sparking with indignation.

" _What_?" she grunted, appalled. "Why would-?"  
"'Cuz he's been actin' a little odd lately, and seems to be under the impression that you're avoiding him."

Sokka was amused by Jane's confused expression.

Sure, keep on playing dumb, Freckle-Face.

"I'm not-...!" She spat out in a rush, jerking her head in a quick shake. "That's fuckin' retarded, you don't know what you're...-" Words faded into mumbles as she bobbed her head to the counter behind Sokka. A pair of customers were waiting, so Sokka whirled back and took their orders, letting the subject go for the evening but contemplating how to alleviate the situation.

* * *

"Sorry, Mai. I dunno," Ty-Lee apologized with an airy shrug from behind the coffee machine. "Haven't seen her all night."

"That's weird," muttered Mai, drumming her black-nailed fingers along her notebook's cover while that somewhat familiar blonde kid played violin on stage. "Wonder why she wouldn't show..." She spoke these words to herself more than anyone else, as Ty-Lee hummed playfully, crafting a coffee concoction.

"Hey, Mai!" Ty-Lee chirped as she set a drink on the countertop. "We should watch more TV tonight, doncha think?"

"Erm...Sure," acknowledged Mai with a shrug, still thrown off by the lack of guitar-playing blind girl.

"Double Mocha Latte~" sang Ty-Lee out to the crowd of customers, cutting through the sweet, sad violin notes. Mai sidestepped as a customer retrieved their drink.

"I vote for more Lie to Me," insisted Mai's roommate, which received a nod in reply.

"Yea, all right..." Hm. Ty was pretty into that show lately. And it was more than just 'OMG that Dr. Lightman IS SOOO HOTT' - although Mai knew fully well this was a factor. Regardless, the girl actually seemed into the show for the way it analyzed human emotion and physical reactions, which were concepts more intellectually involving than Mai might otherwise give her beloved friend credit for. The more she dwelt on it, the more Mai noticed that Ty-Lee seemed to be trying to exercise the principles from the show into her daily life, with mixed results. It was entertaining, especially when Ty-Lee practiced face-reading on Zuko, since he was a very easy target to read accurately, and also easily flustered.

"-gonna rag on me 'cuz I ordered a 'Bloody Zebra?'"

"No."

Mai suddenly realized that while she'd gone off into thought, a pair of familiar young men had entered the Jasmine Dragon.

"But the whole reason I ordered it is 'cuz I wanted to hear you complain about how violent a name it is."

"Uhhh..." Aang shrugged, his hands nervously in his vest pockets. His eyes sauntered off, intersecting Mai's, then lit up with relief as he waved. "Oh! Hi, Mai!"

"Hey, Aang," Mai greeted with a nod of the head, pleasantly surprised. She took a couple steps forward to approach them. "Hello, Sokka." Sokka, in a black overcoat, reciprocated her nod.

"'Ey, there, Doom-n'-Gloom. Lookin' sharp today," he pointed a finger at her hair, which was tied up in a messy bun held together by a makeshift chopsticks: a pen and pencil.

"Thanks," she replied dryly.

"No," disagreed Ty-Lee from the machine she was working at. "What's _really_ looking sharp tonight is your _coat_ ," she tittered. Sokka smirked, adjusting the coat's collar.

"It _is,_ isn't it?"

Mai rolled her eyes at his 'suave' demeanor. What a tool. Didn't he have a girlfriend, anyway? Ty-Lee...didn't know any better, but he ought to. While she prevented herself from barfing at Sokka and Ty-Lee's smalltalk, she noticed that Aang looked rather lost in thought, no-doubt down on himself after what she had heard happened at the movie theater.

"So, Aang - how's Toph doing?" Mai wondered, hoping to get his mind off of himself while simultaneously finding out why the musician was absent.

"Erm..." Aang blinked, dumbfounded for a moment. "I, uhm-...She's pretty sick, I guess. I heard her voice is practically gone."

"Oh." Mai nodded, glad to have the pieces click together. "That's too bad..."

"Yea..."

"Hope she gets better soon."

"Me, too." Aang's expression was lathered in doubt and guilt, which refocused itself on Sokka in irritation as the young man accepted his coffee from Ty-Lee, both of their faces gushing with sexual tension.

"-so this weather's no big deal for me, really. I grew up in harsh, frigid-"  
"Sokka," Aang cut him off in impatience. "You have your coffee now. We going?"

"Eh?" Sokka gaped at Aang, coffee cup in his hands. "Er, y-yea." He sheepishly waved off Ty-Lee. "Sorry - gotta jet. Nice seeing you ladies!"

"Bye~"  
"Good night."

As they exited the double-doors and emerged up through the stone steps to the cold campus, Aang shook his head.

"What's wrong with you?" he grumbled to Sokka, who seemed puzzled. "You pull me aside to...to scold me about how I'm conducting my love life, and then you do _that_?"

"Whaaaat?" Sokka bemoaned incredulously. "That was-! That was _flirting_."

"Flirting."

"Shameless, harmless flirting."

"Oh, and I suppose Suki would be just _dandy_ with that?"

"Umm...Yea. Probably."

"Probably."

"She'd be _fine._ _Geez,_ Bro, what's your deal all of a sudden?"

"I don't _have_ a deal. You just...shouldn't be doing that."

"I didn't _do_ anything. I talked. That was all."

"You _ogled._ "

"I _ogled,_ " Sokka repeated, eyebrows raised in gaping bemusement

" _Yes,_ you did."

"Were you ogling _me_ ogling _her_?"

"I-...! _What_ _?_ "

"Because that's pretty messed up, Aang."

"No! _No,_ I was-...Urgh, stop being stupid."

"See, and you're still acting all weird now that we're talking about girls again."

"No, I'm not."

"I'm telling you, I think Shamrocks has a thing for you, so if you like her _back,_ then you should just tell her, and get it-"  
"I do _not_!"

"Riiiight, because having sexual fantasies about your friends doesn't mean _anything_."

"I didn't have...-!" Aang fumed, his hands rumbling with aggravation. "I don't have feelings like that for Jane," he clarified with resolve.

"Uh- _huh._ So you're getting all touchy over some _other_ girl you like?" Sokka theorized rhetorically.

"I-I didn't _say that_ ," Aang swiftly sputtered, sighing out a cloud of steam into the evening air.

"There's nothing wrong with _liking_ someone after you break up, Aang," Sokka nonchalantly advised. "Just don't do anything rash about it unless you really _mean it_."

Aang had slipped into that silent, unresponsive mode he fell into when he didn't want to discuss something.

"Because you can't just take back that kind of thing," Sokka went on solemnly. "But you also shouldn't waste time, because there's only so much of it you get, my friend..."


	63. Recurring Theme

\- Friday, February 18th, 2011 -

Sokka parked his vehicle with care in an empty space by the sidewalk. As he turned off his car, he took a deep breath, tired from his long day. This extra errand had extended his evening, which he did not enjoy. He exited the car, locking the door behind him, and appreciated that the weather had been kind that day - the snow almost seemed like it was maybe _possibly_ disappearing...?

{DiMartino Ave.}  
{Konietzko St.}

_Freakin' weird-ass street names, but...this is the place._

Sokka found his way to the two-floor house on the corner of these two streets, and walked up the brick steps to the stone patio, which contained two folding chairs surrounded by a small collection of empty beer bottles. Sokka rang the doorbell and waited, wondering what to expect. Frat boys? Jocks? Nerds?

The door popped open swiftly and Sokka was greeted by a portly young man - a bit older than himself - with dark brown hair slicked back in a ducktail. His face was rounded with soft features and a fat nose, and he had gentle brown eyes. He ran his fat hand through his hair, one hand still on the door.

"Uh..." he muttered, confused.

"I'm Korra's cousin...?" Sokka managed out awkwardly, studying the man's UFC-branded T-shirt.

" _Oh!_ " The host's eyes sparked with interest, and he welcomed his guest with an open arm. "Come on in!"

Sokka walked into their abode, the difference in temperature comforting. He was shocked: given the state of the patio, he'd been expecting a bit of a pig sty, but their house seemed quite neat and tidy, and even smelled good, to boot.

" _Bro!_ " the pudgy host shouted to another part of the house as he closed the door. "The guy's here!" He turned his attention back to Sokka. "Oh, er, you can just...-" He gestured his head to the metal coat rack sitting beside the door. Sokka obliged and hung his coat while the baby-faced gentleman nodded slowly.

"Live here with your brother, huh?" Sokka muttered with curiosity, glancing to the stairway the guy has yelled toward.

"He'll be here in a sec." The man reached out an open palm, which Sokka took. "So you're Sohkuh, huh? Nice to meet you."

_Damn. Ow. Hand. Crushing..._

"Fff. No, no." Sokka smirked coolly, shaking off his wrist from the harsh shake. "The name's Sokka - it's pronounced with an 'ah-kuh.'"

"Uh-huh. I see..." The man tapped his chin and nodded slowly, then jabbed his thumb into his chest. "I'm Bolin." He bobbed his head to the side. "That's my brother, Mako."

The other gentleman was thinner, a bit taller, and had the same olive complexion as his brother, but with sharper, thinner features. His eyes were cold and unamused, and his hair was spiked up in the front in that preppy, pseudo-faux-hawk way Sokka found himself morally opposed to. He offered Sokka a lethargic, half-hearted wave.

"Hey."

"Heya." Sokka tried to act as aloof as this fellow did so as to remain unfazed.

"Here..." Bolin nodded to the leather couch in the center of the living room, easing Sokka to sit, while Mako took to the recliner at the other side. As Bolin rested his buttocks beside Sokka's, he rubbed his palms together. "So! Errmm...Yea. So you're...Canadian, huh?"

"Yuppers."

"Cool, cool..."

"Student at the college, right?" Mako checked.

"Yea, sure am."

Mako went on. "So your cousin - Korra - she's transferring?"

_Ugh. Typical Korra. You hardly talked with them..._

"Haha! Noooo, no. She never went to college, and she never will, I can promise you that. She just got a job out here, is what happened."

"Oh?"

"Where?" inquired Bolin.

"Ya know where that pub used to be? The one they're doing construction on?"

"Across from the Pizza Hut, right?"

Sokka nodded to Bolin.

"Yea, that one. It's this, like...rec center... _thing..._ She's gonna be the manager."

"Whoa." Bolin's eyes bulged, impressed. "Nice..."

"So she'll have steady income," Mako noted. Jeez, this guy needed to lighten up.

"Uhh...Yea, that's the goal," Sokka muttered.

"And you're sure she isn't going to mind rooming with two guys?"

Sokka scratched at his goatee, puzzled by Mako's question. If Korra wasn't sure, why would she have applied in the first place?

" _Yeaaa,_ I don't think that'll be a problem," he concluded. "Honestly? I think she'd prefer living with guys instead of girls. I actually think that's probably what drew her to your guys' ad." Sokka barely caught a glance of Bolin shooting his brother a sly eyebrow waggle. Sokka didn't approve.

"Pay your bills, keep things clean, don't cause a racket. That's all we're looking for," stated Mako flatly. "It's pretty simple. Our last roommate couldn't handle that."

"Yea, I-...That all makes sense," Sokka agreed. He worried a bit about the 'keep things clean' part, but Korra would just have to deal. She didn't have much time, and this was the only open place in town in her budget. "I'm sure she'll get along fine with you guys." Sokka had noticed a few pieces of sports memorabilia strewn about the living room. Korra was into stuff like... _sport_ _s..._ She'd fit in.

"Then it sounds like we just need to take care of semantics," Mako concluded, his mood seeming to lighten ever so slightly as he rose from his chair. "You have the first month's rent?"

"Sure do," said Sokka with a nod, also getting up. He went to his coat and pulled out a sealed envelope Korra had mailed to him, containing the check required. "And she'll have the security deposit for ya when she moves in."

"Then let's settle some paperwork."

As Mako proceeded to the hall and up the stairwell, a swift, furry creature came streaking into the living room. At first glance, it looked like an elongated rat, flying along at breakneck speed to Bolin. Its presence made Sokka flinch in fright, but Boli outstretched his arms and the little devil jumped right into his lap, playfully squirming around.

" _Eyyy,_ Pabu!" cried Bolin, chuckling whilst the animal crawled up his shoulders and around his neck.

"What _is_ that thing?" Sokka mumbled with uncertainly, leaning back to the side, stepping away from the couch.

"This here's our pet ferret!" Bolin cheered, grasping the critter and holding him up toward Sokka. His length body wriggled around until Bolin set him down on the rug, and off he scampered away.

"Heh..." Sokka shrugged. Quite a hyper-active little beast. "Korra _did_ mention she has a puppy, right?"

"Yea, yea, no prob," Bolin dismissed any concern. "It's all good. Pabu's a friendly guy. We welcome animals here."

"That's...good." _Heh, 'cuz my cousin is quite a crazy animal, herself..._

"Playing with that rodent of yours, I see," Mako sighed, brushing by the beast as he entered the living room once more, this time a folder in his hand. "Well, we don't want to leave you waiting - I'm sure you have classwork to take care of. Here's the papers."

* * *

[ **Facebook - Sokka Kesuk** ]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** is now friends with **Bolin Volcan**.]  
[5 hours ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** Describe your last poop using a movie title.]  
[3 hours ago]  
[15 people like this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.]  
[3 hours ago]  
[3 people like this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- A River Runs Through It.]  
[3 hours ago]  
[4 people like this.]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- charlie and the chocolate factory]  
[3 hours ago]  
[6 people like this.]

[ **Zuko Kurosawa** \- The Last Samurai]  
[3 hours ago]  
[3 people like this.]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]  
[3 hours ago]  
[7 people like this.]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- blood diamond]  
[2 hours ago]  
[8 people like this.]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- 28 days later]  
[2 hours ago]  
[8 people like this.]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- night of the living dead]  
[2 hours ago]  
[8 people like this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- Christ, Jane. lol.]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Jane Fitzpatrick likes this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- This one's for Toph Beifong and Mai Chiao : Big Trouble in Little China.]  
[2 hours ago]  
[6 people like this.]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- The Breakfast Club.]  
[2 hours ago]  
[7 people like this.]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- Charming, Sokka...-_- ]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Sokka Kesuk likes this.]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- xmen the last stand]  
[2 hours ago]  
[3 people like this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- Escape From Alcatraz.]  
[2 hours ago]  
[9 people like this.]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Why can I not stop laughing at all this? xD ]  
[2 hours ago]  
[5 people like this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Because I have finally broken you. ]:) ]  
[2 hours ago]  
[4 people like this.]

[ **Bolin Volcan** \- mad max beyond thunderdome!]  
[2 hours ago]  
[6 people like this.]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- eat, pray, love =3 ]  
[2 hours ago]  
[7 people like this.]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- blazing saddles]  
[1 hour ago]  
[10 people like this.]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- tombstone]  
[1 hour ago]  
[9 people like this.]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- the good the bad and the ugly]  
[1 hour ago]  
[12 people like this.]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Jesus, Ginger. You're getting really into this...]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- The Twilight Saga: Eclipse]  
[48 minutes ago]  
[13 people like this.]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn]  
[41 minutes ago]  
[14 people like this.]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- http:/fortressofeden(dot)files(dot)wordpress(dot)com/2010/03/toilight-paper-macro(dot)jpg ]  
[35 minutes ago]  
[15 people like this.]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- scott pilgrim vs the world]  
[35 minutes ago]  
[8 people like this.]

[ **Bolin Volcan** \- iron man]  
[18 minutes ago]  
[5 people like this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- the Incredible Hulk.]  
[15 minutes ago]  
[7 people like this.]

[ **June** **Hale** \- ricochet rabbit & droop-a-long]  
[7 minutes ago]  
[Sokka Kesuk likes this]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- That's an OLD ASS cartoon, June, not a movie. But...damn, that's still a good one.]  
[5 minutes ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- I am so proud of you guys...:D :D :D ]  
[2 minutes ago]

* * *

\- Saturday, February 19th, 2011 -

[To: Aang]  
[Hey, Bud...Where are you? Still haven't heard back...]  
[Sent: 4:58pm]

Katara sighed as she closed her phone, dropping it into her coat pocket. She hadn't spoken with Aang in days. Geez...A week, maybe? Wow, that was...really weird for them. She didn't like it. Her insides ached at the idea that she was getting ignored by him.

 _Gah, but I've been pushing him away, I asked for it. But he was an idiot, he was the one being pushy. Urgh, and Toph, she'd-no, no. Stop it. Focus on_ your _feelings, not hers._

Katara's brain was swirling in the uncomfortable stew of doubt it'd been caught in all week. She still didn't know exactly how to handle the cards she'd been dealt, but...she knew one thing: she missed Aang.

"Earth to Kat: food."

"Oh. Heh. Sorry..." Whoa, they were at the cafeteria already? Yikes, she didn't remember the walk from Aqua to the ACC at all...

"Ya gotta stop all this broodin' and crap," Jane picked, jabbing a fork at her shoulder. "Doesn't suit ya."

Katara had to give Jane credit - given all the awkwardness that had transpired, Jane seemed content putting in the effort to keep things afloat. The old Jane - 'Smellerbee' - she'd never bother doing that.

"She's right, Katara," came a familiar voice from behind them. She whirled around to notice that it was that trio she knew casually through Aang. The one speaking was...Tylee, right? "It's bad for your skin."

Jane's eyes rolled as the lot approached, and she kept her back to them, but Katara noticed that Sokka and Suki were alongside them.

"Hey, guys!" her brother greeted. "Mind if we have some extra company tonight?"

"Sure," Katara agreed, pleased to have a large batch of folks to eat food with. Jane wasn't too thrilled at the prospect, but...well, she'd get over it.

After everyone had collected their meals and congregated at the large table, Katara found herself coming in on Zuko explaining this project he'd been working on.

"-and that's all well and good, but I think if we had a place better suited for recreation, we could not only have a place for students to come together, but also a place where people from downtown could feel welcome, too. Get SRU more connected to the community - to the people."

"What, like high school kids, or somethin'?" Sokka mumbled with a dubious frown.

"Well, _yes_ ," Zuko replied with a shrug. "I mean, I don't see why it'd be so horrible."

"It's going to be downtown in Wayward, anyway," Mai pointed out.

"They still gonna serve actual _drinks_ there?" Jane wondered with skepticism. After all, this place used to be where she drank her booze.

"We'll have some after-hours events, I'm sure," Zuko replied. Jane shrugged at that answer, because to her, it meant, 'Not really.'

" _Oh-oh-oh-oh_ you should host an ice cream social!" Ty-Lee squealed, waving her hand wildly from two seats away from Zuko.

"Urm...Yea, I'm sure we will..."

"And do an egg-hunt when it's Easter time!"

"Uhh..."

"And a _bake sale!_ For _charity!_ "

"Hm..."

"And-and-and...-"

Mai set her bony fingers on her rooomate's shoulder, causing her to suck in a deep breath and let her rampant ideas settle.

"So..." Katara mixed her spoon through her applesauce. "Aang seems like he's been pretty busy with the United Republic lately...What, exactly, is taking up all that time?"

Zuko raised a brow at the girl posing this question.

"Well, he's...working on some complicated wall murals, and...-"  
"That's all I thought he was doing." My, Katara seemed kind of hostile about the subject for some reason...

"No. I mean, that was the base of it, but he and I have been talking a lot about other details. He's been helping me organize things, design the layout of the place, decide on staff to hire to keep it runn-"  
"Sounds like a _lot_ more than what he signed up for."

"Katara," Mai interjected with defense, not appreciating the way her boyfriend was being passively ripped on. "Aang and Zuko agreed on all of this beforehand, and he knows that if he needs a breather he just needs to ask for it."

"He's receiving compensation for his work from the school," Zuko added. "And he _wants_ to do it..."

"Yea, Sis," Sokka skeptically muttered from her side. "He's been telling me about it all the time - he's totally into it. I don't get your deal."

While Sokka kept his brow raised, Jane's olive eyes rolled in their sockets as she munched on her

"And if it weren't for Aang's involvement, your cousin wouldn't have gotten the job," Suki pointed out.

Katara huffed through her nose, sucking down some fruity sauce. They were all right. And she knew why she was really upset - she hadn't been able to see Aang ever since their little "incident," and was choosing to believe it had to do with him being busy, rather than him ignoring her.

"Well, I...haven't seen him all week, and he hasn't been responding to my texts today," she grumbled in a fuss, continuing to eat.

"He's been doing schoolwork all day up at the art building," Mai casually explained. "I could take you up to see him after dinner."

"Oh..."

"See? You're all good. Take a chill pill," Sokka eased, slapping her on the back. She had grown to _really_ hate that phrase - 'take a chill pill' - and Sokka seemed quite oblivious to the personal sensitivities it brought up. "Everything will work itself out just fine."

"Like you and me and _finding jobs_ in a few months?" Suki sighed. Yikes, she sure seemed blunt about rubbing that in Sokka's face these days...It made Katara worry a bit, but she had more than enough to deal with right now, and Sokka likely didn't want her fiddling. Ugh, Lord, what was her problem? Getting worked up about other people's business even _now_ while stuck in her her myriad of _crap._

"Oh, yea, that's coming up pretty soon," Zuko noted with a hard swallow.

"Mai here's got a _photography_ internship lined up," Ty-Lee bragged in mysticism on behalf of her friend, who shrugged passively at this.

"It's work, I guess..."

"With how things are going, _some_ work is better than _none_ , is the vibe I'm gettin'," Sokka expressed his own doubts.

"Exactly," Suki agreed. "The fact of the matter is that a lot of us that graduate right now are probably going to need to bite the bullet and take a job we hate for a while..."

"One that doesn't even have to do with our _degrees_ ," grumbled Sokka. "Not that mine is _good for any_ _thing_..."

"Oh, stop your bitching," Jane picked with a tired frown. "Start looking for work instead of complaining."

Suki's expression flashed with some pleasant surprise.

"She's right, you know," she said to Sokka, who nodded dully.

"Yehhp. Recurring theme. I get it..."

"You know _another_ recurring theme?" Suki said with a laugh through her nostrils. She pinched at the patch of fur hanging from Sokka's chin. "You'll look a lot more professional if you cut off or at least _trim_ this small _animal_ that's starting to grow on your face..."

* * *

"Aang? He's been doing all right," Mai assured as they hiked side by side toward the art building. She was surprised that their walk had been free of subject up until now. "Been keeping busy. Zuko's had him hard at work on their building project, sure, but...He's just been cooped up in the art building a lot, too."

"Ah." Katara nodded thoughtfully. Mai noticed that she seemed kind of nervous.

"Have you been able to see it yet? The United Republic."

"Oh, um...No..."

"It's...beautiful. Aang's quite a talented kid, you know?"

A crack of a smile formed on Katara's face, and an earnest "Yea" spilled out. Mai smirked at that tiny smile on Katara's face, for she was quite familiar with it - it seemed to show up on Aang's face a lot lately, too.

"You should go check it out sometime. It's not finished, but his wall art is really something."

"Y-yea, I'm sure I'll...get to see it some time..." Back to that discouraged look. Whatever had happened a week ago, it had put both Aang and Katara into some kind of tizzy...While curious and a tad concerned, Mai knew they'd work things out on their own and wasn't going to wedge her way into it. She simply didn't have the energy for that kind of thing, and wondered how on earth Katara _did_. Keeping just a couple of people in her life stable and happy seemed hard enough, but it sounded like Katara was often juggling that whole group of people...

"I'm sure he's not meaning to ignore you," Mai put out some encouragement as they entered the building. "Like I told you, he's been busy - of his own accord."

"No, I...I get that..."

"He won't know you're here," Mai whispered with a sneaky grin. "Let's see how long it takes 'til he notices..."

"Oh...kay...?" Katara muttered back, confused but entertained by the gloomy girl's mischief.

As they quietly passed through a sea of sculptures, drawings, paintings, and supplies, they found Aang hard at work up in the loft, as he usually was, his back to them while he worked feverishly on a painting.

"Hey, Aang," Mai greeted with nonchalance, delivering a sly wink as she went over to her own piece, a charcoal work depicting a mountain range.

"Hey," he grunted back calmly, dabbing at his canvass.

"How's that coming?" Mai asked.

"Getting there..." Aang replied, staring at his work with careful eyes. He set his brush down for a moment in his easel, scratching at his hair underneath his white newsie hat before readjusting and grabbing the brush again. Katara snuck up behind him and eavesdropped over his shoulder from a distance. Her jaw dropped open partway.

The incomplete work depicted a young woman in elegant white robes, her hair braided in complex tangles, a full moon casting an eerie glow upon her. The lower half of the painting was still unfinished, but Katara couldn't help but notice the familiarity of the woman's face: it looked an _awful_ like her own...

She felt her cheeks burn hot with embarrassment. The sight before her overwhelmed with its flattery while Aang unknowingly dabbed away at the piece, his tongue poking out of his mouth as he squinted at it. A snicker tumbled out of Katara's mouth, accompanied by some timid words.

"That's beautiful, Aang..."

" _Yughh?"_ came a deep-toned, shaky groan of surprise while Aang swirled around, his hand suddenly trembling. " _Whoa,_ hey. There. Katara. Wow. You...are _here._ "

"Umm..." She shrugged. Oh, brother. Now _his_ face was all red, too. "Yea, I've...been looking for you, and...you weren't answering my texts..."

"Ahah. Heh. Right..." Aang bore a set of unwary teeth, seeming to hover in front of his painting, as if to hide it. "It got left. In my room. I mean. So. Yea. Sorry 'bout that. My bad."

Neither one seemed capable of breaking eyesight, each gaping at the other in silence. Katara suddenly remembered that Mai was _right there_ , witness to this. Ugh, because this was oh-so-subtle.

"Ah. That...makes sense...I was just-...Well, you know, it's been...a _week_ and all...And Mai, she knew you were here, so...-"

"Yea! That. Makes sense. Yep." Aang nodded his head briskly.

They both twisted their heads to Mai, who was playing ignorant, scribbling at her drawing. Katara was struck with the idea that she'd been setup. Mai deserved more credit than she'd been getting - the girl was a sneaky one! She knew this whole time, didn't she?

"UhHhHh..." Aang shrugged, setting his equipment down on the floor carelessly. "Y-ya know, I've been...workin' hard all day on this, maybe I oughtta...go get some air..."

"Yea, you should," Mai said dryly. "It's actually pretty nice out."

"Shhhuuure. Katara, how about I walk you back to the dorm?"

"Sounds great," Katara said with a shaky laugh. "Have a good night, Mai."

"Have fun, you two."

"Y-yea, we will," Katara chirped out sheepishly, pulling Aang out in a rush. Moments later, they were out of the building, swiftly pacing side-by-side down the sidewalk toward Aqua, hand-in-haaaaa- _Whaaaat?_

Katara's fingers practically popped off, her hand springing off of Aang's.

" _Sorry_ ," Katara squeaked, "I didn't...-"  
"It's OK."

Katara tugged at her hair and Aang fidgeted with his hat. They both stuffed their fists in their coat pockets afterward.

"Listen," Katara initiated, "Aang, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, and how I was blowing you off last weekend, it was-"  
"No, I was outta line, I _totally_ shouldn't have done that..."

They both smirked at each other's apologies.

"I didn't mean to...leave you hanging," Katara mumbled, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "You know that, right?"

Aang felt a lump in his throat clearing. It was comforting to hear that. He still couldn't work out words, so he nodded, instead. Their eyes pulled apart again.

"I could...give you a list of excuses," Katara continued. "But it's really just that...I don't _know_ yet..."

"And you don't want to hurt Toph...I don't, either..."

"Yea..." _Or Jane...But, um, we don't need to get into that_.

"Sooo..." Aang cleared his throat. "What do we _do_?" _All this uncertainty is killing me..._

"I think...we...-" _Ugh, I have no idea..._

"You're still thinking about it," Aang conceded Katara some mental space.

"Rrrright." Katara nodded, her eyes following the rivets in-between blocks of sidewalk. "Heh...Sorry..."

"Ha, no, it's-...I-I get it..."

"I'm just not sure what do to do with all of this, Aang."

"Whhh...Which means you want to do _something_ with it...?" he peeped with some hope.

"Ulgh, uh...R-right, _maybe_. I-I mean...-" Her shoulders popped up hastily.

_Shoot, I shouldn't have said it to her like that. Grr, Aang, why can't you stop being so stupid?_

"No, I know," Aang spat out in courtesy. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm...just gonna...stop saying words now. Heh."

"There's just some... _stuff_...going on that's making this more complicated that it needs to be," Katara muttered, pulling her hood up over her head as her ears were starting to freeze from the evening air.

"Mm..."

"I guess...I just need some more time to figure it out, and by then...I'll...know what to do with... _us_..." _Jeez, I'm making it sound like such a problem, some big burden...Is that what it really is to me? That just doesn't sound right..._ "It's just all _complicated_."

"Yea. It's...cool. I know how...complicated...stuff like that can be. Ya know?" _Well, if she_ really _didn't like me at_ all, _she totally would've just dropped it by now..._

"Yea..." _Shoot,_ _rubbing in what just happened, nice move, Katara._ "Right, I guess...you _do_. Huh?" Katara was now realizing that she'd been treading water this whole week, this cloud of gobbly-gook looming over her, and yet she hadn't genuinely sat down and sorted out how to untangle it just yet. Now she was feeling like an idiot. "So, Aang, um...Tell how the United Republic's coming along...?"

"Errhhh...Sure! Yea..."

While Aang rattled off details, Katara decided that it was telling - that even though she didn't know what she wanted out of all of this, she _did_ want to spend time with Aang. That _had_ to mean something. She had to get to the bottom of that desire.

* * *

\- Sunday, February 20th, 2011 -

"Ah. See, now...Sokka, that's your problem right there: you watched Fox News at _all_ to begin with!"

A round of chuckles between the two of them.

The man before Sokka was in his 40's, his face slightly wrinkled, his smile sage and calm. He had a trimmed, half-grayed goatee and mustache, and was wearing slacks and a tidy brown sweater. He was Professor Piandao.

"Pff, hey..." Sokka shook his head slowly as he took a bite of his croissant. "You should be glad I watch the news _at all._ I mean, the only news anyone my age watches anymore is, like...comedy stuff. Like Colbert and Stewart."

Piandao smirked.

"Fox News _isn't_ comedy? I think you're mistaken."

More laughs.

"OK, OK, but...seriously." Sokka slurped some coffee. "My generation, man...The only news we get is through entertainment. It's kind of sad, really..."

"Knowledge has to be sugared up and canned for consumption. Like everything else these days..."

"Yea."

"There's not really much you can do about that other than to be vigilant yourself."

"I know..."

Piandao sighed to himself, dunking his oatmeal cookie into his coffee and taking a bite while they both reflected on this idea.

"It's a shame," Piandao remarked. "All of these problems we've gotten our society into, and the economy is collapsing on itself. It's a bit ignorant to expect you guys to repair this broken culture you're being dumped into - all on your own, anyway."

Sokka's head drooped, and he rubbed at his eyes while he contemplated his predicament.

"God, I don't even... _care_ about our culture, I'm just worried about finding a _job_ in a few months..."

Piandao continued to dunk his cookie, and waggled a finger to Sokka.

"Why are you so worried? You're about to graduate with a degree and a lot of experience."

Sokka's fingers rattled along the table and he leaned back in his seat.

"That's exactly it."

"Oh?" Piandao's brow lifted with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

"Despite all the work I've put into school, and all this time...I just don't know how in the _hell_ I'm ever going to manage after all of this. Because I'm an idiot. Because I'm lazy. Because...because if my girlfriend and my little sister weren't constantly on my back to get crap done, I'd...-" He sighed, his head rolling back as he stared at the ceiling. "-...I'd probably just _fail_ at everything."

Piandao smirked with empathy as he finished off his cookie.

"For someone who's supposed to be competing in a job market, brimming with self-confidence and all...you're not doing a very good job at selling yourself."

"I know," Sokka mumbled, his head rolling back around as he stared down into his coffee cup. "Everyone keeps telling me that I'm almost done, that I've nearly finished...that I'm a 'man' now, that...that I'm ready to take on the ' _real world,_ '" he flashed irritated air quotes, "and be an adult and...everything. But the truth is...I don't know if _am_ an adult...Or if I _could_ take care of myself, much less someone else..."

"Mm...I see," Piandao said cautiously, thoughtfully. "Then I suppose you'll be spending the following months finding out just how 'adult' you really _are_ _._ "

Sokka drank a long gulp of his coffee, which was warm by now, but still creamy and sugary, as he liked it.

"I suppose _so_..."


	64. Collide

\- Monday, February 21st, 2011 -

Jane sighed as she set the prepared wrap on a plate, dropped a pickle spear next to it, and placed it on the counter. She dully announced into the speaker system.

["Aang."]

From their normal booth at Appa's, Aang and Sokka were having a lunch break together, having both just gotten out of class. Sokka's food had been finished first, and he was already partway through eating it. He had cautiously watched Jane's uncertain expression as she'd announced Aang's name, and the way she'd suddenly turned away as soon as he moved from his booth. By the time he went to go get his food, she was back at the grill, adjusting her cap and uneventfully ignoring him.

"Thanks!" he called to her over the counter with a bright smile. She didn't respond, tending to a batch a curly fries that had been in their oil just long enough. Aang shrugged it off, still puzzled about her friend's attitude. He just couldn't comprehend all of the women around him lately. As he sat down with his veggie wrap, his back to the workspace Jane resided in, he took a large bite of out his pickle.

"You go ahead and eat your _vegetable sandwich_ ," Sokka scoffed. "She's made _me_ a burger, so I'm gonna have to tell her how it is. Ginger's still trying to work out the kinks."

"Mm," Aang nodded, his jaws slicing the pickle absentmindedly.

He'd been considering asking Sokka about this for a while. After all, Sokka _was_ her brother...and he knew her better than anyone, right? After he swallowed his pickle, he paused.

"So, Sokka...You know some stuff about ladies, right?"

" _Some_ stuff?" Sokka went wide-eyed. "Come to your senses about what I was sayin' huh?" A sly grin formed. "You've come to the right place, my friend." Sokka waggled his eyebrows in a way that made Aang slightly uncomfortable. "What can I do ya for?"

"Well...So, I mean, I know we've been talking about it really vaguely and all, but...so...-" Aang huffed, then spoke in a clear voice. "I _have_ been having some awkwardness with this girl, right?"

Sokka's eyes had wandered away from his roommate while he was speaking, planting themselves suspiciously on the red-headed grill-cook.

"Ya know, Bud, I've thought on it a bit more, and I _think_ I know who ya mean," Sokka cockily assured, keeping his voice low. _You can keep denying it, Bud, but I know what the deal is here._

Aang's jaw went agape. Had Sokka finally figured it out?

"You _do_?" he choked out in a loud spat. "And you're _...OK_ with it?"

"Of _course_ I am," Sokka spewed hastily, keeping his tone low. His gaze averted back to Jane, who was gawking at them, having apparently overheard Aang's outburst of shock. She looked disconcerted. This made Sokka amused. "And, to tell you the truth," he went on, voice lowered, "I've been picking up a subtle vibe that she likes you, too."

"She...She _does_?" Aang whispered, matching Sokka's decibel level. Aang practically couldn't eat anymore at this point.

" _Oh_ -yea - she's _crazy_ about ya," Sokka was quick to insist, like it wasn't anything at all. "All ya have to do now is not mess it up." He jabbed a finger at Aang's chest.

_Sokka's right! I can't ruin this, it's such a complicated situation..._

"W-well, how do I do _that_?" Aang's eyes were blinking furiously. Finally! Maybe he'd get somewhere this time in a talk with Sokka on the matter.

"The number one mistake nice guys like you make?" Sokka shook his head slowly. "Being _too nice_."

"You can be _too_ nice?" _Monkey-feathers! Maybe that's why she was avoiding me before? I'm being too...'into' her? Giving her too much attention?_

"Oh, yea. If you wanna keep her interested, you have to act aloof - like you don't really care one way or the other."

 _Huh, I guess that..._ kind of _makes sense...? Katara_ has _been saying how she needs space, and...everything._

"Well...OK..." Aang ruffled his hair, contemplating it all. "Hm..." He got up with his cup, which was still empty, and paced over to the soda fountain, in a mental daze.

["Jamal."]

Jane placed the next meal on her list onto the counter, then shimmied down the window to where Aang stood, addle-brained, filling his cup with raspberry tea as Sokka observed with delight.

"Yo," she greeted, suddenly interested in interaction. Aang was too lost in thought to pay her much heed. "Everything all right over there?" Jane grunted out with curiosity.

Aang simply shrugged to this, popping the cap on his cup as he scratched at his head feverishly, beginning to walk away.

"Er...R-right, cool," Jane called back. "I've got my _own_ stuff goin' on, anyway. Catch ya later."

"Mm," Aang hummed back with a zombie's shrug.

"Wow... _That-kid-is-good_..." Sokka muttered to himself, going to stroke his beard, only to realize it wasn't there, having been shaved off the night prior. It was rough and scratchy, like sandpaper. This bothered him. Sandpaper-face wasn't manly. And yet shaved was what it needed to remain if he wanted proper make-outage that night.

* * *

\- Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 -

Sokka's search was proving to be unyieldingly frustrating. An hour of internet searching and he couldn't seem to find very many leads on jobs he felt confident he could actually apply for, but he tossed some applications out there, anyway. Grah, everyone wanted work experience that he didn't _have._ What was he supposed to do with that? He was relieved when his sister arrived, catching him off guard without any previous contact.

"Yo," he greeted with nonchalance from his desk, trying to mask his underlying stress.

"Hey, Sokka," Katara nodded as she lingered in his open doorway, her attention distracted as she glanced down the hallway.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, I was...just around." She stepped into the room.

"Oh?"

"Aang's, um...-" Her hands were wedged in her coat pockets. "-...out working on art...stuff. Huh?"

"Uh, actually, I think he went out for a jog." Sokka thumbed to the window of their room.

"Oh. Right. Well...That's cool." Katara nodded.

Sokka rubbed at his fleshy stomach from beneath his wrinkled, greenish-plaid button-down. He pinched at a bit of flab.

"Startin' to wonder if maybe I oughtta follow his lead..."

Katara shrugged at this, pulling her hands out of her coat.

"Erm...I dunno. You look fine to me."

"Meh..." _I'm your brother, your opinion doesn't count in these things._

"Suki's been badgering you to get in shape. That's it, isn't it?"

"Yea..." Sokka huffed through his nose, running his hand through his hair, which was tied up in in a tight tail. Now that Katara thought on it, he'd been wearing it like that when he _wasn't_ with Suki, and had his hair down when he _was_ with her. Normally he had been leaving it down all of time, so...what was with the change?

"Well..." Katara shrugged. "That sort of thing is up to _you_...You know?"

"Right." Sokka's jaw slid to the side in contemplation while Katara's hands fidgeted with one of her tied locks of hair that hung over her shoulder. There was silence for a moment.

"Rockin' the hair droopies a lot lately," Sokka remarked with a slow gesture of his index in her direction.

"Huh...?" Katara's hands popped off of her hanging locks and onto her temples in confusion.

"The, uh...-" Sokka waggled his finger across his sideburn. "The hair droopies." Katara suddenly realized Sokka was referring to the tied locks she'd sometimes set in front of either ear.

"As opposed to hair _loopies_ ," Katara dully sought clarification. Her brother needed a stupid name for _everything._ She flicked one of the hanging locks with her wrist. "These?" she grumbled.

"Exactly. You've been wearing the loopies _and_ the droopies a lot lately. What's up with that?"

"Uhh...-?" A raised brow and a shrug while she checked to ensure her forehead 'loopies' were still in tact. "Just...feel like it, I guess..." _I remember Aang used to say that he liked them - thought they made me look 'unique.'_

"Ah." Sokka rubbed at his chin, which was bare.

"You shaved your little beard off," Katara observed with impatience, almost as some weak-willed counter.

"Yea," Sokka sighed. "Suki doesn't like the scruff..."

"You look nice, though."

"Thanks. You, too."

More silence, as both pondered their own circumstances.

"I, uh...haven't heard much from Aang lately...Is he doing OK?" She hadn't gotten any messages from him since their last encounter on that walk from the art building.

" _Pff,_ " Sokka tossed his arm. "Totally. If anything happens, I'll report it straight to you, Miss Madame Lady All-Seeing Overseer Lady." _When I hook these two up, I am gonna so rub it in your face, Sis._

"Uhm..." Katara's jaw slid to the side with some irritation at his foolish name, but she decided to let it pass this time. She sighed and rolled the topic off. "So...Sokka, when you have a big, _super_ stressful decision you have to make...What do you do to help you decide?"

"I make a list," Sokka had immediately replied, like it was nothing. Like it was so simple.

"A list." Katara was thoroughly unimpressed with this answer.

"Yea. Ya just...write down the pros and cons of the choice you're thinking of making."

"Hm..." Katara twirled her finger through a hair 'droopie' for a moment. _Gee, lotta freakin' help, Sokka..._

Sokka's eyebrows furrowed. "Why? What's up?"

"You don't want to know," Katara wrote off the matter, still a tad bitter about his insistence on not hearing her out earlier in the week.

"Ah. Gotcha..." His eyes remained suspicious for a moment before his gaze was averted back to his computer.

"So..." Katara's eyes rolled across the room, and she found herself regretting her impromptu visit. No Aang, _and_ no help from her brother. "How's things going with getting Korra that place?"

"Good," Sokka obliged, clicking at his USB mouse. "She's pretty much set up now. Just needs to...ya know... _move_ out here."

"Oh. Cool. So...we're helping with that, right?"

"Yea, next weekend."

"Neat. That's...just so crazy. She'll be right nearby."

"I _know_. I'm actually kinda stoked. It's funny how things work out sometimes, am I right?"

"Yea..." Katara nodded. She wasn't as enthused as Sokka, but then again, she and Korra didn't mesh quite as well. Now that she thought about it, she realized that maybe if Korra _was_ nearby, they'd get more acquainted with each other, and feel more like family. Katara liked that prospect. "OK, well...Anyway..." She nodded, stepping back to the door. "Just thought I'd say 'hi.' I actually have some homework and stuff to do."

"Oh." Sokka was actually a bit disappointed, but he let it roll off. "Sure thing. Good seein' ya, Sis."

"Yea. You, too, Sokka."

As Katara turned around, Sokka caught her with his words.

"Would it hurt to call me 'Bro?' Eh? I mean...I call you 'Sis' all the time..."

Katara stopped in midstep and looked back over her shoulder with an amused smirk at his mock-puppy-eyes. She could see through the layer of glazed sarcasm that there was actually some intent.

"No, it wouldn't," she said with a warm smirk, her eyelids sliding just a tad closed in endearment. "Have a good night, _Bro_ ," she teased.

* * *

_{"The consequences of our actions are so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed."}_

Her classes were complete. Her reading for Wednesday had been read - well enough, at least. Her homework was finished. Her roommate - recovered from illness, elsewhere, probably being a stupid stick in the mud.

Katara stared at her paper, surveying the two columns she'd scribbled down.

_I can't believe I'm actually doing this..._

{Pros}  
{+ Sweet}  
{+ Thoughtful of others}

{Cons}  
{- Hurting Toph}  
{- Awkwardsauce}

She tapped her pen against her lips thoughtfully before writing more.

{+ Cute}

Hm. Cute. Did that...count? Wasn't that obvious? If she was considering dating a guy, wasn't that supposed to be a prerequisite? Then again...she had dated Jet. And Jet hadn't been 'cute.' It was very different. Hm...Even her boyfriends back in high school hadn't really been 'cute,' either...Sure, that counted for something...If anything, it differentiated Aang. Her attention went back to the {Cons} section.

{- Hurting Jane}

Was that fair? Would she really be hurting Jane if she decided to date Aang? It _would_ kind of be, like...going back on her word, in a sense. Crap. She _had_ been saying there was nothing going on like that...Urgh, but...that was just because Jane had been so forceful about it. A-and that's _really_ what she had thought at the time! Right? So, if Jane got hurt, it wasn't her fault. She'd never asked for any of that. Gah, no. This did _not_ count. No, no. She scratched lines through the words in frustration.

{- H===ng J===}

Bleh...But if Jane didn't count, why did Toph? Well, because... _because._ It just did. That was a different matter...Yea. Urgh, but...What about what Meng had said?

_[fortuneteller114 - i love her but she's been making stupid choices. her feelings aren't your rsponsibility right now.]_   
_[fortuneteller114 - YOURS are.]_

Katara amended the first item on the {Cons} list.

{- Hurting Toph (?)}

Hm. What else was there?

{- Insecurity}

Aang had seemed pretty down on himself a lot lately. Toph had taken things he was already self-conscious of, dragged them out into the open, and stomped on them. Over and over. Although, Katara found herself wondering exactly what Aang was feeling insecure about these days. He _had_ been wary about the sexual aspects of his relationship with Toph - about how needed to "take it slow." For Toph this had been horrible, she couldn't stand it. Katara found herself wondering if this was _really_ a bad thing for her, though. Maybe taking things slow was what she'd been missing this whole time with past guys - she found herself just...kind of jumping into the physical side, and so that was what had become the basis of things.

Aang wanted to take things slow, but...did that really make him insecure? Especially when he seemed to sure about what he could for others? Hm. Katara knew Aang was unsure of himself in some regards, but this was a decision from _her_ perspective, not Toph's or Sokka's, who would call him "un-manly." In this regard, she altered the writing.

{- Insecurity (?)}

She moved back to the {Pros} section, having covered what had come to mind for negatives.

{+ Brave}

The word spilled out on the paper before Katara really _thought_ about it. Brave? Aang? _Really_? Why'd she put _that_ down? Aang was a cuddly teddy bear, and-...Well, wait...

Because he stood up to Toph - which wasn't easy because _damn,_ she could be pretty cut-throat and tear you down...Because he had the courage to end such a close romance that he knew wasn't working, even though he'd risk losing one of the few friends he had. Because he was going to college in the first place, despite no safety net, practically no outside support. Because he was pushing to use his art to help others, which meant putting it out there and opening the floodgates for criticism. Because, despite all of the social awkwardness, he'd expressed his feelings to Katara through _action,_ putting yet another of his few friendships at stake. Because he was learning to stand up for himself, and what he believed in, and not take crap from people, even - _especially_ \- the people he loved.

Because he strived to keep his friends in balance with one another.

Yea, he was brave.

_{"There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."}_

Katara caught herself biting on the end of her pen when she'd reached the end of this thread of thought. Another word tumbled out.

{+ Wise}

Because he was constantly thinking of his own faults and how his choices affected those around him. Because despite his past, he didn't let himself be consumed by rage and regret and pain. Because he could be humble and learn from his mistakes, and thus was growing and becoming confident in his abilities. Because he could tell the difference between an argument that would actually get something accomplished and one where people simply got hurt. Because he understood that power wasn't a goal in and of itself, but rather a tool to be used in finding peace. Because he never accepted the notion he knew enough but instead accepted that there always more to learn.

Because he understood that the variety of people he specifically put in his life - each element they brought with them - was something he could learn from.

Yes...Aang _was_ wise for his age, huh?

_{Prov. 18:15}_   
_{The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.}_

{+ Tenacious}

Katara bit her lip as she surveyed this word. (In doing so, she slipped into the puddle of recalling the taste of his lips - it was that physical spark, that action of his, that had generated the word in her mind. He'd gone out and kissed her - that had been brave. And then he'd kissed her _again_ when she expressed uncertainty. OK, _that_ hadn't been so wise, but...it was also irregular for him. And it had shown tenacity, either way - despite her wibbly-wobbly stance on the whole thing, Aang seemed rather insistent on trying to win her over in his own way, because...well...Katara wished she knew, actually. Then again, Aang had been so determined to work things out with Toph, as well. He was just... _like this_ when it came to loving someone, it seemed.

But it wasn't just that - the romance. Aang had come to be so...unrelenting when he actually decided what he wanted to do. He'd decided he wanted to get in shape, and he'd been running - every day, it sounded like. He wanted to _do_ something with his art, and he was dead-set on continuing the United Republic project with Zuko. Most importantly, Aang worked so hard to maintain his connections to everyone - he was insistent on staying friends with Toph through the pain, through her pulling and pushing and fussing. It reminded her of how she was like this, herself - refusing to give up on people.

_{"Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."}_

{+ Virtuous}

Yet another word simply poured itself out from her pen, seemingly on its own, too. Katara stared at it for a moment. She recounted the many discussions she had shared with Aang after he'd come with her to church, about all manner of things - talks that would spill from church to the ride home right into lunch. They'd discuss so many matters of the world, of life - and how to live it. Early on, she'd been surprised at how such a seemingly naive boy could possess such strong beliefs hidden by his sweet exterior. But by now, she _expected_ their values to line up. How she viewed the world, what she believed was "best" and "right" and "just"...Aang consistently felt the same way. When it came to the things that _mattered,_ Aang's sight matched her own.

The last person she'd given her heart to - Jet - had lost so much...and he had let the pain consume him. He let it _excuse_ him to do horrible things, to spread that pain to others. Good intentions or not, it had caused pain.

Aang had lost far more than Jet. He hadn't just lost his parents - he'd lost _everyone_ \- and yet he _chose_ , so deliberately, to still spread love and kindness, instead.

The world had robbed him of a mother, a father, brothers, sisters, cousins... _family._ It had shoved hurt, and neglect, and abuse down his throat.

And yet, when he spoke, peace emerged. Heh. When he wasn't all adorably stuttering. Heehee.

God, if _Aang_ wasn't virtuous, then...who did she know that _was?_

Katara's brain was buzzing, a hive of pride at her friend's qualities. She enhanced what'd she'd written.

{+ **Virtuous** }

How could she have been so _stupid_ before? Dating a guy like _Jet?_ A brooding, selfish, arrogant man who had only acted out of desire. He'd acted on what was best for _him._ Y-yes, he...had been pretty _hot_. With rippling muscles, and an utterly _throbbing_ -...Ahem. But...but _still!_ Seriously? Yes, the sex had been _so satisfying_...in the same way that...a filling _meal_ was. Nothing more. A...biological need, and nothing more. Looking back, the physicality of their relationship had been driven by hormones and lebido, not-...Ugh. She didn't know. Nothing that _mattered_? Like...like _love_? Or affection, maybe? Mutual respect?

She remembered how insecure she had been back in high school, worried about her looks - people would make fun of her frizzy hair and her fat nose and how she'd carried her books, and how she'd dressed, and how she was a klutz sometimes, and how she'd stutter when she got nervous, and how she'd fuss over everything, and be a "teacher's pet."

Jet - Haru, even - had made her feel...pretty and elegant. Something she had wanted to feel for so long. And what a petty, childish thing to focus on that had been. Her body, their bodies...that had become the focus. But with Aang, he made her _spirit_ feel beautiful. Just her existence, her words - that what was brought him joy and comfort. Other guys would gawk at her breasts, or her hips, and Aang would stare at her _face,_ and listen to her words with baited breath. Katara had...done a _lot_ with Jet, more than she had ever thought she would have. And she regretted it now. But with Aang...they would touch each other in so many subtle, small ways that meant so much _more,_ even when romance wasn't even on the table. The motivations, the source of the contact, it meant so much more than the actual physical touch did.

Jet had been practically her opposite, and she had poured so much attention into him...He had been such a broken... _child._ Lost and confused, misled and uncertain of his own identity in the world, lying and scheming and being _paranoid_ about losing all of that social power he'd horded. And being around him - dating him - had made _her_ paranoid. His anger, his obsessiveness, his overreacting and selfishness, it had rubbed off on her, and pulled her away from her friends. But despite that, she had thought she could... _fix_ him. Ugh. Such a weakness of hers, always wanting to _fix_ everything and everyone...

Aang was just as broken as any person. But the difference was that he didn't _need_ any fixing. When something was wrong, he 'fixed' _himself_.

With Jet, Katara had struggled to make him grow up into the kind of guy she could respect. She'd pushed to make him realize how the people around him could help him become strong.

Aang already _was_ the kind of guy she respected, and he'd _made_ himself that way because he already _knew_ how to gain that strength from those around him.

Katara was rapping her pen against the paper in a mental frenzy, stupidly giddy with how she had never really matched these pieces up in her own mind, having let herself get deluded into seeing Aang for what he had _been_ instead of what he had _become_ in just a year and half's time.

But...but, whoa, wait up here. What _if_ they dated? What if she made a mistake? What if - God forbid - she somehow managed to really hurt him? The way Toph had? How would he react? Well...How had he reacted to Toph?

{+ Tenacious}

Aang had tried so hard to make things work, even when his heart had been cracked down the middle and she'd blasted his 'manlihood' into the ground. He had _refused_ to give up on their friendship...

{+ Brave}

...but Aang had also learned to stop letting Toph push him around, and he'd stood up for what he'd felt. How much he'd been hurt, how wrongly she'd treated him. He'd let his anger out at Toph...

{+ Wise}

...and then he had let that anger go. He didn't punish her or pursue any kind of revenge. He'd done nothing in retaliation...

{+ **Virtuous** }

...No, that wasn't entirely right. It was _easy_ to do nothing. But it was _hard_ to forgive. And he had forgiven.

_{"Soon the time will come when you must make the choice between what is right and what is easy."}_

Aang had chosen to forgive Toph without a second thought. That was...just how he _was._ He had _chosen_ to keep Toph in his life when - in many's eyes - she didn't deserve it. And in making that choice, he'd made himself stronger, and Katara had faith that - as soon as she pulled her head out of the dirt - Toph would become stronger, too.

Another concept joined the others now.

{+ Natural}

Aang didn't make Katara feel uneasy and wary like Jet did. She rarely had reason to be upset with him. She had _never_ doubted putting trust in him. She never was putting on an act around him, she never felt like Aang wanted her to act any differently than she already _did,_ and vice versa. Jet had wanted Katara to change, and Katara had wanted Jet to change. Toph had wanted Aang to act differently, and Aang had wanted Toph to act differently.

But Katara and Aang never seemed to run into this issue.

When Katara had conversations with Aang, even when they stumbled and stuttered, somehow their words flowed like water.

When either of them were feeling down, the other would uplift them like wind under their wings.

Bent over her notepad on her bed, cross-legged, Katara was at this point sipping on a mug of tea she'd brewed at the start of this process. It had cooled down during her brainstrorming, an indicator of how long she'd actually been contemplating all of this. Her brain full of vigor and realization, Katara surveyed the list.

{Pros}  
{+ Sweet}  
{+ Thoughtful of others}  
{+ Brave}  
{+ Wise}  
{+ Tenacious}  
{+ **Virtuous** }  
{+ Natural}

{Cons}  
{- Hurting Toph (?)}  
{- Awkwardsauce}  
{- H===ng J===}  
{- Insecurity (?)}

Katara scratched her head with the back end of her pen. Was it really...so lopsided like that? All of the {Pros} were things she found herself... _attracted_ to. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually...and it made her friend, who she had always found kind of cute but dorky, all the more attractive - in a way she couldn't explain. But...Grah, most of the things she'd put in the {Cons} she wasn't even so sure deserved to be there. Bleh. Was her judgment really so clouded? Whenever she thought of a problem, a flaw...it had nothing to do with _her._ It was...something that impacted _others._

When Jet had problems, he'd let pride, his perception of 'honor,' get in the way, and he'd pushed Katara - and Jane, and Johnny, _everyone_ \- outside. When Aang had problems, he let people in because he knew that admitting humility was the first step to overcoming his mistakes.

Aang was always pulling in people all around him - all different kinds. He seemed to be able to get along with anyone, even those who were so opposite of him, like Toph. Katara, likewise, worked to hold those people _together._ They always seemed to be working as a team to keep everyone in balance, now that she thought about it.

Katara always found herself running around trying to 'fix' everyone's problems, _especially_ the men - no, the _boys_ _-_ she had dated.

But Aang was the one person she _did not have to_ _fix._

Drawing in a deep, peaceful breath, Katara looked over at the drawings she had hung on the wall, above the foot of her bed and beside the doorway and light switch.

An Otter-Penguin, waving its four fins out, curiously staring at her with the cutest button eyes as it waddled along - the drawing she'd received for Christmas.

A willow tree, swaying in the breeze, with stars inexplicably hanging from the tips of some of its branches. It rested on a small hill, alone, a large crescent moon arching over top from the left - the drawing she'd received when she was depressed over her breakup with Jet.

With everything that had been going on this schoolyear, and for all of her attention to details, Katara had lost sight of the obvious. She'd lost perspective on the bigger picture.

_{"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end - if not always in the way we expect."}_

* * *

\- Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 -

_{It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up.}_

[To: Aang]  
[So...What do you think? Are you free tomorrow morning, or was 8 too early?]  
[Sent: 6:12pm]

The day had gone by in a blur. Still no response from Aang all day. Katara could feel her heart sinking inch by inch as each hour had passed that day with no word back from him. Suddenly, in a day's time, what had been so confusing and uncertain and muddled was so... _clear_.

Katara found herself meandering to the ACC, aimlessly. Wait, wait...No, there had been _some_ reason...Man, her brain was so addled and giddy. It was like being drunk, in a way. Heehee.

_Rrrmmm._

[From: Jane]  
[yo yo. you down for dinner tonite?]  
[Sent: 6:17pm]

Katara grimaced at the message as she stood in a hallway of the ACC. Some students were passing her by, grabbing their coats off hooks from the rack attached to the wall. Katara sheepishly squirmed out of their way, having been engulfed by her phone.

"Sorry..."

As they all romped off, she contemplated a reply, heading downstairs to Appa's.

[Reply]  
[To: Jane]  
[Sorry, I'm eating alone tonight. I'll catch you back at the dorm.]  
[Sent: 6:19pm]

In Appa's, things were rather busy, as it was All-You-Can-Eat-Pizza Night. Katara found herself weaving around fellow students and even some members of the community who'd migrate with their families for the occasion.

"Hey, Sis!"

"Wha-?" Katara flinched from the slap on the back she received, her shoulders tightening as she was ripped from her thoughts. "Sokka?"

"Yo! Here for dinner?" Sokka stretched his arm out to 'their' booth near the counter of Appa's. Aang was sitting on one end, nearly finished with a plate of pizza, while Toph was- _...Toph?_ Wh-what was _she_ doing here? Neither seemed to be paying her presence any heed.

"Uh, n-no, I was just, um...-" she sputtered in a delayed response to Sokka, when he'd started easing to the table.

"Our voodoo magic summoned you here, didn't it?" Sokka concluded with a smug grin. "Me and Aang were just chillin', and who comes grumpin' about but ol' Dead-Eyes, here." They reached the side of the table. "She had been lulled here, just like you, unable to resist our spell."

"Bite me," Toph grunted, leaned back in her seat with a sour expression.

"Oh..." Aang finally acknowledged her presence with a dulled expression befitting of him. "Hey, Katara. I didn't see you there."

"Ya really oughtta get in line," Sokka advised, dragging her into the thankfully short row of people lined up in front of the register.

Katara's mind was mush. It was like a stream-of-conscious except her entire _body_ was 'streaming,' just carelessly moving from one place to the next. She'd been this way all day. After a couple of people in line had check out, she turned her head over her shoulder to see Sokka and Toph discussing something. Whatever it was, Sokka seemed rather serious, which was curious. Aang was just eating his food like he had been, without a care in a world, it seemed.

 _Pff. Hello? I'm_ right here. _You're not..._ looking _at me, Aang. Come on._

No amount of telepathy seemed to be working.

"Hey. So whatcha want?"

"Eh?" She whirled around to see the bleak, half-dead expression of Sokka's boss staring her down with unenthused impatience.

"Your _order?_ " June elicited, her tone dead as a door nail.

"O-oh, just...the pizza deal."

" _Shocker_ ," June sighed, ringing her up and taking her money, which she paid with her debit card, having forgot she didn't have any cash on her at the moment. "Next up!"

Katara whisked herself out of the line and headed for the food. Her heart hopped when she saw Aang with his plate empty - haha, he always ate the entire pizza crust - approaching the line.

Butterflies that she had never known were in hiding were suddenly fluttering like mad through her stomach, and she could feel her face turn hot, so she struggled to play it cool and just...get her food. Yep. That was all she was doing. No big deal.

"Sooo..." Aang placed his crumb-riddled plate on the serving counter and leaned his back up against it, setting his elbows upon it. He watched her set a slice of Hawaiian pizza on her plate with a shaky hand and remarked with tired tone, "Pineapple, huh?"

"Um...Y-yea." Katara blinked at him. What what his _deal_? "You...want some?" she muttered, backing off to give him space to take one.

"Erm... _You_ know me," Aang shrugged with as much nonchalance as he could muster, grabbing his plate casually and swiping a slice from the next pizza over, keeping his eyes on Katara all the while as she scooted down, taking a mushroom piece. "I don't care _what_ I eat..."

"Uh," Katara sputtered out, confused. "OK, then," she grumbled, staring him down curiously. Her eyebrows twisted in confusion. "W-wait, but...you're a vegetarian," she pointed out, jabbing a finger at his plate.

"Whuh...?" Aang blinked down in shock, only to see he'd picked up a meat-lover's piece.

Katara frowned, craning her neck over her shoulder to see that Sokka and Toph were preoccupied with some kind of conversation that seemed to involve Toph getting irritated at him. What else was new?

"Aang," Katara firmly called in a lowered tone. "What's going _on_ with you? You're acting all... _stupid._ "

Aang gawked at her frustration and shrugged, scratching his head as she picked up the incorrect slice from his plate and put it on her own.

"I...I, uh...-" Aang shrugged, off-put by her sudden burst of attitude. He'd been...backing off, and giving her space, like she'd asked - like Sokka had suggested. What was the problem?

_Maybe 'aloof' isn't really my style..._

"And _why_ are you ignoring my messages?" Katara demanded with a hint of anger. Aang watched her expression flicker with regret as she stared down at her food for a moment. "It's...not like you," she mumbled with a softer tone.

"Sorry," Aang pushed out an apology. "I-I thought...that you wanted me to leave you alone, and...then Sokka said I should...-"

Katara's heart skipped a beat. She blinked at Sokka and Toph and feared that Toph's annoyed expressions were in fact due to _her_ and not her brother - that he was spilling the beans about things.

" _Sokka?_ Wh...Wh-what?" Her head cocked forward with intensity. "Does he _know_ about this... _our..._ situation?"

Aang was slack jawed.

"He...he _said_ he did...?"

" _Crap,_ " Katara grunted in a panic, her heartbeat elevating. How could her brother be such an insensitive _ass_ and just _blab_ something like that? "No, no," she bemoaned, pounding at her forehead. "We can't go letting everyone think that...that we're _doing_ something like that!"

Aang's face drained and he took a step back. Katara instantly wanted to just suck up what she'd just said and spit it back out differently.

 _Damnit, why do I keep_ doing _that?_

"I-I _meant..._ because it's all...up in the _air_ ," Katara explained. Aang shrugged, occupying himself with pizza selection. "No, seriously, I-...See, this is _why_ I've been trying to find out if we can meet tomorrow morning."

Aang's gray eyes regained some of their spark.

"You have...?" He scratched at his arm sheepishly.

" _Yes_ ," Katara growled. "So we can actually _talk_ about this stuff now that...-" She pushed hair back behind her ear and shrugged. "-...I've had some time to think. Haven't you been checking your phone?"

"I-I've been...kind of ignoring it lately," Aang mumbled with a wary grimace. "Sh-sure, yea...I can do that."

Katara sighed, running her hand through her tamed thicket of hair. _Argh,_ it was such a mess right now, she hadn't...thought she'd run into him, she would've...brushed it, or...something.

"Well...O _kay._ Then...let's meet. And eat breakfast. Eight o'clock?"

Aang nodded feverishly at this as they regrouped, ready for the worst. Toph was backlashing at Sokka, continuously pushing her baggy bangs out of her face as they refused to stay off of her nose.

"-don't get why the fuck ya don't just _break up_ with her if you're so unhappy," Toph was spitting out, uncaring and unsympathetic.

Sokka gawked at Toph's blunt words while Katara and Aang sat down - both girls on one side, both boys on the other. The tension was heavy - they'd walked in on some kind of minefield, it seemed. Pff. But that was just typical with Toph, wasn't it? Hmph.

" _Toph_...!" Sokka finally managed to squeak out, appalled. "How could you _say_ that? I _love_ Suki..."

"'Cuz breakin' up just seems like _the proper thing to do_ around here when the shit hits the fan," Toph's words cut through the group like knife. "I mean, _these two_ -" She fluttered her hand to her left, Aang and Katara's direction. "-both called it quits as soon as things got tough with _their_ Signif's, and _Old Smeller_ ditched _her_ man, too, so why the fuck _not,_ Sokka? Huh? Then we can all be a club. The 'Break-Eachother's-Hearts' Club."

All three who were listening to this were just staring at Toph with confusion. On one hand, Katara was relieved that they had _not_ been discussing what she had _thought._ But on the other, Toph was even more off-kilter than she hadn't stopped.

Sokka rolled his eyes, biting his lip with a " _Snrk._ "

" _What?_ " Toph snipped.

"It's just that...'The Heartbreaker's Club' has a better ring to it."

"You and your _stupid-ass bullshit._." Toph buried her face in her palm, clawing at her bangs, all patience lost.

"Oh, right, and _you_ don't do dumb crap _ever_ ," Sokka retaliated, tilting his head.

"No, see, _I_ do dumb shit all the time, _apparently_ -" she cocked her face so it was pointing in the general direction of Aang and Katara, "-but I don't go fucking _flip-flopping_ and trying to act like I'm all high-and-mighty and smart one second later."

"I'm... _not_ doing...-"

"And ya know what? At least when I go after someone just because I want some ass, I'm...pretty _clear_ about it," Toph continued, words carelessly tumbling out with seemingly no structure.

" _What_?"

"I mean, for fuck's _sake,_ Sokka, we all know you've just been dating Suki 'cuz ya can't get over whats-her-face movie-star chick and having someone to _bone_ makes it all feel better."

It was as if in all of her avoiding everyone she'd just been biding it all to really hurt someone, and Sokka happened to be the one catching her wrath today.

Katara read Sokka's face. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes stung with indignanation. Toph had really gotten to him this time.

"Leave."

Toph stubbornly sat in her seat like a stone, despite knowing full-well what Sokka meant, and who he was talking to.

"That was out of line," Aang asserted his opinion as Katara removed herself from the booth, allowing Toph - who hadn't even gotten food, anyway - space to exit.

"Not _my_ fault the truth hurts," Toph snarled. "You all wanna rub in _my_ face what makes _me_ tick, huh? This is how it feels. Pretty unfair, huh? You can all sling your mud but at the end of the day, I'm just gonna sling it harder."

"Why would you _say_ something like that?" Aang demanded, unfazed by her attitude and writing off her attempts at power-asserting.

"'Cuz Sokka here's so fuckin' lost in _La-La-Land_ where everything's a big _joke_ , and he _wonders_ what the problem is. Maybe Suki's having so many _issues_ with you 'cuz you are a **Fucking. Moron** _._ Or didja not figure that one out yet, _Mr. Genius?_ "

"That's-!"Aang spit out, but Sokka lifted his arm, cutting off Aang's words.

"No, no. She's right," Sokka testily conceded. "If anyone here knows how to _mess things up,_ it's her. Right?"

" _Yup!_ " Toph cawed sarcastically, grasping for her walking cane, blowing at her bangs. "That's me, Queen of the Cunts!"

Katara could feel the presence of others around them staring at their social mishap - which felt like such common problem this semester - and she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sokka and Toph never had gone at each other like this.

" _What_ is your-...?" Katara began, but adjusted her track with a huff. "See? _This_ is why we can't do this right now, because you... _you..._ don't know when to just _stop_!"

"I _never_ stop," Toph sneered, sliding out from her seat. She forcefully jammed her shoulder against Katara's on her way to leave, drawing up her hood over her face as she clattered her cane along the tiled floor of Appa's.

In the wake of their friend's unsettling wrath, the three spent a few moments of silence trying to shake off the tempers that had been flared.

" _God,_ what is... _wrong_ with her?" Katara finally groaned. Her eyes were watering. "Urgh, she's trying to fit in one day, and the next she's such a... _bitch_. Tch..." She wiped at her face and took a deep breath.

Aang reached a hand across the table and rubbed her shoulder in a wide, sweeping arc as he often did. Her heart glowed at the contact.

"Hey, it's OK," he assured as he took his hand away. When Katara's eyes were cleared up, she noticed he had his arm around Sokka in a moment of brotherly love she rarely ever saw. Katara knew when Sokka was holding back tears, his eyes flickering, and this was one of those moments.

"Don't let her get to you," Aang advised. "She's just acting this way because she's in a bad place."

"Psh," Sokka made light of it, in-taking a sharp breath as he eyed his half-eaten slice of pizza. "Yea...In...the Kingdom of _Cunts_ , apparently. I'm not surprised they made her their queen." He bit into his food.

"She's just projecting her own stuff onto you, Sokka. Come on. You know that."

"But she's _right,_ I _am_ a moron." _Is she right about the rest, though?_ "I'm a screw-up, I have to turn everything into a damned _punchline._ "

Katara was going to deny this, but paused to see what Aang's reaction would be. She was giving in her to newly discovered deep interest in what he had to say.

"OK...Well...Maybe she _knows_ that's how you feel about yourself, and that's why she said it." Sokka was chewing at his dinner with dull melancholy while Aang spoke. "But if you keep letting yourself think that way, that's what you _will_ turn into..."

Aang let his arm fall, and Katara found herself staring at the determined spark in his eyes.

"As long as you keep working at all of this stuff, everything's gonna turn out fine, Sokka. Just keep at it."

"So now we just ignore the Psycho-Bitch?" Sokka moaned between bites. "Heh, sounds like a plan to _me._ I'm sick of her _bullshit._ " He huffed. "This week, I've been trying to hang with her-" He stuck his palm out to Katara. "-like _you_ told me to, and ya know what? It's _pointless._ I try to just forget the drama, and she gets all silent and pouty. I try to be more serious and... _that_ shithappens." He pointed angrily toward the hall Toph had ventured off to. "All she has to say about anyone lately is trashtalking. And if that's how she feels, then maybe we oughtta think about going back to having a _Foursome_."

Sokka snorted through his nostrils like a bull, and there was a pregnant pause, as the innuendo dawned upon all three of them.

" _Wow,_ Sokka," Katara jibed with wide eyes of mock-disgust. "That's pretty disturbing given that we're _related_."

"Shuffubb," Sokka whimpered out a half-laugh, half-whimper, his mouth packed full of pepperoni and sausage. He swallowed, coughed haphazardly, and pounded at his chest, clearing his throat, while Aang and Katara snickered. It was kind of amusing how ironically rare this particular joke came up given the name of their self-assigned 'group name.' "I _meant..._ -" He put up a dominant index. "I _meant_ that if Her Majesty Beifong wants to rule over a kingdom of _bullshit_ and _immaturity,_ then screw it. I say _let her._ "

"Sokka, you're just saying that because she was a jerk to _you_ for a change," Katara decided, adding in a bit of teasing, striving to scrub off his frown. "And let's face it, you _are_ kind of a wuss like that."

She grinned stupidly, glancing at Aang for approval. _See? I can be funny! I can!_

Aang smirked a bit at Katara's efforts to lighten the mood, but he seemed more interested in going back to the seriousness.

"Sokka, Toph...can be really destructive, and can hurt the people she loves, but...-"

" _But_ nothing!" Sokka grumbled. "That's such _crap._ "

"She needs us, Sokka," Katara insisted, joining Aang in his rally in her defense - quite ironically. "We can help her get through all of this."

"Katara, you're got a heart of gold, and all that good stuff-" Sokka turned up his palms to concede this notion, "-but you can't help someone who _won't help themself._ "

Aang sighed, scratching his head as he flashed Katara a thoughtful glance. She became aware of the fact that her cheek was in her elbow, and that she'd been gawking. Aang continued, looking off into the crowd of people enjoying their evenings.

"She _will_ , though," Aang expressed his belief. "I know she will. It'll just take some time."

"I'm not sure you _noticed,_ Aang, but Toph doesn't really seem to accept the idea of _changing_ herself."

Aang sighed, rubbing his finger under his nostrils to relieve an itch. He paused after this, his eyes sharp the whole while with thought, then presented his case.

"Toph's life has... _changed_ so much recently, and...she's going through some...pretty difficult times. You know? She's...just trying to figure out who she _is_ , and...she needs to be on her own to do that. It's...how she _works._ "

Katara nodded in agreement while Sokka shrugged at this, his mood clearly derailed by Toph's malicious words. Aang concluded his thought.

"We can't just...lock her out, though. Don't get me wrong, she _is_ totally being a jerk, and she _obviously_ doesn't want us around right now, but...if she needs us, we have to _be here_ for her...Because no one else _will_ be..."

The butterflies in Katara's stomach had settled, replaced with the tingling warmth of a campfire. God, Aang's... _Aang-ness_. _God._ Just, all of it...It was so...sexy? Somehow. Was that...even _allowed?_ For a boy to be so... _like this_...that it was _sexy?_ Katara could practically feel her loins burning as Aang's contemplative eyes crossed hers for approval, his lips hanging open just a tiny bit.

Likewise, Aang felt his own nether-regions tingle with elation at how deeply she was staring at him, her smooth chin sitting in slender fingers, her eyes glowing with pride at his words.

" _Meh_ ," was Sokka's reluctant response, ignorant of the sexual tension hanging thick in the air mere inches beside him. The two quickly cleaned up the mess they'd made from having sex with their eyes and ate a bit of their food while Sokka finished his thought. "I guess you're right, Aang. Frick, man, I'm sorry. That devil-woman has done _you_ way worse than me..."

"Haha, it's OK," Aang laughed weakly, his knees still weak from that rather pleasant moment of admiring Katara's face.

"Nah, I mean...I still care about her, too," rambled Sokka. "I'm worried about her - girl's going freakin' _insane,_ I swear."

"I...think we _all_ have been, a little bit," Aang sighed. "We wouldn't _have_ all of this drama if we weren't all super close, though. You know that, right?"

Sokka shrugged, disinterested in ever acknowledging any good-side to 'drama.'

"But, anyway, I don't even care, even _if_ Toph wasn't a part of the group anymore, I'm still going to be here for her when she _does_ come to her senses, because that's what real friends do."

When the heck had this happened, huh? When had little freshie Aang grown up under her nose like this? She didn't know how or when, but...she was glad. And she was also glad she had finally figured out how much she appreciated it.

"You know, Aang," Katara pressed out affirmation with that admiring smile she hadn't been able to remove, "Toph's really lucky to have you as a friend...even if she doesn't really know it..."

_{Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.}_   
_{Philippians 4:8}_

* * *

\- Thursday, February 24th, 2011 -

\+ /watch?v=91mTH0ROqno +

Aang yawned, rubbing sand from his eyes. Steam seeped up from his hot cocoa. He gazed out the open cafeteria window. Winter was gradually fading away.

**~The dawn is breaking, A light shining through~**

But the beauty of the sunlight paled in comparison to _her_ , robbing his attention completely as she sat down across from him with her breakfast.

**~You're barely waking and I'm tangled up in you~**

Words began to flow like water and they lost themselves in each other - like always.

**~I'm open, you're closed~**

Katara smiled at Aang's tentative reservations.

**~Where I follow, you'll go~**

He spoke of unity - between their friends, between all the students.

**~I worry I won't see your face light up again~**

Her heart stung at the guilt he expressed about their affections, how they could others.

**~Even the best fall down sometimes~**

"I never meant for Toph to feel so... _lost_."

**~Even the wrong words seem to rhyme~**

"But...Aang, l-like you said, it's OK. I-I mean...-"

**~Out of the doubt that fills my mind~**

"But Katara, the more I think on it, the more I worry...-"

**~I somehow find...You and I collide~**

"-...but I guess that doesn't change how things _are..._ "

**~I'm quiet, you know~**

A timid freshman, scribbling art on a couch by himself.

**~You make a first impression~**

A cheerful introduction from a blue-eyed angel.

**~I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind~**

All of the ways she'd touch him, talk to him, always so concerned for him.

**~Even the best fall down sometimes~**

"I didn't mean to leave you hanging, Aang..."

**~Even the stars refuse to shine~**

"No, it...makes sense. It was my fault for going about it that way..."

**~Out of the back you fall in time~**

All of Katara's memories of Aang, running together.

**~I somehow find...You and I collide~**

Their worries and doubts were discussed, hiding their desires.

**~Don't stop here~**

Aang, heading down the sidewalk for class after their meal.

**~I lost my place~**

Katara, contemplating how they hadn't decided on anything, merely hashing technicalities and potential downsides.

**~I'm close behind~**

"Aang!" She called out, traveling down the steps. "Wait up!"

She crossed the distance in the morning sun as a few students trailed the walkways around them.

**~Even the best fall down sometimes~**

They stared at each other, their eyes locked in a pleading, longing balance.

**~Even the wrong words seem to rhyme~**

"Wh...What's... _up_?" Aang squeaked out. "You...forget something?"

**~Out of the doubt that fills your mind~**

"Yea," Katara teased. "I did. Come here." Katara spread open her arms, wiggling her wrists inward.

**~You finally find...~**

Aang let himself fall into her arms, and their embrace was tight - more so than usual.

**~...you and I...~**

They managed to pull their chests apart, hands still grasping at hips, eyes melding together.

**~Collide~**

Katara arced her neck, doing what she had wanted to all morning.

**~You finally find...you and I collide~**

She was the one attackingwith a kiss, for a change.

**~You finally find...you and I collide~**

And another. And another. Slow, gentle, slight.

They lost themselves in each other for a few moments - their lips, their arms, their hopes, intertwined.

_{When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; neither will the flame kindle upon you.}  
{Isaiah 43:2}_


	65. Lonely

\- Thursday, February 24th, 2011 -

Their session complete, Toph sat idly for a few moments, listening to the thundering cacophony that was Suki slamming away at her drumset, just for fun. Hm. Playing a musical instrument...'just for fun.' The notion was amusing, and Toph could admit to herself that she'd lost sight of it some time ago.

Cymbals clashed at the end of Suki's solo jam, and Toph relished the reverberating sound as it vibrated through the air.

"So," said Suki simply, after the sound had settled. "You sounded good. I think we'll be ready."

"Mm," hummed Toph, an approximation to a reply.

"What are you up to tonight?" Suki inquired with calm curiosity.

"Nothin', just back to the dorm," Toph fibbed. It was Thursday today, though. After dinner, she'd have to get ready for her ventilation via music at the Jasmine Dragon.

"Ah, I see," Suki acknowledged. Toph could hear the sounds of a drum set being tidied up, various clacking and thudding. "Well, I'll give you a call when I've got confirmation, but like I said, Saturday looks like it's going to work out fine."

"Mm..."

There was a minute of silence, Suki wrapping up her packing while Toph sat with her guitar case, frustrated and confused.

"You OK?" Suki peeped, catching Toph off guard. Clearly, she must've been wearing her irritation more plainly than she had meant to.

"...Why are we here?" Toph asked flatly.

Suki paused, zipping up her jacket as she considered the meaning of Toph's question.

"I'm...assuming we're not discussing philosophy," Suki facetiously theorized.

"Since when did _you_ start pickin' up smart-assing, Miss Powderpuff?"

"I guess a bit of Sokka must be rubbing off on me."

"I _meant_ , like...why are you _here,_ practicing with me?"

"Because...When you want to sound good, you practice."

" _Ugh._ " Toph frowned in agitation. "You can stop the _act,_ I know you're pissed at me, too."

Suki smiled at this, as she'd kind of been waiting for it come up.

"Actually, I'm not."

"Yuh-huh..."

"Why would I be?"

" _Gee,_ maybe 'cuz what I said to Sokka last night?"

"I wouldn't know about, now, would I?" Suki shrugged it off.

"Oh, _really?_ He wouldn't tell you?" Toph grunted in doubt.

"I wouldn't _let him_ ," Suki corrected with some snark. "I'm apparently not a part of your guys' _'group_ ,' so I'm not going to be a part of all of your social problems, either." Toph could detect some indignation in Suki's tone, though it was clearly being masked - something Suki seemed quite insistent on doing a lot.

Sitting on the floor against the wall with disinterest, Toph scratched at her ear, considering a counterattack.

"Then why the hell are you helping me?" Toph asked with some suspicion.

Suki sighed, amused by Toph's stubborn mindset. It seemed like every conversation was a battle.

_Because you, my dear Toph, keep causing problems for everyone, including Sokka._

"Because I could use some practice and extra income, and you, Toph, could use a _drummer_."

"Fff..." Toph was dissatisfied with this answer. "The Blind Bandit is a one-lady band."

"I know. I'm just temporary backup."

"But I don't _need_ backup."

"That song? Toph, it just won't sound right without percussion..."

Toph let it pass. Suki was actually right about that one...Not that this would be admitted out loud.

"Besides, you need someone to help you manage things and get shows set up, right?" Suki dragged her equipment to the door. "You told me your cousin helps you get videos on YouTube and reply to comments...And you're way too hot-headed right now to deal with technicalities in arranging gigs. Let's not kid ourselves, Toph: you're not exactly a 'people person.'" Feeling some freedom in her apathy to the social mires, Suki left Toph to contemplate this notion as she exited the room.

* * *

Cross legged on her bed, Toph was habitually picking her toes - for the second time, which was really just for the satisfying toe-picking sensation. Her feet were still warming up to the indoor temperature, having turned into icicles outside in her sandals. She hadn't expected it to get so cold so fast today, but winter was still poking its retarded head around. She massaged her chilled feet as her computer cycled through her music library at random. A couple minutes later, she dipped her bare feet beneath her blanket and sat in contemplation. She didn't feel like practicing. She didn't feel like _eating_ , despite having not gotten dinner yet. She didn't even really feel like paying attention to listening to her music, which at this point was a classical cello piece. She scooted herself to the foot of her bed, groping around the bed posts.

_C'mon, it has to be here, I haven't used it in-...Ah. Found it._

Having found the familiar object, she pulled it up from where it'd been hanging and set it in her lap. Running her calloused fingertips across the messenger bag, she stroked the multitude of buttons and pins, each texture a fragment of a memory. Each touch a thought of _him._

Her personal radio suddenly startled her from her from her stupor. A caressing set of "Ah's" accompanied by a playful piano. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound as the last time she'd heard the song came filling her mind like water into an already sinking ship.

She tossed the bag aside, squirming across her bed and fumbled for her laptop. Ah. Fuck. C'mere.

["~Her eyes, her eyes...make the stars look like they're not shin-"]  
She smashed the space bar with her thumb, her muscles tight.

Silence.

It gave her a single moment to be reminded of how it had all been a lie. A fucking lie. To Aang, to...to _herself._ What a load of bullshit she had fed herself, and then...regurgitated all over him.

This idea that she had been happy with Aang, just the way he was. Obviously not. She... _should've_ been...She should've been happy, but...-

Still leaning over her laptop, her body arched from her bed, Toph realized she'd been biting down on her lower lip, and let go so she could puff out the breath she'd been holding in.

 _Fucking Christ, Toph. It's done. Over. Deal with it. Move on. He doesn't need you. And you_ sure _as fuckin' hell don't need him. You don't need any of them._

Toph finally pushed herself from her desk and swiped her phone as she did so. She plopped onto her pillow and carefully felt for the right digit that she had put on her speed dial, then pressed it, lifting the phone to her ear.

 _Fuck. Yes, I_ do _need them..._

First ringback.

Mm, it'd been...hell. A while.

Second ringback.

She'd pick up. Yea. After all this time?

Third ri-  
[- _BEEP!_ -]  
["Heeeey. It's Meng."] Wait, what? Voicemail? ["Leave me some lovin'!"]  
[- _BEEP!_ -]

No. That wasn't right. Meng's phone always waited _five_ rings before voicemail. Not...three and a half.

She hung up. Meng must've seen that it was _her_ calling and ignored it. The idea...hurt.

She tried another speed dial. What was her roommate up to?

["Hell _o?_ "] Katara sounded quite confused, irritated even.

"Hey..."

["What do _you_ want?"] Eesh. Definitely irritated. There went any plans to ask for company...

"Umm...Just wonderin' if...you maybe knew where Sokka was?" Maybe she could turn things around, make it into...an apology?

["Why?"] Katara snipped. ["So you can demoralize him some more?"] OK, yea. Toph _did_ deserve this.

" _No,_ Miss Fussy-Britches," Toph snorted. "So I can try apologizing to him..."

["Uh-huh...Based on your track record with apologies, Toph, I find that a little hard to believe."]  
["Oh, it's _her_ ,"] Toph could hear Sokka's voice grumble in the distance.

"He's there?" said Toph eagerly.

["She says she wants to talk with you,"] Katara explained with a thick layer of disbelief.

["Yeeaaa,"] Sokka sighed. ["Not really in the mood for her crap right now..."]

["Well, _what-do-you-know_?"] Katara mocked to Toph with that disgusting syrupy-fake voice she'd use when she was angry. ["Sokka's a bit busy right now. Guess you'll have to try again later."]  
["- _Click!_ -"]

"The fuck...?" Toph's heart sank. What was Katara's deal? She was usually the forgiving one...Meng's warnings from earlier - about screwing up a good thing - were suddenly present and haunting. Toph couldn't take this.

_Should I calling him? Would he pick up? He might. I mean, no harm in trying, right...?_

She speed-dialed Aang.

["THE NUMBER YOU HAVE DIALED - "Aang Leekpai" - IS CURRENTLY UNAVAIL-"]  
["- _Click!_ -"]

" _Urrgh._ "

Toph dropped her phone into her pillow and flung herself from her bed, stalking off to the door, keeping her arms out to catch anything in her path. She found her way out and into the hall, and could sense the familiar slapping of Jane's bass coming from across the hall. Good, _someone_ she could talk to. She groped for the door, found her way to the handle, then pounded at the surface obstructing her path. The bass paused.

" _Yep!_ " Jane vaguely greeted. Toph pushed the door open. "Hey..." Jane's more personalized greeting was drained of any energy. Her bass exercise continued.

"What's up?" Toph asked, loud enough to be clear over Jane's deep instrument.

"Just practicin'," replied Jane coolly.

"Ah..." Toph took a couple steps in, fidgeting her hands together. For a few moments, she simply stood and listened to the blunt bass smack the air around her. After about a minute, it stopped again.

"You _want_ somethin'?" Jane asked with a tinge of irritation.

"Umm..." Toph scratched her ear awkwardly, uncertain of how to answer.

_I just fuckin' want someone to hang out with..._

Jane huffed at the long silence.

"If ya don't _need_ nothin'-" Jane advised sharply, "-mind givin' me some damned privacy?"

"I was...-" Toph mumbled out quietly - too quiet for Jane to hear.

"I don't care," Jane rattled off. "Go...back to ruling the _'Cunt Kingdom'_ or whatever you call it..."

_Ugh, she knows about that? What, someone gossip about me again?_

"Listen, I just wanted some company for a while, OK? I'm not trying to start-"  
"All _I_ want is some damned _privacy_. Some other time, Dead-Eyes...Jesus..."

Toph's fist balled up, and she jammed it in her jean pocket while Jane explained her stance.

"This bullshit where you're a bitch one day and then come crying back the next? Not gonna fuckin' fly, Toph. Katara and Aang might put up with it, but I'm not _near_ as patient as they are."

Toph's clenched fingers ran through her hair, her mind buzzing with undirected anger. She was struggling just to not lash out in hostility.

"I'm...a bitch," she sighed out, trying keep her moods balanced. "OK? I know it...I just...need to feel like I'm part of the group again. 'Cuz this all fucking _sucks ass._ "

Toph could hear Jane setting her bass down.

"Naw. Naw...Toph, that's your fuckin' problem: you keep trying to pull people in, and then...ya just push 'em back. What _you_ need is to take a hike and sort your damned _shit._ _That's_ what you need."

"Wh...-?" What kind of friend advice was that? "The fuck, Jane? 'Take a hike?' Thanks for the _sympathy,_ I-"  
" _No_ ," Jane cut her off. Toph could hear her standing up and walking over. "None of that crap. You don't no sympathy from me. No guilt-trippin' garbage."

Toph could feel the heat of Jane's breath on her forehead, they were so close. Toph's body flinched tight and Jane grabbed her shoulder, then softened from the tension while Jane jabbed a finger into her sternum.

"We always are on about how similar we are," Jane mused. "But ya know what thing that makes us different? You're a fuckin' _Drama Queen._ I just want to hang back, lay low, just be a part of things, but _you?_ Heh. You _always_ gotta be the goddamn center of _everyone's_ attention." Toph could feel her face flushed red with embarrassment at the accusation, which she was finding herself unable to deny. " **Fuck that** ," Jane's sharp words sliced at Toph's mind as the force of skinny hands pressed Toph away. "I'm sick of watching everyone else trip over themselves all for _your_ sake. You wanna stay a part of the group, Toph? Here's my advice again, real slow: _Sort. Your. Shit._ I had to do it, too, ya know. Ask Katara. Or Aang. Or even _Sokka._ Sometimes? I had to be alone to do it. And yea, I can be a bitch, too, but I don't try to make _every. Fucking. Conversation..._ a battle, where I have to _vanquish_ everyone else in combat." Jane whirled her arms in the air, trying to look stupid, only to remember this was pointless. "Someone pushes me, I push back, but I don't go looking for a fight with every single person. _Christ._ And _you_ can't stop spraying your PMS all over everyone, so _maybe_ \- just fuckin' maybe - ya oughtta spend some time _alone_ where ya can't go spreadin' all your self-destruction on the rest of us."

Her rant complete, Jane grabbed Toph by the hip, whirled her around, and and pushed her out the door so fast she had to prop herself up on the opposing wall to keep from falling.

"Take your own fuckin' advice, Toph." Jane recited Toph's repeating catchphrase with a mocking tone: "' _Stand yer ground_.' If _I_ can learn how to act like a damned decent human being around my friends, I'm sure _you,_ in all your fuckin' wisdom and 'amazingness,' can figure it out, too. Let us know when ya _do_."

_Fwum-CLAK._

"It's not 'amazingness, it's... _awesomeness_ ," Toph mumbled pitifully to no one.

Toph was somewhat relieved when the verbal assault was over, if only because she doubted that Jane had been able to detect the tears welling up in her eyes by the end - being shoved in her own dung heap by the one person she thought could understand her situation...it was pretty unpleasant, to say the least.

Back in her room, dejected, she rubbed her face to make sure it was dry. She retrieved a small, treasured object from a pouch in that messenger bag from before - right where she'd left it a while back - threw herself onto her stomach in bed, and began to slowly toy with the item. She rubbed her thumb across the wooden, sanded surface and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a bit of a loose fit. Not quite right. Her heart had sunk like a stone in a sea of regret and perpetual confusion as she recalled the many things she'd said and done since the new year had begun.

Maybe being alone _was_ what she needed right now.

Just Toph and her music...

* * *

\- Middle School -

"Oh, come _on,_ now, Pickle, it's not so bad..."

Toph could hear the comforting, antiquated voice approach as she cowered on the floor beside the bed, her face buried in the quilt that hung off its side. She let her tears soak into the multi-textured fabric that carried that familiar old-lady scent.

She flinched at first when wrinkled skin made contact with her bare shoulder.

"It's just me, Toph," comforted the voice. "It's just Gram-Gram."

Toph sighed out a trembling breath, reaching her hand upward, across her chest, to clutch the weathered wrist on her skin. The sniffled were still happening, against her will.

"'M-m...so _sick_...o-of it..." she fumbled out.

"Of what, now?"

"J-Just...always b-being leh-...left out..."

"Aw, now...Toph, I know how you must be feeling, but think about the things you said to them."

"They _deserved_ it," Toph protested, rubbing at her face. "They were treating me like I'm _stupid._ "

"Pickle," sighed her grandmother. "I was there. And I really don't think they were. They were trying to be polite."

"I don't _want_ people to be polite."

Grandmother laughed through her nose, startled and amused by the contradiction.

"Toph, my Dear, then this is what happens - you get left out."

" _Good_. I don't care!" Toph grumbled, backtracking over the reason she had stated was her problem in the first place. "They're all jerks, anyway."

"But what about your cousin, mm? She was nice to you."

"Mm- _Meng_? She's...Sh-she's _weird._ An-and...creepy. And sh-she smells funny..." Thick, heavy sweet smelling perfumes, and... _blech._ And besides, Meng was a loser. Toph didn't want to be associated with losers.

"Toph," Grandmother disapproved. "You shouldn't talk about her like that."

"Ihh-...It's true!" Toph defended, coughing out a sob.

"Your cousin's a sweetheart, even when you're so mean to her..."

" _Great_ , the only...p-person who whu-wants to be around m-me...is a... _w-weirdo_..."

"Very well, then...What does it matter who wants to be around you?"

"Huh...?"

"Who do _you_ want to be around?"

"Erm...I-I don't...-" Toph snorted on another sob. Ugh. Damn, wouldn't stop...

Grandmother's presence lifted off.

"Tell you what, Pickle. I'll give you some time to think on that."

"N-no, don't...-!" Toph groped out an arm into the air toward the voice. "Don't go, I...-"  
"I'm not goin' _anywhere,"_ Grandmother assured.

_Clik. Clik._

"Just going to introduce ya to an old friend of mine...Keeps _me_ company whenever _I'm_ feeling lonely..."

The sound tickled Toph's eardrums. Rustic, mellow, soothing. Toph recognized it as the sound of Gram-Gram's guitar. The sound of flesh patting against its wooden surface were like sparking stones that ignited into song.

 _Thup. Thup. Thup-thup-thup-_  
"~Hey Jude~Don't make it bad~Take a sad song and make it better~"

Toph could feel her frustrations drying up, her heart settling, her breathing calming.

"~Remember to let her into your heart~Then you can start to make it better~"

This mystical force of 'music' that Gram-Gram always seemed to rely on...If only she could make it herself. Bandage her own wounds with song...She had tried learning music - piano - and upon discovering her interest in it, her parents had drilled into her brain that music was about discipline, and rigorous practice. The keys were always cold, and hard, and stiff to press. But... _this_ instrument - the guitar - just by nature of the sounds it produced, seemed like it worked differently.

As Gram-Gram continued to play, Toph found the lyrics sliding together in an incoherent warbling, the essence of the music and the sounds enveloping her.

By the end of the song, her tears had dried, her heart had lifted.

It was like magic.

She had to learn how to do it herself. Then she'd never have to feel awful like this again - never weak or powerless.

Just Toph and her music.

* * *

\- Thursday, February 24th, 2011 -

"She's...-!" Ty-Lee gasped, pointing frantically at the stage.

"Yes," Mai dryly acknowledged with a mildly interested smirk. "You should get back to work," she nudged with a cock of her head.

" _Oh_ ," Ty-Lee squeaked, shuffling back to the counter to serve the next customer in line.

Mai's attention went back to that which she had been waiting to see. The blind girl in her Terra hoodie, her face noticeably more acne-riddled than it had been two weeks prior- and her dirty, unkempt bangs over her face surely weren't helping matters. Fussing over appearances put aside, Mai could tell that Toph's spirit seemed...fairly broken. Curiosity pricked at her, but she resisted dwelling on the 'why' and landed her attention purely on the poetry of sounds she predicted was about to unfold.

Rather than her trusty guitar, as usual, Toph was seated on the same stool she usually utilized, but was planted in front of a keyboard - the one that the Jasmine Dragon owned and lent for such purposes.

\+ /HO4e4nCYBEo +

Toph's fingers slid across the keys, half alive, half dead.

"~Two A.M. - where do I begin?~"

Late nights in the music building.

"~Crying off my face again~"

Music falling apart as tears splash onto the keys.

"~The silent sound of Loneliness~"

Doors knocked upon, never opened.

"~Wants to follow me to bed~"

Doubts overshadow desires as nightmares crawl in.

"~I'm a ghost of a girl that I want to be most~"

Here on stage sat The Blind Bandit.

"~I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well~"

Inside her shell of ebonies and ivories, Toph hid, nearly forgotten about.

"~Dancing slowly in an empty room, can the Lonely take the place of you?~"

The wooden ring Aang had made - still on her finger while she played tonight.

"~I sing myself a quiet lullaby~"

When longings of them - of _him_ \- threatened to overcome...

"~Let you go and let the Lonely in to take my heart again~"

...she'd stem the tides with music, like stone pillars lifting her up from the floods.

"~Too afraid to go inside for the pain of one more loveless night~"

Confronting those demons...the idea was too much. She wasn't strong enough.

"~But the Loneliness will stay with me and hold me 'til I fall asleep~"

It'd be easier to lose everything and be lost once more - just like before.

"~I'm a ghost of a girl that I want to be most~"

The Blind Bandit was supposed to be a confident, determined musician...

"~I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well~"

But the girl inside was a cowering child. Pathetic.

"~Dancing slowly in an empty room, can the Lonely take the place of you?~"

Am anklet of seashells. A bracelet of volcanic stone. A ragged voice of comradery.

"~I sing myself a quiet lullaby~"

From afar, Mai felt her soul touched by this girl's words.

"~Let you go and let the Lonely in to take my heart again~"

It reminded her of herself, years ago, swimming in apathy with poetry as her life preserve.

"~Broken pieces of...~"

Toph's heart ached, the pieces scattered by her own hand.

"~...a barely breathing story~"

Mai's oft-forgotten emotional scars seethed, reminded of their origin.

"~Where there once was love...~"

His warm, soft body, captured in Toph's arms.

"~...now there's only me...~"

Hands slip off, he drifts away. Wait, no...she is falling...

"~...and the Lonely~"

She is plunged back into the sea of no touch, no taste, no smell...

Only sound, crafted by her own aggravation.

"~Dancing slowly in an empty room, can the Lonely take the place of you?~"

She had lived a lonely life before. She would do it again if she had to.

"~I sing myself a quiet lullaby~"

She could always carry her own weight with her music.

"~Let you go and let the Lonely in to take my heart again~"

As Toph's torrential rain of sorrowful tunes drizzled to an end, she received the same, familiar smattering of applause, but the claps rung more hollow than ever. Just hands, slapping around, chunks of flesh hitting themselves. They did not speak to her. They did not touch her. Their scents were overpowered by coffees and teas and baked goods. Somehow, an audience just wasn't good enough tonight.

As Toph unceremoniously dragged herself off stage, Mai's stunned mind, touched by this unspoken connection, screamed out to say or do something...But logic and reason took control, reminding her not to get involved. It was precisely that kind of action which would cause her undue stress, and exactly that which she knew had Aang and Katara worked up. Better to let those who dealt with social problems by choice decide the fate of such a thing.

It was at that very moment, at the end of that line of thought, that an idea popped into Mai's mind.

* * *

\- Friday, February 25th, 2011 -

[From: Mai Chiao]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Subject: Concern]

[Hi, Katara,]

[I know it's not really my place, and I really don't want to intrude on whatever might be going within your social circle, but I just wanted to let you know that I saw Toph today and she _really_ wasn't doing well. Aang tells me you have a knack for cheering people up, and she _is_ your roommate, so I thought I'd pass the message that I'd like to meet up with you some time to discuss this matter.]

[- Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.']


	66. Doom

\- Friday, February 25th, 2011 -

[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Mai Chiao]  
[Subject: RE: Concern]

[Hi, Mai.]

[Toph's just...been _like_ that lately. She's a pity party one day and then a terror the next. None of us know what to do with her. I appreciate the concern, though. Thanks for letting me know. But I don't think it's anything unusual given her track record - unfortunately.]

[~ Katara]

Katara felt a pang of guilt after she sent the reply. After all, she _had_ been pretty mean to Toph the day prior...But it wasn't like Toph didn't deserve it, right? And people had to stand up to her or she'd never quit.

She sighed, sucking in a deep breath as she put her laptop to sleep and slipped it into her backpack. Making her way out of the library, satisfied with the research she'd collected, she took a moment to breathe in the fresh air. The stone statues of owls, wise and solemn, guardians of the doors to the treasure trove of information and stories. They'd keep watch over her as she waited for him to show up. Her heart was light and giddy. She hadn't been able to see Aang since Wednesday morning, when all the pieces had clicked so wonderfully.

With nothing better to do, she found herself noticing details about the structure's entrance she hadn't before. On the wide, circular patch of sidewalk leading into the multiple glass doors of the building, there was a detailed arrangement of masonry - a long serpent wound around in a large ring, encompassing words etched into the concrete.

{Enter ye who seeks to be}  
{He who knows 10,000 things}

She smiled at the sight. It was rather neat - she'd never stood around in front of the library long enough to bother paying attention to what she'd walked over so many times. There was so much beauty she had never noticed until she'd simply stopped and _observed._

It reminded of her a certain someone - the someone that she was waiting for.

"Hey, Katara," came Aang's tired greeting after a few minutes, lighting up her heart like a campfire.

"Hey!" she chimed, stretching out her arms and letting his wary body fall into her own. Their bodies pressed tightly, yearning to savor heartbeats hidden under thick coats. Their backpacks made things less than optimal, but it was still heartfelt. Katara eagerly administered a peck on the cheek, to which he pulled away, much to her dismay, his face lighting up red. She found this utterly adorable.

"Wh-whoa," Aang whispered frantically, eyes darting left and right. He stepped back, pulling himself away from her. "We have to watch out - people don't need to know about us yet...Remember?"

Katara's heart ached with impatience. While they hadn't seen one another since that initial spark of reciprocated romance, they had agreed that, for the time being, it'd be best to keep their newfound relationship low key until things with their friends were...a bit more settled. And it had really been _her_ idea in the first place. A bit of regret crept out from her inner desires, but logic and consideration stuffed it back inside.

But as much as she tried to hide it and make Toph out to be a villain in all of this, Katara's gut knew the girl would be hurt if she found out about things. They'd need to tell her sooner or later, but with the way she'd been acting, it'd be best to give it some time - this was the decision they had reached. And Sokka? Yeesh, the guy could be protective...Katara worried how he'd react to know his roommate was dating his little sister...And Jane? She _did_ need to get over herself, but all the same...it'd probably sting the poor girl a bit, too, and she'd been trying very hard lately to be a team player.

"Y-you're right, I'm...-" Katara bumped her mittened hand against her forehead. "-...really sorry, I just...-"

"It's OK," Aang muttered with a bashful shrug, a smile slipping through the cracks in his concern. "Not gonna say I didn't _like_ it..."

They exchanged stupidly giddy grins before heading off. Katara immediately hid her hands away in her pockets to remove the temptation to wrap one around Aang's, while he followed her lead in this regard.

"So, what did you want to do?" Katara asked while they walked. She had no idea where they were going, and assumed he did, at least.

"Oh, just...you know...talk."

"Talk?" Katara's slippery, sliding glee was losing its balance.

"Fff," Aang laughed, dissolving her worry away as quickly as it had come up. "No, no, not...like _that._ I meant, just...I dunno, like we always do." He shrugged up his shoulders. "Nothing serious."

"Right." Katara nodded, trying to put her blinders on and ignored the potential irksome things that had been cast to the sidelines. They needed to take things slow here. She could do that, because she knew it'd be worth it.

* * *

"That the last of it?"

"Sure is. Thanks, guys..." Korra wiped some beads of sweat from her forehead while Hakoda and Bato inspected the backseat to make sure nothing was going to get bumped around during the trip.

"Looks like we managed to squeeze it all in there," chuckled Bato. "I'm impressed. Didn't even manage to crush your dog, either."

Hakoda laughed and gave his chest a proud pound.

"The Kesuks have always been good at packing just what we need," he offered an explanation while Naga barked for attention from inside the car.

"You sure this is going to be enough?" Bato doubted, rubbing his chin, creating a scraping sound from his five-o'-clock shadow.

"I'll be _fine,_ guys," Korra sighed, endeared by their concern. "I'm moving into an already-settled place, remember? And it's not like I need much to get by with, anyway..."

"I'm sure you'll get by well enough," Hakoda assured, administering a solid back slap. "You're a hardy one."

"That she is," agreed Bato. "Can't say the same for me," he groaned, bending over and giving his own back a few thumps. He waddled over, straightening out and opening his arms. "Guess we'll be seein' ya when we see ya, eh?"

"Yea," said Korra, welcoming her makeshift uncle's hug.

"You look out for your cousins down there, now," Bato advised as he made his way to his rusty car. As he started up and pulled out of the shoveled driveway, Hakoda waved his good friend off.

"Seems like the Kesuks can't be kept away from that town," he muttered to himself wistfully.

"Huh?" Korra was puzzled as to what her uncle was on about.

"Korra, I don't think it's a coincidence that you got this job," Hakoda expressed with a solemn nod. He looked at her, in her jeans and leather jacket, that same ambitious spark in her eyes that Kya had once had so long, before...-

"Obviously," Korra scoffed at his mysticism. "I knew a guy who knew a guy - networking, man. It's how shit happens, right?"

Hakoda laughed through his nostrils as a bittersweet smile crept over his face.

"Very true, Korra..."

Korra raised a brow at his melancholic mood, covered up by that strange smile. She had seen it enough growing up to recognize it as the one he wore when he thought of his deceased wife. The weight of such stuff was heavy to bear, so she shoved it off her shoulders.

"Sooo...I oughtta head off, then." She tilted her torso in the direction of her own vehicle.

"Wait," said Hakoda. "Before you go...there was something I was hoping you could take with you." His face changed again, this time more hopeful. He turned for the front door. "I'll be just a moment."

While Hakoda rummaged inside for whatever this 'something' was, Korra took in a deep breath of Canadian air. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gone south to America. Part of her wondered how different it would be down there. She wondered if she'd get along with her prospective roommates.

" _Yar-yar-yarp!_ " The chipper, squeaking barks of her pet rang out from the passenger side window of her car, where a white puppy was clawing at

"Calm the hell down," Korra scolded her pet in amusement, walking over and reaching an arm in to stroke the lively animal's head. There was a whimper. " _Ah,_ bathroom break before we go, huh?" She opened the door and kept a watchful eye on her little beast as it tinkled a tiny stream, creating a small yellow splotch in the white patch of lawn. The animal scrambled back to her master to receive an ear scratch. "'Atta girl..."

As Korra scooped the pint-sized dog up and set her back in the car, Hakoda came out with a lather-bound journal. He handed it to Korra, who took it with caution.

"Could you please give this to Sokka and Katara?"

"Oh, err...Sure." Korra gave a brisk nod, handling the book carefully. Then she remembered - it was the journal Hakoda had received for Christmas from his children. More serious, emotional junk...she simply didn't know how to handle it. Hakoda was acting strange. She furrowed her brows at him, perplexed. "What's with all the doom-n'-gloom?" she grumbled precariously, tucking in the journal like an antique to her waist. Her insides squirmed uncomfortably from the tension as Hakoda's eyes became dulled like battle-worn blades.

"I guess I...have a habit of worrying about you kids," Hakoda explained, offering a sheepish shrug that concealed something deeper. He took her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. She knew this would be the last time she'd see him for a while. "But I just need to remind myself that you'll all be in good hands." Korra accepted the tight hug from Hakoda and was relieved to have the emotional-ness settled.

"We'll keep an eye on each other's backs, Hakoda," she insisted as she waved to him and approached her car, her puppy yipping out for her.

"I'm certain you will," Hakoda called back, sending her off as he stood alone in his driveway.

* * *

\- Saturday, February 26th, 2011 -

"Whew. That was, umm...simpler than I expected," Katara sighed out peacefully as she took the wheel of their car. "She really didn't bring that much with her, did she?"

"Nah," Sokka shrugged, taking the passenger seat. "Just what she needed."

"Her roommates seem all right."

"Yea, I'm sure they'll get along good."

"We'll have to see Korra later this weekend when she's all settled in."

Katara started up the car. The engine hummed to life, and she turned down the radio's volume while it blared some pop song she didn't know.

"So, where off to next, Captain?" she asked eagerly.

"Erm..." Sokka shrugged. "I thought we were just gonna head back."

"Psh, why not do something down here in town while we're here?" Katara suggested with assertiveness, pulling out of the driveway. "Least we do is grab some food, am I right?"

Sokka was finding her tinge of jumpiness a bit odd lately. Just a few days ago she'd been all weird and nervous and down, and suddenly everything seemed different and she was peppy and...a bit odd. He'd seen her like this before... _When_ had he seen like this before?

"Yeeeaaa," he slowly replied. "I am _not_ one to say 'no' to food..."

"Great!" Katara casually drove toward the busy section of Wayward, randomly humming out notes to this song she didn't know, entirely calm and pleasant. Katara - driving, with cars all around - was calm. That in and of itself was a sign. She spoke out in a flittering flurry of cheery words. "How about Taco Bell? Yea, let's do Taco Bell. I'm in the mood for Taco Bell."

A boy. That's what it was. Katara was thinking of a _boy._ Who the heck _was_ it, though? He hadn't seen her hanging out with any _boy_ lately...Unless it was...

A _secret boyfriend._

Oho, coy little sister though she was, she couldn't hide it from _him._

"Aren't _you_?" Katara asked him about his hunger for tacos as they pulled into the driveway of the restaurant she'd blathered about.

"Uh, yea, let's do it." Damnit. Who could it be? Grah, this was going to bug him. He was supposed to be Mr. Detective, here. Then again, Toph seemed to have had a _secret boyfriend_ on the side that he couldn't have known about, and he didn't even know about Jet for a little while, so...maybe this was like that? Freakin' girls and hiding their boyfriends.

* * *

\- November, 2008 -

"But _why_?" Sokka insisted. This made no sense to him.

"Because...-" She sighed contemplatively, palm on her forehead in distress. "If they knew about...this...-" Her eyes - those serene pearls - glanced off, away from him. "-...then it would cause a lot of...problems."

Problems? What was she blabbering about? _What_ problems?

"Yue." Sokka reached out his hand and clasped hers. She squeezed back, a weak smile attempting to mask her doubts. Any smile of hers was like a slice of moonlight that shone on them - soothing and mysteriously elegant. "Your family sounds...er...less than understanding," Sokka confessed, given all he'd been told. "But I don't think they'd really be _that_ upset just because you have a boyfriend."

Yue's head bobbed in self-penalty.

"Or...is this because I'm _Canadian_?" Sokka slowly jabbed in a joke. He delighted at the tiny smirk Yue exhibited through her frustration, as short-lived as it was. "Nah, nah, I get it, don't need to deny it," he continued to play it off. It wasn't working this time, though. Sitting together on the side of a hill that overlooked one of SRU's campus corners, the night sky was relaxing, the air just a bit nippy. He admired the silvery quality of her platinum blonde in the dusk, bobbed back into an intricate braid of tangles.

"Sokka," Yue muttered, latching her arms around his waist and scooting to sit closer to him. She stared at his eyes - they always made her think of the Aurora Borealis for some reason. "You don't understand," she whimpered, her own quivering eyes falling to his lips. She leaned forth and kissed him, and he accepted it with vigor as he had every time now, seeming to melt into goo in her arms. She left it at only one, slow, savory kiss, pulling their faces apart. "I like you, Sokka...a _lot_ ," she assured him, almost painfully, for the idea of losing what they had found in each other in these past few weeks was a burdensome prospect. "But maybe we shouldn't be together..." Yue detached her arm from him.

" _Why_?" Sokka demanded as calmly as he could, his heart wanting to burst out of his chest in protest.

Yue's face winced with guilt as she swallowed her fear.

"I'm engaged."

Sokka's heart was struck with a hammer, and his face went blank with shock.

"You're...-?" Only this single word managed to escape as his mind whirled around in circles.

"I'm sorry," Yue pleaded. "I should've said something sooner, but...I didn't want...-"

Thick, heavy silence for a moment.

"So...What am I in all this?" Sokka finally managed to force out, some anger bubbling out from the pot of passion.

"No, Sokka, it's not what you think," Yue swiftly tried to conduct damage control. "I don't even _like_ him, I've hardly seen him since...-"

"Since _what_?"

"Since it happened," Yue sputtered in a slight panic at Sokka's understandable irritation. "I don't-...I _never_ planned on marrying him, but my family...-" She huffed out her anguish, simply relieved that he hadn't up and left at this point. "They arranged everything with him before I had any say, and I couldn't just outright turn my back on everyone, it...-" She shrugged, staring at his confused, hurt expression with desperation. They shared in this moment of bewilderment until Sokka his his hand, placed it on her leg, and rubbed gently in an effort to calm her down while he tried sorting this all out in his own mind. At least everything was making sense now - why she only ever went out on dates with him at night, why she insisted they keep things on the down-low for the time being, and why she never wanted to take any pictures with him. Here he'd thought it was simply because she had an overprotective family.

Oh, how wrong Sokka had been.

"I'm not sure I get what's going on," said Sokka, expressing his doubts. "All of this stuff with your family, but...What do _you_ want?" Sokka asked solemnly. He eyeballed her hand - nope, no engagement ring. He didn't _think_ he'd seen her with one...

"I want to be with you," Yue insisted, placing her palm upon the wrist that was on her leg. "I've never felt this way about anyone before..."

Sokka's spirit was swelled with hope once again.

"Me, neither," he reciprocated with some anticipation. "Yue, you're beautiful, and...so nice, and selfless..."

"And _you_ are...funny, and charming, and... _real_. And... _normal._ "

"Huh?"

"Sokka, everyone I've worked with, anyone I've ever been with...it's always so _fake._ So...plastic." Sokka had to remind himself of her background as an actress. "Everyone's always about appearances."

Sokka shrugged, flattered that his own...being stupid and 'normal' was somehow enough to make her happy.

"But _you_ ," Yue continued, "Sokka, you...don't care what others think. You're just... _you._ " She smirked, staring at his head with fondness. "You wear your hair all...funny," she remarked with a giggle as Sokka self-consciously tugged at his 'wolftail.' "And you have so many silly shirts..." She wriggled her hand to his collar and tugged at the Hawaiian-themed clothing that rested beneath, her cold hand smooth and soft on his neck. "And it's so...strange...Because even though you _do_ act so... _differently_...and odd all the time...-" She grinned, flashing her teeth at him. "-...you're just being _yourself_."

"Heh..." Sokka could feel his face burning up with embarrassment. By now the hands on Yue's leg were entwined. "C'mon, that's not...so great," Sokka dismissed her compliment. "I'm a total goofball."

"But you're so _intelligent,_ too," Yue lathered on more praise. "You can be so silly and make me laugh...but when it's important, you're so caring, and strong, and smart."

"You...really think so?" Sokka shook his head with skepticism. "I don't...get it. It's not really like that. I'm just an inconsistent idiot..."

"It _is_ like you're two different people, in a way," Yue coyly explained. "Like Yin and Yang - push and pull, light and heavy. Funny but serious...Two sides of one coin - and I like _both sides._ "

She worked her arms around him and squeezed, and his heartbeat elevated. The scent of her perfume, the fluffy edges of her luxurious coat tickling his lips, her wispy hair on his cheek, her gentle touch...Could someone this beautiful _really_ like some immature, crazy idiot like himself?

"I...like you, too, Yue," Sokka managed out, humbled by her generous words. He placed his hands on her back. "So...So, wait, here...Does this mean we're still going to try to work this out?"

Yue kissed his neck with a brief peck.

"I'm sorry about all of this," sighed Yue with regret. "I didn't want to hurt you. And yes, I _do_ want to be with you. But I need to keep this a secret for just a while longer."

* * *

\- Saturday, February 26th, 2011 -

" _Sokka_. What are you getting?" Katara repeated, stirring him from his lamentable thoughts.

"Err..." He blinked at the large menu hanging outside their window. Katara giggled at him. "Just a...Beefy Five-Layer and...mm...-"  
"A Baja Blast," Katara gleefully concluded, knowing what Sokka always liked to drink here. "You sure you don't want anything else?"

"Mmm...Nah, I'm good."

Katara shrugged, seemingly surprised, and directed her voice to the microphone outside her window. After placing the order, she pulled through to the line, and paid for their meal.

"Wow, Sokka," she remarked humorously as they waited for their food. "Just _one_ burrito? You sure everything's all right? Haha..."

"Heh..." He shrugged it off, trying to be cool. Ever since Toph had ripped at him the other day, he found himself occasionally slipping in wet puddles of memories of his time with Yue - a time that had been cut tragically short. He couldn't decide who he was feeling more upset with: Toph, for being a bitch to him, or Suki, for... _not_...being like Yue. Guh.

"Then again," Katara mused, "I guess if you're wanting to lose some weight, you _should_ be eating less Taco Bell, _Bro_ , heehee."

"Fff..." Sokka nodded complacently, trying to appear as amused as his sister strangely was.

"Thank you," Katara accepted their bags of food and drinks, passing them along to her passenger. "Have a good night!"

As they drove off toward the edge of Wayward that led to SRU, Katara slurped at her raspberry tea, humming along to whatever Lady Gaga song was playing that Sokka didn't care to familiarize himself with no matter how many times he heard it.

If Katara really _was_ all aflutter for some guy that he didn't know about...she probably had a good reason for not saying anything just yet. He'd give her the benefit of the doubt.

* * *

Everything was...different.

More voices. More clamor. More smells and sounds. Lots of beer, too. She could definitely smell that. Fuckitall, she wanted some...Stupid _water._ She guzzled some from the bottle she'd been given. Part of the agreement was that she wasn't to drink any alcohol, given the whole...technically not being legal to drink yet. Grah.

Whoa, were those...cat-calls? Hm. On the one hand, they were probably from guys older than she'd prefer. On the other hand...they were cat-calls. So that was...kinda cool. Didn't exactly get _those_ at the coffee shop, right?

This place wasn't like the Jasmine Dragon at _all._ She didn't even remember the name Suki had given - some dive a town over. Didn't matter.

At the end, she looked at it all the same.

Just Toph and her music.

\+ watch?v=muqV_ze9Yks +

She passed on introductions, quelling the jittery audience with electric guitar riffs, receiving a couple cheers off the bat for her music choice. She called out 'Na's' with the tune she was playing and took off, Suki pounding the drums somewhere behind her to the left. She felt her foot across the cement stage floor, observing the scratchy cross made of tape that had been placed before the mic. Sanitary to play barefoot in a place like this? Hell if she cared.

"~I guess I just lost my husband; I don't know where he went~"

_Good riddance._

"~So I'm gonna drink my money; I'm not gonna pay his rent~"

_Some booze sure would taste good right about now._

"~I got a brand new attitude; And I'm gonna wear it tonight~"

_And fuck anyone who's got a problem with that._

"~I wanna get in trouble; I wanna start a fight~"

_That's what I always want, anyway._

"~I wanna start a fight~"

_And I'm damned good at it._

"-I wanna start a fight!-"

_So piss off._

"~So, so what? I'm still a Rock star~"

_That's all that matters._

"~I got my Rock Moves; And I don't need you~"

_None of you._

"~And guess what? I'm havin' more fun~"

_Sure is easier._

"~And now that we're done, I'm gonna show you - tonight, I'm alright; I'm just fine; And you're a tool, so~"

_Always doing better when I don't have a prick roommate butting into my business._

"~So what? I am a rock star; I got my Rock Moves~"

_Damn straight I do._

"~And I don't want you tonight~"

_Stupid prissy bitch doesn't understand me, anyways._

"~The waiter just took my table, And gave it to Jessica Simp (shit!)~"

_Fuckin' Meng, trying to take the credit for my talent._

"~I guess I'll go sit with drum boy, At least he'll know how to hit~"

_Suki knows how to play, and leave me the fuck alone._

"~(What if this flops on the radio? Somebody's gonna die)~"

_Only reason I wouldn't make it is if people can't appreciate what's good._

"~I'm gonna get in trouble, My ex'll start a fight~"

 _Twinkles grows a pair_ after _I need him to man up._

"~He's gonna start a fight~"

_Then he goes pickin' fights with me? Pff._

"- **We're all gonna get in a fight!** -"

Toph kicked the bottle of water she'd set down out into the audience. She couldn't make out exactly what kind of reaction she got, but it didn't matter.

"~So, so what? I'm still a Rock star~"

_And he's just a pussy artist, anyway._

"~I got my Rock Moves; And I don't need you~"

_He was just holding me back._

"~And guess what? I'm havin' more fun~"

_I'm better off without his baby-skin sensitivity._

"~And now that we're done, I'm gonna show you - tonight, I'm alright; I'm just fine; And you're a tool, so~"

_He can go and let himself get stepped on for all I care._

"~So what? I am a Rock star; I got my Rock Moves~"

_But I'm gonna stand my ground, get what I want, do things my own way._

"~And I don't want you tonight~"

_Anyone who gets in my way can fuck off._

The drums pounded and Toph let her guitar take a breather, reaching out and grasping the mic and pushing her anger out slowly through the speakers.

"~You weren't there; You never were~"

 _Some parents_ you _guys were..._

"~You weren't at all; But that's not fair~"

_Didn't let me learn to take care of myself._

"~I gave you life; I gave my all~

_I tried playing your stupid games._

"~You weren't there; You let me fall~"

_And when I left, you didn't even bother trying to take me back._

The tension rose back up to a swell. The guitar drowning out her voice as the word faded.

"~So, so what? I'm still a Rock star~"

_Well, look where I'm going now._

"~I got my Rock Moves, And I don't need you~"

_Told you guys I'd do what I wanted._

"~And guess what? I'm havin' more fun~"

_Feels good, knowing how wrong you were._

"~And now that we're done, I'm gonna show you - tonight, I'm alright; I'm just fine; And you're a tool, so~"

_I never needed you two. Ever._

"~So what? I am a rock star; I got my Rock Moves~"

_Don't ever want to hear your voices again._

"~And I don't want you tonight~"

_Ever._

"~No no, no no...I don't want you tonight~"

 _At least Twinkles_ tried.

"~You weren't there~"

_Even if he was a fuck-up in the end._

"~I'm gonna show you tonight~"

_I'm a fuck-up, too._

"~I'm alright; I'm just fine; And you're a tool, so~"

_But I'm fine with that._

"~So what? I am a Rock star~"

_Because at least I know how to get what I want._

"~I got my Rock Moves~"

_Sling mud, and I'll sling it back harder._

"~And I don't want you tonight~"

_Until all you idiots leave me alone._

"~Ba-da-da-da-da-da~"

* * *

"And you're _OK_ with that?" Zuko growled into his phone, taken aback.

"Oh, _please,_ Zuzu. Everything must always be so black and white with you."

"This isa _little_ different."

"As if you would understand. You _left_ , remember? Before you even understood what you were leaving."

Zuko took a deep breath, working to maintain himself. He glanced into the living room of his Uncle's house to see Mai on her laptop on the couch, patiently awaiting the end of this phone call.

"I understood _enough_ ," he insisted, keeping his voice down. Mai was playing some of that indie-rock music she'd gotten into recently. It was loud enough where he was sure she couldn't hear him right now. "Enough to know I didn't belong there," he amended his statement. "And you don't, either."

"Father seemed to think differently," Azula coolly replied.

" _Father_ seemed to think a _lot_ of things," Zuko seethed in a whisper. "And in case you forgot, his decisions didn't exactly do us any favors."

"Maybe that's where we differ, Brother: you think this is all about you, or me. Well, it's not."

"No, it _isn't,_ which is exactly why you shouldn't-"  
"You can play around and goof off with that silly old man all you-"  
"Don't talk about him like that."

Zuko's blood was starting to boil. He'd believed that his sister was starting to see reason, but if she was really going to go along with what he _thought_ she was, he had given her false credit.

"Or what?" Azula mocked. "What are you going to do about it, _Dum-Dum?_ "

"I won't have to do anything," Zuko quipped sternly. "If you go through with this, I-"  
"With _what_?" Azula played dumb. "What _ever_ are you talking about? I'm simply doing my job: the one you were supposed to help me with."

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about," Zuko sighed. "And I promise you, Azula, if you go down that road, you're going to end up where Ozai did."

"Is that _so_? That sounds like a challenge to _me._ "

Zuko rolled his eyes at her arrogance.

"And you do know how much I enjoy rising to challenges, don't you?"

Pinching at his nose with irritation as a headache was coming on, Zuko decided that it was best to drop this for right now until he could figure out a proper course of action.

"You're going to regret it later on," he warned in that 'like-you're-going-to-listen-to-me' tone Azula often received from him.

"Perhaps," Azula sneakily conceded. "Or maybe _you'll_ regret having not done your part to repair what Father broke."

"That's what I _am_ doing," Zuko defended. "That's what we're _all_ doing."

"If you _say_ so," she brushed him off casually. "I suppose we shall see in due time, Zuko."

"Yea..."

From the living room, Mai was on the lush, padded couch, enjoying the scent of camomile tea that Iroh had prepared for her, finishing up her e-mail reply.

[From: Mai Chiao]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Subject: RE: Concern]

[Listen. I don't mean to sound pushy here, but I really would like to talk with you about your roommate. I understand - it seems like she's just digging herself deeper. That's the problem. I'm sure there's things I don't know about here, but there's also some things I don't think you know, either. Can we please just meet some time?]

[Sorry if I'm coming across as bossy but I can't let my conscience drop this. Hopefully that makes some kind of sense to you.]

[- Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.']

She sent the message as Zuko huffed into the living room.

"Sounds like Azula's back to her old self again," she tried to make light of his stress.

"Something like that," he groaned, setting himself down on the couch beside her. He wound his arm over her back and drew her in, kissing her on the head. His rough hand on her shoulder was comforting, the smell of his cologne still lingering on his neck, luring her into a soft hug.

"Just give it some time, Zuko," she advised calmly. "She's all the way across the country - it's not like there's much we can do about it right now, anyway."

"Mm..." Zuko wasn't so pleased with this prospect.

"You have enough to deal with right now, anyway," Mai reminded him, their temples pressed together. "We should both just focus on what's in front of us for now."

"Yea."

They clasped hands together and simply enjoyed the touch, the proximity, as they often did. It never seemed to get old - the comfort and security.

"Whatever Azula does," Mai expressed to Zuko, her dry voice warm like crackling embers, " _I_ think you're doing everything you can."

"I hope it's enough," Zuko lamented. "Or else we're in trouble."


	67. Like Water

\- Sunday, February 27th, 2011 -

"I just...feel like I learn more from _people_ ," Aang hesitantly explained. "Not just...from a book. You know?"

Katara nodded thoughtfully as they walked down the cafeteria steps to the main lobby of the ACC.

"No, I feel the same way. Even with school, too - I feel like I learn a lot more outside of class than I do from the classes themselves..."

Side by side, heading out the front door of the campus center, they both had chins up and smiles on.

"Yea, I'm starting to think that, too," Aang agreed peacefully. "I'm getting the hang of it, though - balancing things out."

"You seem to be doing a lot better than you were before, so that makes sense," Katara acknowledged as they made their way down the steps. Katara paused halfway down, causing Aang to slow to a stop, confused.

"What's up?" he wondered, looking back. Katara was grinning sneakily, eyes narrowed and sly. She looked around them conspicuously.

"Nobody's around," she announced quietly, and with a mischievous tone. "What if we...kissed?" she suggested, cheeks heating up with anticipation, eyes half closed and sparking. Aang reciprocated, folding his arms to cover the tingling sensation that was building below his waist.

"Us... _kissing_ ," he facetiously contemplated the notion like it was a foreign concept.

"It _is_ a crazy idea," Katara scoffed playfully, closing the distance between them.

" _Us_ ," Aang repeated, feigning serious thought as he rubbed his chin. "... _Kissing_."

Katara snickered and wrapped her arms around his lean waist - if she wasn't mistaken, he _had_ trimmed up a bit lately from all that exercise. Likewise, Aang found his hands unconsciously latched onto Katara's hips. She was wearing jeans today - jeans that had a softer texture than normal. He liked that.

Lips found their way together against better judgment and lingered in their longing. Seconds passed.

The door behind them burst open as Sokka came rushing out to meet them.

"Hey, guys- **Ahh!** " He froze in place, reeling back at the sight, arms flailing up in the air. He nearly doubled over himself while the two lovers popped apart, eyes wide and faces flushed. In that moment, the pieces in Sokka's mind flung together.

Oh, how wrong he'd been.

" _Nothing!_ " Aang spat out, rapidly waving his hands up in response to a question that hadn't even been asked. "We're not doing _anything_ out here!" he pleaded in a sheepish squeak.

Katara eyes ignited with indignation as she pierced her index finger through the air to her brother, walking up the steps she'd been standing on.

"Haven't you ever heard of _knocking_ , Sokka?" she growled, trying to keep her voice down - a failed effort.

Sokka gawked at her, brows furrowed testily.

"Uhh... _First of all_? You're supposed to knock before you go _inside,_ not before you go _outside!_ " he countered, annoyed with his sister's mini explosion. "And _second,_ as my sister, you really shouldn't be kissing anyone in front of me." He frowned, hanging his tongue out in exaggerated disgust. "It's your sisterly duty to avoid giving me the **oogies**!" he yammered, seeming oddly calm about the whole thing.

 **"'** **Oogies** **'?"** Katara roared, appalled by his childish reaction to all this. "Aargh! You are _so_ immature sometimes!" Her finger was still raised, drawing closer to her brother, like an unsheathed sword, ready to slice. "What about you and _Suki,_ huh?"

Sokka shrugged as Katara stabbed her finger into his chest, eyes on fire, nostrils flared open wide like geysers.

"I've had to sit and watch you and _her_ snog all over the place, left and right!" Katara seethed. "I don't even wanna _hear it!_ "

" _Whaaat?_ That's rih-dick-uh-luss!" Sokka flamboyantly retaliated, leaning into her accusing finger. "At least you know we're _dating,_ so you know to turn away!"

"This is _our_ business! No one asked for your... _stupidly childish_ opinion!"

As the siblings exploded at each other with embarrassed, vicious verbal jabs, Aang stared, wide-eyed and worried, their words blurring together in a run-on rant. His stomach was churning with fear. Sure, Silly Sokka was making fun, but _Serious_ Sokka was going to strangle Aang in his sleep. He sighed with trepidation at the prospect, but was somewhat relieved that somehow _he_ wasn't the one getting chewed out...

"Uh, Sokka?" he tried to push through their argument nervously, raising his palms up. " _Sokka!_ "

Steam billowed from both Kesuk noses, and Sokka stuck his palm up to Katara's face.

"Time out," he quickly dismissed her, much to her aggravation. While she squawked out an offended huff, he turned to Aang. "Yea, Aang?"

"I, um...-" Aang shrugged, shaken by everything. "Whhhhat did you come out here to tell us?"

" _Oh!_ Right!" Sokka's eyes flashed in remembrance and he seemed to forget about the entire argument in an instant. "We need to head downtown." He smacked the side of his fist into his palm. "They're doing the opening ceremony soon, and Korra told me I need to get you there."

"Huh?" Aang blinked, wide-eyed. "B-but that's...not for another few hours."

Sokka shrugged, brows lifted.

"I dunno, she said she needed you down there ASAP."

Aang nodded quickly, turning to Katara, who was trying to lower her temperature. She sighed out her frustrations.

"Then let's go," she decided.

"All right. Then _let's go_." With this, Sokka dashed past them, bee-lining to the nearby parking lot and toward their car.

As Katara and Aang followed, Katara tried to wind her fingers around Aang's - Sokka already knew, she figured - but he pulled away. She shrugged it off, acknowledging that he was understandably worried about what Sokka would think.

What had just transpired hung in the air, and they both wanted to discuss it, but knew there wasn't any time or privacy. Katara felt pretty certain, however, given Sokka's reaction, that he was somehow...completely fine with the whole thing. This was unnerving to her, but only because this would mark the first time Sokka had _not_ been over-protective over any of her boyfriends. She couldn't help but find it strange.

They both made to sit in the backseat, and Sokka clucked his tongue wildly.

" _Awww,_ no! You're up front, Sis. I don't need no **oogies** in the back seat."

Katara rolled her eyes with an "Urgh" and marched to the front.

She collapsed into the seat like it was a chore and clipped her seatbelt, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest while Aang drummed his fingers across his knees in the back.

Sokka turned on the ignition and off they went. After a minute or two of bizarre, tense silence, Sokka finally spoke.

"So, erm... _That's_ what's been goin' on," he openly observed. "Ya know, that explains a lot."

"Ya _think_?" Katara snipped.

"Well, you two _have_ seemed happier lately..."

Aang was tempted to announce how much better he'd been feeling, but squashed this desire for the sake of his own private parts.

"And Toph _has_ been bitchier than normal," Sokka added.

"She doesn't _know_ ," Katara rapidly informed, suddenly swelling with worry.

" _Oh_." Sokka was off-put. "Damn...You, uh...you'd better keep that a secret for the time being, 'cuz she would _totally._..-" He glanced to his side in all seriousness, only to see a flash of his sister's dull, impatient glare before his eyes danced back to the road. "Ah. _Right!_ " he acknowledged what was suddenly obvious.

"We _are_ going to tell her," Aang put in his two cents. "But...not quite yet..."

"This isn't something we had... _planned_ on," Katara was quick to add. "I-I mean, it...it just _happened_..."

"Well, hey," Sokka casually carried on, adjusting his mirror slightly. "Ya know, that's how this stuff goes, am I right?" How in the hell was he so... _OK_ with this?

"And-and it's not like we've been keeping this all...under wraps, or...or anything like that," Katara pressed on with her hasty explanation. "This-...W-well, it was-...Like, we only _just_ figured this out a few _days_ ago, and we haven't even-"  
" _Chill_."

Katara's shaky flurry of defense was cast aside by her brother.

"Geez, Sis...You're not in _court,_ this ain't no trial," he laughed, trying to placate her. "I didn't ask for a novel. Simmer down."

Aang, still keeping fairly quiet in the back, was becoming more and more relieved the more Sokka spoke - quite the opposite of how he'd expected this to go down. Katara was confused. It simply wouldn't click that this could be so...easy. There was _something_ she wasn't getting - there simply _had_ to be. Sokka turned up the radio and everyone let their stresses get swallowed up by song until they reached their destination. This chunk of downtown Wayward was a bit busy, with a number of people humming around the newly refashioned building that Aang had contributed toward. A metal sign had been attached to its frontside, depicting interlocking gears on either side.

{ **UNITED REPUBLIC** }

"Looks like your stop," Sokka advised. Aang hesitated for a moment, still unsure as to where the matter of him and Katara sat, but opted to wave them off and get swept into the buzzing student workers that were conducting their energies into the building.

Katara let the radiowaves waft through the car for a few minutes as they wheeled around and headed back for SRU's campus. When she felt like her mind was about to burst from the confusion, she lowered the volume dial.

"So you're just... _totally_ OK with this," she dubiously proclaimed.

"Yea," Sokka bluntly replied, starting to get a bit annoyed with her insistence on doubting him. "I am."

" _You_ ," Katara grunted. "Elder brother who has _never_ let me date anyone without giving me trouble."

Sokka shrugged at this, wide eyed, as the sense behind it was clear as day in his mind.

"Sis, you've never dated anyone I actually _knew_."

Katara did a double-take at this, eyebrows set low in consideration at first, only to gradually raise when the dust in her mind cleared.

"Katara, why would I _not_ be OK with you and _Aang_?" Sokka spit out an incredulous laugh at her. "He's like a _brother_ to me. I love the guy. I know him, I _live_ with him. He's...a _good guy._ Which is a _first_ for you."

He smirked in her direction, and she offered and embarrassed shrug.

"W-well, yea, he...he _is_...I just didn't think you'd...-" Another popped shoulder. She felt kind of silly now for second-guessing him.

He gave her a slap on the shoulder as he drove along the straight road back to school.

"I don't have a reason to be protective over you when I already know you're in good hands," Sokka concluded his logic, and she watched a warm smile pour over his face.

"Yea," Katara sighed out peacefully, relieved that this was so simple. Her brother's effortless support was a positive sign to her that she had made a good decision.

"Just...ya know...Don't go all gettin' mushy and making out in front of me and everything'll be fine."

"Psh...Did you forget about you and _Suki_ in the past few minutes?"

Sokka swallowed carefully at the thought.

"No, I haven't," he muttered, the luster in his tone fading.

* * *

\- Monday, February 28th, 2011 -

[From: Katara Kesuk]  
[To: Mai Chiao]  
[Subject: RE: Concern]

[OK...]

[I'm not really sure what you're talking about, Mai, but...All right. I think I know how you're feeling. So, yes, I'd be willing to meet up with you to talk about this. What did you have in mind?]

[~ Katara]

After reading the reply she'd received, Mai's attention was brought to the television, which was broadcasting the evening news.

["-which took place yesterday evening, where Mayor Kuei was present to help commemorate the grand opening of the new facility."]

Mai observed the quaint-looking man, middle-aged, with his elongated face and small, quaint glasses. He spoke cleanly and clearly to the news reporter, with a kind of authority unexpected from his stature.

["Personally, I'm very excited that the college has gone through with this project,"] said the mayor. ["I think it will be a great opportunity for our city and the students of their campus to interact and bring our two communities closer together."]

Mai smiled at the comment. She had heard some rumblings from her boyfriend about his involvement in helping promote the project to the town of Wayward, but hadn't heard the man himself speak on the matter. She could feel the crackling embers of her heart glow warm with pride at Zuko's work - his ideas brought forth by his own efforts - getting recognized.

["It's been a couple of months of hard work-"]  
" **Omigosh-omigosh** _Zuzu_ is on TV~!" squealed Ty-Lee, slapping her hands together tightly as she interrupted what Zuko was saying.

Mai smirked at her friend, who then gaped wide-eyed, pointing her finger excitedly at the screen.

["-lot of people have all pitched in to make this happen. It's been an honor to be a part of this, and I hope it helps our campus reach out and connect with people we haven't quite been able to interact with before."]

["The Kurosawa family seems to have a long history with Saint Roku University. Have they had any influence on this decision?"]

["To be honest, the United Republic was my own idea - my family's history with the college may have helped me reach a position where I could make these ideas a reality, but frankly, I'm acting independently."]

Ty-Lee hopped up again with another squeak.

"Look-look! In the background! It's _Aang!_ "

Indeed, the young man was hovering the background, shaking hands with Mayor Kuei in the hullabaloo.

["-that in light of recent budgeting issues, many are questioning how the college is able to fund such a project when they're cutting off tenure from some of their respected professors."]

Zuko replied with his professional demeanor, expressionless and courteous.

["You'd have to speak with the college's president concerning those kinds of matters."]

While the news reporter continued to discuss the topic, Mai tuned it out, opting to focus on the half-scribbled sketch on her notepad. Zuko came walking into the Terra house lounge, talking on his phone.

"-what you're saying, Uncle, but I really don't see what else I can do about it right now..."

They were talking about Azula. Mai had become pretty familiar with overhearing vague conversations about the topic. It concerned her - something more serious was going on, but Zuko would never divulge the details, even getting actively upset when she tried to press them from him. It had become a bit of a sore topic, so Mai had been trying to quell her doubts and simply do her best to offer encouragement from the sidelines. Something seemed to have happened in the past week that had got things sparking issues back up after what had sounded like a breakthrough over the holidays.

Mai waved a dainty hand to her boyfriend, who nodded and waved back, occupied by his call.

"Right, but...Yes, I understand, it's-...OK, all right. Yes, yes, I'll be there...Mm-hm...I love you, too."

With that same tired sigh Mai had grown wary of hearing, Zuko let himself collapse onto the lumpy couch and cozy up beside Mai, who set her drawing on the nearby coffee table.

"Zuko!" Ty-Lee chirped. "You were on _TV!_ "

"Uh, yea," Zuko shrugged, a bit embarrassed. "That was-...Yea."

" _Soooooo_ awesome~!"

"Sure...Uh, thanks?"

"You looked like you carried yourself pretty well out there," Mai observed. "How was it?

"It went well," Zuko decided with a light nodding gesture. "The place is looking great, and the new manager seems really...energetic. She's had experience with this kind of thing before, so it seemed like she hardly needed any training."

"Sounds good."

"Yea, it's all been going smoothly, I think."

"Then I'm guessing that's not what your phone call was about," Mai keenly pointed out.

"No," Zuko mumbled in admittance, scratching at his ear.

Ty-Lee gasped.

"Azula's being a big _meanie_ again, isn't she?" she realized. "That's what you were talking about."

"Wh-?" Zuko's eyes darted to her and he shook his head. "No, that wasn't it," he firmly replied. "It's about the school, not her."

"You're _lying_ ," Ty-Lee immediately spat out with a stern point of her finger.

Zuko grunted and rolled his eyes.

"Just because you watch that stupid show, it doesn't mean-"  
"Deflecting," Ty-Lee snipped, cutting him off.

"I'm not _lying_ ," Zuko insisted. "It has to do with the school."

Ty-Lee slits for eyes scanned him suspiciously for another moment.

" _That_ part's true," she admitted. "What's _Godzula_ have to do with the school right now?"

Mai was quite interested in this and was opting not to say anything in Zuko's defense when he glanced her way.

"It's...just politics," he yammered. "You wouldn't understand."

"So she _does_ have something to do with the school," Ty-Lee sneakily concluded, sidestepping the insult to her intelligence.

"I never _said_ that..."

"Like how you never said it to the news lady."

"Oh, so... _What?_ Is this some _conspiracy_ , now?" Zuko huffed.

Ty-Lee blinked at him, cocking her head to the side.

"I dunno, Zuko," she innocently replied. " _Is_ it?"

Zuko's head rolled backward and he groaned.

"You're not some _detective,_ Ty-Lee. Mind your own business."

"So it _is._ "

" _No!_ There's no-...There's nothing like that. Kurosawa Industries used to be very involved with the school, but we're _not_ now, and Azula's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong and trying to bring up old problems. That's _it,_ OK?"

Both girls stared at him for a moment. He was burning up with irritation and stress. Mai slid her lithe fingers over the back of his neck and gave Ty-Lee a brief, gentle glance.

"OK~" Ty-Lee chimed with a peppy shrug. "I was just messin' with ya, Zuko. _Man,_ you're so frikkin' _serious_ all the time..."

Mai smirked. Her roommate wasn't always as stupid as she pretended to be.

"OK, guys," Mai settled their matter. "Come on, now, we're here to hang out. Ty-Lee, would you mind making some popcorn?"

"Sure!" And off Ty-Lee pranced to the kitchen down the hall.

"You set her up to that, didn't you?" Zuko grumbled, arms crossed over his stomach.

"I did no such thing," Mai confidently remarked. "But I'm glad you think we're both crafty enough to plan something like that out, haha."

"Some of this stuff is serious, and it's not your guys' business," Zuko firmly advised with a bit of a glare. He puffed out a sigh and retracted his frustration. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to...be a jerk about it."

"It's OK," Mai assured, continuing to run her hand across the back of his head. "I get it. It's personal, family stuff. My dad's a politician, remember? I know how that goes."

"Yea..."

"Come here," Mai whispered, raising her other hand to Zuko's jaw and pulling him in for a kiss. They enjoyed a romantic moment together until Ty-Lee's voice interrupted.

" _Awwwwww~!_ "

Lips that were pressed together curved into smiles as they slowly pulled apart.

"Don't mind me!" Ty-Lee giggled, munching on some kernels of popped corn in a puffed up cheek. "Juff emjoing da ffoh."

Mai smiled and got up, grabbing the DVD case sitting on the table and making her way to the television to set up the movie she had rented.

"So what's this movie about, again?" Zuko wondered, eyeballing the dreary cover, with some girl making a snow angel. { **Let Me In** }

" _Vampires~!_ "

"Ugh."

"Fff," Mai was amused by Zuko's immediate distaste. "Yes, but...I heard it's actually _good._ "

"Guess we'll find out," Zuko scoffed.

* * *

[From: Mai Chiao]  
[To: Katara Kesuk]  
[Subject: RE: Concern]

[Thank you for understanding. By the way, Aang told me about what happened recently. I'm very happy for you two. I know it can be kind of awkward at first - I was friends with Zuko's sister for a long time before he and I started dating, so it was kind of weird for a while when we started. But things got better.]

[I was thinking we could meet over coffee at the Jasmine Dragon. Thursday evening work for you?]

[- Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.']

Katara's attention was diverted from her computer as her open door was rattled. She looked up to see a curious Jane peering thoughtfully in.

"Hi," Katara greeted.

"'Sup?"

"Just...ya know...-" Katara closed her laptop, directing full attention to her friend. She tugged at her hair nervously, adjusting the ponytail it was set into. "I needed to talk to you about something."

"That's..why I'm here," Jane muttered with a shrug. "I got your text earlier."

"R-right, so, umm...-" Katara wiggled her hand, inviting Jane to enter. "Would you mind, um, closing the door, Hun?"

Jane did as asked and plopped herself onto the side of Katara's bed.

"Somethin' up?"

"Haaah," Katara half-sighed, half-laughed. "K-kind of..."

"Sooo...-?" Jane's eyes narrowed. She didn't seem in a patient mood today. "I've got work in a few minutes."

"O-OK, I just...-" Katara fidgeted with her hands, fingers squirming over each other. "I just thought you should know that...just a couple days ago...-" She sucked in a deep breath and just let the words roll out. "Aang and I started dating." She looked down as she said it, seemingly ashamed. There was silence. Almost wincing, Katara looked up to Jane's face, calm and dulled - as it had been when she'd entered. The girl shrugged.

" _Big_ fuckin' surprise," she mumbled, her eyes shifting now that Katara was looking at her. "Saw _that_ one comin' from a mile away..."

"So, y-you're...not upset?"

Jane shook her head, turning her wrists upward in compliance.

"Psst. I mean...Kinda pissed that you were _lying_ about it before, but...-"

"I'm sorry," Katara was quick to apologize. "I wasn't-...I-I hadn't really thought about it until _after_ the fact...This all _just_ happened..."

"Yea, yea," Jane eased, flicking her wrist downward in dismissal. "It's...whatever," she popped up one shoulder. "You can date whoever the fuck you _want_ , Kat," she insisted in a tone that was lacking any hostility. "Christ, no one's stoppin' ya."

As Katara's face lightened up into a relieved smile, Jane arranged her own face to match its relief.

"Fff, I mean, _shit_ , Kat..." Jane scratched at her eyebrow. "You deserve some fuckin' _happiness,_ am I right?"

"Thanks," Katara breathed out peacefully. "I've just been really worried about, 'cuz of...everything that's happened."

"Don't _even_ ," Jane casually rolled the matter of her back. "That was-...I was stupid, I shouldn't have...-"

"I didn't want to see you get hurt."

Jane appreciated the firm honesty in Katara's tone when those words rolled out.

"I know," she mumbled back, struggling to stop her cheeks from getting too flushed. "But... _fuck,_ does Her Royal Bitchfest know about this yet?" Jane changed gears, nodding her head to the empty bed across the room.

"No, she, um...-" Katara's fingers began habitually twirling the edges of her ponytail. "She doesn't know about it yet."

"There's gonna be fire and brimstone when she does," Jane snickered, making light of the situation.

"Ugghh, I _know_ ," Katara bemoaned, leaning forward in her chair as the twirling continued. "We have no idea how to break it to her yet."

"Heh. Secret's safe with me," Jane offered. "No fuckin' _way_ am I touchin' _that_ shit with a ten-foot pole."

"Oh, y-yea, thanks. You and Sokka know about it now." Katara let go of her ponytail and folded her hands into her lap. "Aang and I will tell Toph sometime...I'm trying to wait for her to cool off a bit, you know?"

"Tch." Jane's eyes opened wide with doubt as she grimaced. "Good luck with _that_ one..."

"I know," Katara whimpered.

A moment of silence. Jane's insides were swelling with different emotions.

"Bet you two are gettin' it on nice, though," she tried to set up some encouragement, bringing the topic back to Aang.

" _Yea_ , we are," Katara agreed, and the fears on her face instantly washed away at the thought. "He's just-...I dunno. I really have a good feeling about this."

"Yea," Jane nodded along. "That's...-" She paused, then nodded again. Her finger rubbed at her eyebrow again but she caught herself, instead pushing her hand back over her shaggy mess of orange hair. "Nah, that's great, Kat." She swallowed, trying to focus her thoughts on her happiness for Katara instead of the dejection that was trying to crawl over her. "Fuck," she laughed out. "I'm happy for ya."

"Thank you." Katara, beaming with joy, reached out and hugged Jane tightly, which made Jane's body tingle and tremble for a moment with mixed sensations.

"Sooo, I gotta get to work," Jane grunted through their hug. It broke apart, to her regret and relief.

"Right!" Katara cheerfully acknowledged, her eyes bright and practically sparkling with excitement. "Yea, have a good time."

"Apff. _Will do_ ," Jane facetiously replied as she got up from the bed. "Catch ya later."

"Bye!"

As Jane entered her own room - her roommate also missing, as usual - she took a moment in privacy to take a deep, shaky breath. Her insides were mangled. She felt at once elated and hollow. It hadn't been since Christmas that she'd seen Katara's face so...warm, and alive, and at peace. It had been such a pleasant sight. And yet, she also know this was the definitive nail in the coffin regarding what she had wanted most happening between herself and the girl.

Katara seemed very happy, and that was great.  
But Jane felt rejected and disappointed.

A confused sob seeped out as she sat on her bed, but Jane sniffed, rubbed at her dampening eyes, and breathed out, nice and slow.

Katara's happiness was more important than her own. Katara deserved to be happy.

Jane refused to sink back into that hole, the one Toph seemed to have eagerly _dug herself_ into. She wasn't going to let her own desires get in the way of everyone's happiness.

Katara had taught her better than that - and look where she was now.

Maybe if Jane could be patient, she'd know what that felt like, too.

She stuck on her Appa's work cap and slapped some deodorant in her arm pits and looked in the mirror hanging on the backside of her door. She adjusted the bumblebee belt buckle Sokka had given her for Christmas. Today, that was the 'bee' thing she had decided to wear. She didn't much care for her appearance in this stupid hat. Made her look like a dude. She fussed with her T-shirt - it was tight, and the push-up she was wearing helped a bit, at least. Her jeans were getting pretty tight, too - she'd gained weight over Christmas break, for sure. For all his stupidity, Sokka had been helping her notice these things, pervert that he was.

_I guess now it doesn't matter if Katara was noticing them or not, though..._

On her way down, she took out her phone and sent a message.

[To: johnny]  
[so..how you doin? that leg any bettr?]  
[Sent: 4:46pm]

* * *

\- Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 -

"Nope. Still hasn't murdered me in my sleep," Aang chuckled. "I think I might be in the clear."

"Heh..." Katara gave a wistful smile as they walked down the steps of the back end of the ACC. The cool evening air had traces of fog lingering inbetween puddles of light case down by street lamps along the sidewalks. "You want to go for a walk?" Katara asked, staying close to his side.

Aang nodded in compliance. They admired each other's shy faces for a moment.

"Yea, it's nice out."

They took off across the winding sidewalks of SRU's campus, their destination aimless, losing track of time in the dusky air, vapors starting to billow from their lips.

They made jokes, and discussed how everyone so far had seemed so accepting of their blossoming romance.

Everything just seemed to be flowing.

Like water.

\+ watch?v=usR7mMHUhlY +

**~I opened my eyes last night and saw you in the low light~**

They passed by the lamp Aang had found Katara by the night they'd first kissed.

**~Walking down by the bay, on the shore, staring up at the planes that aren't there anymore~**

Aang caught Katara gazing up to the moon, veiled in cloud.

**~I was feeling the night grow old and you were looking so cold~**

He took his white newsie cap and planted it on her head. She blushed. He smiled.

**~Like an introvert, I drew my over shirt Around my arms and began to shiver violently before~**

He pulled up his hood, covering his chilled head after a gust of wind blew past them.

**~You happened to look and see the tunnels all around me~**

The wind picked up, and Katara clasped at the hat on her head to keep it from blowing.

**~Running into the dark underground; All the subways around create a great sound~**

A set of windchimes hanging near the entrance to the Gyatso building ringed pleasantly nearby.

**~To my motion fatigue, farewell, with your ear to a seashell~**

Katara's hand lingered on the hat with affection after the gusts had calmed.

**~You can hear the waves in underwater caves~**

Aang extended his arm, sliding his fingers down to her wrist, until their hands interlocked.

**~As if you actually were inside a saltwater room~**

They journeyed, side-by-side, both blushing and smiling weak smiles.

_~Time together is just never quite enough~_   
**~When you and I are alone, I've never felt so at home~**

Their conversing had lulled to an end, but this was just fine.  
They were simply enjoying the expressions of affection swirling around.

_~What will it take to make or break this hint of love?~_   
**~We need time~**   
**~Only time~**

Their hearts full of hope, and confidence, they wondered...  
What could stop this seed from growing into a tall tree?

Nothing.

_~When we're apart whatever are you thinking of?~_   
**~If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone?~**

Fussing over classes and work.  
Reading and homework, alone in their rooms.

_~So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?~_   
**~All the time**   
**~All the time~**

Just an hour or two of time together, and the world melted away.

**~Can you believe that the crew has gone and wouldn't let me sign on?~**

Katara thought on Aang's lofty goals, and how he'd somehow been meeting them.

**~All my islands have sunk in the deep, so I can hardly relax or even oversleep~**

She thought of the pain and the confusion he'd gone through back in January.

**~I feel as if I were home, some nights, when we count all the ship lights~**

But here they were, still afloat after the storms, adrift together on a raft.

Like it was always meant to be.

**~I guess I'll never know why sparrows love the snow~**

Aang thought on Katara's strong-willed desire to help others, and how she'd helped him.

**~We'll turn off all of the lights and set this ballroom aglow~**

He thought of how comfortable it was to be with her - to touch and be touched, despite his earlier doubts.

_~So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love? All the time~_

They drew closer together, hands over hips, bodies eager to lean on each other.

_~Time together is just never quite enough~_   
**~When you and I are alone, I've never felt so at home~**

Katara laid her head on his shoulder as they walked, and he set his own cheek on rough, scratchy hat on her own head.

_~What will it take to make or break this hint of love?~_   
**~We need time~**   
**~Only time~**

"How are you doin'?" he asked after their long silence.

"Good," she sighed pleasantly.

_~When we're apart whatever are you thinking of?~_   
**~If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone?~**

"So, Katara." Aang lifted his head back up as they slowed.

"Yea?"

_~So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?~_   
**~All the time~**   
_~All the time~_

"I love you," Aang announced simply.

"I love you, too," she replied, as easy as that.

_~Time together is just never quite enough~_

Their faces both lit up with attraction.

_~When we're apart whatever are you thinking of?~_

They kissed for a bit, each gesture a small mystery.

_~What will it take to make or break this hint of love?~_

As they pulled apart, Katara's face lingered close to his, and she rubbed her nose against his own.

_~So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?~_

"That's an eskimo kiss," she explained, their foreheads pressed together.

_~All the time~_

"Better get used to those, Aang," she coyly teased.

_Aang delivered one onto her face next and she giggled._

"It looks like...-" She kissed him on the lips softly, and they slid noses together yet a third time. "-...Canadian Eskimo Glue is keeping our noses stuck together...


	68. Old People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in updating this version of the story. FF.net seems to have disabled the copy/paste function from story chapters, which makes porting over the text to this site somewhat troublesome.
> 
> I am also nearing this draft's completion and getting ready to revise the entire work into an original series. You can read more about that here, if you'd like:  
> http://destiny-smasher.tumblr.com/post/75652949630/sru-rokudai-f-a-q

\- Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 -

"Argh, _shit-shit_..." Korra flicked her wrist through the air, flinging steaming droplets to the waxed tile floor. She growled in spite of her own mistake as she hurried to the sink and doused her hand in cold water. By the time she'd cooled off her skin and prevented it from blistering, she noticed the portly man with the white beard mopping up the spilled liquid. "Oh," she muttered with some embarrassment, hurrying over. She attempted to take the mop but he just continued to clean. "Erm...I can...-" She trailed off, glancing at her damp hand to ensure it hadn't been burned.

"Tea is a delicate craft," the elderly man's slow, careful voice explained as he finishing up, wringing the mop over a bucket and setting it aside. He elaborated as he dried his hands. "You have to treat it with respect and care, you see..."

Korra grimaced at the thought, glancing off with doubt.

"Uhhh...Yea, being 'delicate' ain't exactly my thing..."

"Waha..." Iroh grinned at her uncertainty. "Then perhaps you'd best leave the tea-making to the careful ones, and take on the rougher tasks."

"Huh? But...I'm supposed to be the _manager_ , I can't just go...lettin' other people do my work."

"Ahhh, but it sounds to me like you are forgetting what your job here _is_ ," Iroh pointed out as he set a new pot of water brewing in the kettle. After turning on the stove, he turned back to the young woman. "Being the manager does _not_ mean doing everything - it means making sure everything gets done."

Korra's jaw slid open, brows bent down in confusion.

"Uhhh...-?"

"You are the one in charge, Miss Kesuk," Iroh advised as he began to take some stray ingredients from the large fridge and prepare himself a turkey sandwich. "That means you have to ensure the right people take on the right tasks, you see - not that you must do everything yourself. You are only one person, after all..."

" _Yea,_ but...-" Korra grumpily fussed with her hand, eagerly tempted to voice her thoughts: _I'm the only person who won't fuck everything up._

"Have you taken some time to get the know the staff yet?" Iroh wondered.

"Erm, it's...only been a couple days, I haven't really...done that yet."

"You should," Iroh firmly advised. "Once you understand your staff, you will be better equipped with the knowledge of who you can most rely on for any given task."

"Mm..." Korra nodded. She wasn't sure she appreciated this old fart trying to tell her how to do her job, but she couldn't shake away a sense of respect for the guy at the same time. At least he wasn't being a dick about it.

"Korra?"

The woman's attention was diverted to the entrance to the kitchen by a young man, one of the student workers.

"What's up?" she asked, making her way over.

"It's just gettin' a bit busy out here, is all," the student meekly informed her.

After a few minutes of tending to customers, serving them drinks, cleaning up a bit of a mess a kid made, keeping said kid and his brother under control, and setting a pizza in the oven for a family who had just come in, Korra wiped some sweat from her forehead as she noticed Iroh finish his sandwich, a steaming mug of tea in his hand now.

"Goodness," Iroh remarked. "You look exhausted."

Korra resented the remark and puffed out a breath, shaking her arms to loosen them up.

"Wha? _Tss_." She threw an arm. Ow. Said arm was pretty sore. What the hell could she have done to it? "Nah, I've got this," she shook it off, rolling her head around her neck. Damnitall to hell, her shoulders were stiff like a son of a bitch...All day, it'd been like this. She must've slept on it wrong. New mattress to adjust to, and all...

"How's that pizza coming?" asked her student worker, popping his head in.

"Oh, it's comin'," Korra waved him off. After he disappeared, she checked to ensure to herself she'd prepared everything correct. Training had been a bit of a whirlwind affair. Korra hadn't had much experience worrying about food prep, especially not such fast-paced stuff. Her insides tightened with discomfort, seemingly out of nowhere. "Hey, uh...-" Shit. Forgot his name. Who was this guy, again? "Sir, would you mind, uh...-?" She gestured toward the oven as she made her way to the employee restroom.

"Waha, certainly, my dear," Iroh let her rest easy as he took a large gulp to finish off his tea.

Acknowledging that she'd been ignoring her own bodily needs, Korra took respite in the restroom, aggravated with how stressful all of this was. She had underestimated what kinds of duties she'd need to worry about here, and choosing to stall the move until just before work started meant she didn't have to worry about the financial pinch so much, but she had no time to settle in. Life outside of work was still crazy - she was still figuring her way around town, she was without a lot of odds and ends she had grown accustomed to, and she had two new roommates - instead of zero - to worry about making sure she didn't offend.

[To: Bowlin Ball]  
[Today is kicking my ASS. What's goin' on tonight?]  
[Sent: 8:43pm]

She knew to text Bolin if she wanted a response sooner rather than later, since she had noticed that Mako seemed to not really pay his text messages much heed. Ironically, when she needed to make a call, Bolin seemed less likely to pick up, whereas Mako seemed to answer pretty swiftly.

[From: Bowlin Ball]  
[just got off work. gonna netflix it up. no plans.]  
[Sent: 8:44pm]

After washing her hands and studying her face - did she really look tired? - Korra sauntered back out, to where Iroh was just taking the pizza out of the oven.

"Pizza," he noted, "is like a team."

Korra paused, gawking at him, puzzled.

"You need to make sure you use ingredients that work well together if you want everyone to be satisfied."

Aha. That was...erm...witty? Or something? What a cooky old guy. Who _was_ he, anyway? Why was he here? She racked her brain. She should know this.

"Uhh...Yea, I guess so..."

"You _could_ make just a plain cheese pizza," Iroh continued. Ugh, what the fuck was this, Aesop's Fable time or...something? "But when the cheese stands alone, it...can be a bit underwhelming." He took a sniff of the hot dish. It was still barely bubbling on its metal sheet. "On the other hand," he offered a sage finger waggle, "if you simply toss together toppings on a whim, not everyone may be able to eat it."

She rolled her eyes at his rambling while he finished his thought.

_Good god, can this looney get to the fuckin' point? In plain English?_

"It is all about balance, you see." He pointed to both halves of the pizza Korra had hastily thrown together. One half had vegetables - green peppers and onions and olives - while the other had sausage and salami and pepperoni. "You must not only pick the right ingredients, but you must decide where the go - and what they go _with._ "

"Mm-hm," Korra hummed impatiently. "Well, that's...an interesting way of looking at it," she brushed aside his makeshift lecturing. She knew her way around an establishment. This one was just...a little different. And bigger. Gah. Fuck, was it bigger. Korra slid the pizza tray onto a wooden paddle and went to carry it out.

Things were slowing down, at least - good thing, since they'd be closing up shop soon enough. She couldn't complain about _that_ , at least - staying out until ungodly hours of the morning was not going to be the norm with this job. She grabbed some dirty dishes on her way back to the kitchen.

"We all set on stuff?" she asked her employee on her way back in. Was he really _her_ employee? Nah. The school had hired him, she just...managed him...She stole a glance at his nametag while she passed him by. {DOUGLAS} Hm. Seemed like a geeky enough name for the little blond shrimp.

"Yea, we should be fine for now," he informed her as she whizzed back through the double doors, hands full of leftovers and porcelain.

As she set the plates into the sink and went to work washing them, the gentleman who'd been overseeing her for the past while hovered in the background, reading a newspaper.

"You know," he said casually, eyes scanning the pages, "I used to be acquainted with your aunt when she attended SRU."

Korra wasn't surprised - she knew Auntie Kya had gone to the school in her younger years, hence the reason her cousins Katara and Sokka were there _now._ And this fogy looked old enough to still have been around back then.

"Ya don't say," she grunted out, scrubbing her green scratchpad to unstick whatever hardened material had gotten glued to this damned...fucking-... _Grahhh._

"Yes, yes. In fact, she used to write for this very paper," Iroh reminisced. "She was quite the prolific writer for her age."

"Ah..." Korra nearly had this gunk. _Grrzzzrrrmm..._

"Mm. But I get the impression that you are not much interested in the written word, are you?" he probed.

"Not, uh...not so much," she confessed. Whew! Hot damn, finally got that shit off. "My cousin, though - she's all into English and crap. Writin', readin'..."

"She must take after her mother, then," Iroh said warmly.

"She does," Korra acknowledged with a bit of pride. Katara definitely did seem to do that.

"I am thinking that you are not here because of any familial influence, though," Iroh observed with a steady glance at her expression waning back to apathy.

"I dunno," Korra shrugged. "I mean, sure - my cousins go here and shit, so that's how I even found out about this place, but...Nah, it's not like anyone told me to come, or nothin'."

"Ah. You seem quite independent for how young you are, making such a big move to another country."

"I needed work. Needed a new life, a new start - and Zuko seemed to think I was the right one for the job, so here I am."

Korra gave the man a careful glance as she set a clean plate on the drying rack. He looked just the slightest bit confused for a moment, but seemed to quickly recover.

"Well...Your presence here is...refreshing," he assured. "My Nephew made a wise decision." Oh, _that_ was it! This guy was Zuko's Uncle. One of the school's higher-up professors, and such. "You seem to be a determined young woman with a good head on your shoulders. I think that in time you will prove to be a fine leader."

"Yea...Thanks..." She was off-put by their conversation, and was relieved when he bid his farewell and left her to finish her evening of work in peace.

* * *

Toph's hands stiffly struck each cord in slow, mechanical motions, in tune with her fellow students. It all was a wash of motions, cold and dry, no feeling. Toph's mind was cracked and frazzled. She hadn't relaxed in a few days now - her performance at that bar over the weekend had been close, and she had been told she'd be getting her payment from that soon. In the meanwhile, she'd been burying herself in practice and focusing on classes.

 _Argh._ Fuckin' idiot to her left was playing off-key. His trumpet was overpowering her piano with stupid idiot retarded... _off-key-ness._

She tolerated it until the end of the piece, to which the Professor seemed appropriately dissatisfied.

"Hrm...We're getting there, I suppose," he sighed. "Ralph, you fell behind a bit, but you made a good recovery. Tasha, I noticed that you seem to be struggling with the eight notes. Toph, you seem to be playing a bit off today." Toph felt her right eye twitch with indignation at this remark. "Is this piece too difficult for you?" And insulting her skill, too? Oh, because she was _blind,_ right? Fucking moron Professor, this particular guy was always giving her trouble.

" _No,_ " she insisted in a grunt, then cleared her throat and wore her layer of mock courtesy. "Not at all, I'm fine. I think you might be confused, my part was pretty spot-on."

"That's not what I took away from that performance," the man sighed. "You were too quiet."

Toph chewed at her lower lip while he spoke, then retaliated.

"The guy _next_ to me on the trumpet was too _loud_."

She could hear him and his two friends mutter to each other.

"... _Was_ I?" he whispered with embarrassment.

"You didn't sound it to me..." said the tiny-voiced girl further down.

"I hate when people point fingers..." came the dull, always disinterested prick that sat with them.

"Everyone was doing their part, Toph - in this kind of setting you really need to play with more conviction, increased volume."

Ugh, this guy was really getting on her nerves lately.

"He was _off-key_ ," Toph defended herself, her tone losing its polite edge.

"You should worry less about your classmates and more about your _own_ performance," the teacher advised, his own tone growing more aggressive.

"And _you_ should worry about the students who actually doing it wrong."

There was a tense pause of discourse in the band room. Toph didn't care if there were some other students seeing her with an attitude. Fuck them. Like any of them even tried to act like her friends.

"Toph," the professor sighed, "I'm trying to be sympathetic to your condition, but I can't-"  
" _I'm fine._ "

"She doesn't sound fine to _me_ ," The tiny voice.

"I don't think she's _ever_ fine..." The bumbling one.

"I hate when people hold up the class..." The dreary one.

Toph's teeth were grinding together.

 _I can_ hear you, _fuckwads..._

"If you are _fine_ ," hissed the teacher, "I would appreciate some respect and courtesy to the class. You're wasting everyone's time right now."

"Look," Toph spat out impatiently. "Can we just take it from the top again?"

With that, the professor opted to ignore Toph for the rest of the period, assisting other students with the parts they were having trouble with.

After all was said and done, Toph heard those same three annoying idiots talk to each other in hushed voices as they left.

"What's _with_ that girl, talking to Yeo like that?" Tiny.

"Man, I'm surprised he didn't kick her out of class today..." Bumbly.

"I hate that chick..." Dreary.

Toph remained at the piano seat until the sounds of students had filtered out. She wanted a chat with this teacher alone.

"Was there something you needed, Beifong?" The Professor asked tiredly.

"Yea," she snipped. "I wanna know why you were givin' me a hard time, Professor Yeo. I played _perfectly_."

"First of all, that is _not_ true," Yeo corrected. Pff. Toph _knew_ what her fingers had done. "And secondly, your attitude over the past few sessions has been demoralizing to the class."

Toph huffed a gust of air at her bangs, tossing them about. She fiddled with a few chords from their song gently over the keys while he spoke.

"I won't deny that you have impressive skills for someone that can't see, Toph."  
Psh, thanks for the compliment, prick.  
"But your temperament seems to fluctuate drastically from week to week, and it affects your performance. I can't help but wonder if perhaps your are stressed from the challenges of the classes you're taking."

" _What_?" she squeaked incredulously. "No. That's not it at _all_."

"Are you sure? Your mood seems drastically different this semester. Have you considered perhaps dropping a course?"

" _Excuse_ me? Why... _Why_ would I do that?" Since when did professors even _suggest_ something bogus like that?

"I'm simply advising that you consider it, Toph. I've heard from some of the other teachers that your work has been suffering a bit this semester, and to be honest, it may be wise to cut a course off of this semester if it's going to be a detriment to all of the rest."

Toph couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was complete bullshit. She was _not_ going to drop a class. She was doing _fine_ in her classes. How could she _not_ be? She was gifted. And fuck all if she was in a pissy mood, so long as she did her work. Since when was it Yeo's business?

"Uh, _yea._ " Toph pushed herself up from the seat and reached for her cane. "My mood is _my_ problem, no one else's." She got up and began making her way out. "I'm doing all of my work, I'm playing all of my assigned pieces, I'm-"  
"You're constantly getting into conflicts with your fellow students..."

Toph paused in the middle of the room.

"While that may not be much of a problem in your private lessons, it _is_ a problem in my class. This is a _band_ class, Toph. One person can bring everyone else down, as you did today. Next class, I expect to see improved behavior, or I may need to make the choice of cutting a class much _easier_ for you..."

Dismissing the grumpy, stuck-up man, Toph forced herself out of the room, stuffing her frustration and stress inside with everything else.

* * *

\- Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 -

"But...Those books have brought a lot of people into reading," Katara defended. It figured that the guy would hate on Harry Potter, wouldn't it?

"So have the _Twilight_ books," he muttered with disdain. Katara shrugged, trying to hold back a frown. She hadn't given that particular series a try yet, but she felt confident that _he_ hadn't, either.

"But Harry Potter is _completely_ different," she continued to rally for the series. "J. K. Rowling put a lot of thought into creating a world, and-"  
"One full of stereotypical nonsense, with trite, one-dimensional sayings from a hypocritical mentor figure."

 _Well..._ Yea, _Dumblebore can...kind of be a hypocrite I guess, but...but that's part of the point, it makes him more realistic, he's trying to prevent people from making his own mistakes..._

"You've read them?" Katara wondered, somehow dubious.

"Unfortunately," Professor Pakku sighed. "Ms. Rowling went so far as to deliver _seven_ ungodly piles of rubbish for me to sift through."

Katara nearly choked on the slice of cucumber from her salad when he'd said this.

 _If you hated them so much, why did you_ read _all of them?_

After she recovered, she swallowed, her eyes watered slightly, and pressed him for a reason.

"Um...I-if you don't mind me asking...whhhhy did you...did you _read_ them if you...um...dislike them so much?"

Pakku smirked at her discomfort.

"Because the more one reads, the better one is able to see what is trash and what is gold," he answered plainly. "I can properly criticize that wasteful series, having read it in its entirety."

"I...I see..." Katara forced a shrug to get herself to try to _not_ think of presenting counterarguments. She had found in her experience with the man that such efforts were futile.

No matter how hard she tried or how determined she was he always seemed to have the edge over her. She chalked this up to experience with age. But she didn't have to _like_ it.

Pakku had requested they meet over a meal to discuss the issues she'd been experiencing in his class - her grades had been lower than she would've liked, and he was a busy man, suggesting a meeting over food. Wonderful, _that_ made her feel so important, that he didn't even have time to meet in his own office. But after they'd hashed out some issues that she had to admit were reasonable, he'd gone into prying her literary tastes out of her.

"So, what else, then?" Pakku wondered, carving into his slice of steamed fish.

What did he care what her favorite books were, anyway? He was just going to write them off.

"Um...W-well, there's...this one book I really like. It's called _The Moorchild._ "

"Mm..." Pakku's thin, ghastly brows furrowed with curiosity.

"It's...about this girl. But she's, like...half human, and half fairy..." She saw Pakku's interest immediately wither at the word. He just didn't care much for magic and fantasy, did he? "No, no," she quickly sputtered. "Not _Tinkerbell_ fairy, but, I mean...like a... _creature_ kind of fairy. Like a forest...beast...spirit. Thing."

While he chewed on his meal, she was frustrated with her own inability to explain. While he paid more attention to his food than her, the side of her lip twitched downward in irritation.

"It's a story in medieval Scotland, I guess, so based off of old-time Scottish mythology. It's really foreign and neat, and...I dunno, it's a kid's book but it's surprisingly bitter and sad."

"And...you _like_ sad stories?" Pakku wondered.

"N-no, not...necessarily, it just...-" She shrugged, stabbing at some leaves of her salad, bathed in ranch dressing. "I guess I just like it when a story isn't afraid to explore tragedy, and how not everything in life works out...even if it's a kid's story..." She lifted the stack of vegetation to her lips, but paused. " _Especially_ if it's a kid's story," she clarified with a touch of melancholy before putting it in her mouth.

Pakku had paused, studying her suddenly forlorn expression with solemn silence.

"I suppose that's something we can agree on, Katara," he said with dry sympathy. "It's an idea kids ought to learn while they're growing up - not everything in life works out."

Katara nodded, surprised at the coldness in his eyes - the regret. She figured it made sense that such a grumpy man would have regrets, at least.

"I lost my mother when I was little," she quietly confessed.

Pakku nodded.

"So I heard." He nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

She hadn't asked for his pity, or sympathy.

"I've managed just fine," she defended, tone peppered with pride in the face of this man who always seemed to be putting her down. "I've had my brother and my father - and I've made some very good friends here, too. We all look out for each other."

"Mm. That makes sense, given your writing."

"Huh...?"

"The way you write - the themes you pick, your mannerisms. They're quite...-" Pakku was stroking his beard thoughtfully now. "-...feminine."

Katara's hand tightened around her fork as she skewered a cherry tomato.

"I get the impression that you seem to care a great deal about enforcing your concerns on those around you," Pakku continued. "It's clear in every assignment you've turned into me."

Katara's teeth crushed the tomato, the refreshing juices splashing through her mouth as she held back a frown.

"And you get quite defensive when those values are questioned," Pakku added, taking a bite of his own food. Katara eagerly swallowed her tomato so she could speak.

"I care a lot about people," she spat. "I don't see how that can be such a bad thing..."

"Miss Kesuk, anything in this world can become a 'bad thing' in excess."

The frown she had been holding back folded out.

_Kindness? Love? No way, there can never be too much of those things..._

"Are you saying I should care _less_ about people?" she mumbled. Fear was causing her words to tumble out when inside they rang steady and solid.

"I'm suggesting that maybe you care less about what other people _think_ about you."

Oh, great. So he was going to try and turn all of his criticisms at her into some kind of _lesson_? Typical Pakku, always had to spin everything just so and make himself look better. What a hypocrite...

"What makes you think that?" she asked with a testy sigh through her nose.

"I'm just a professor in one of your classes and you seem quite bothered by what _I_ think of you," Pakku pointed out, amused.

Katara blinked at him, eyes wide but brows set low, in a brief bout of embarrassed analysis.

"I suppose so," she conceded, trying to mask her shame with a courteous voice. She stood up, took her near empty plate and glass, and nodded to him. "I guess that means I shouldn't worry about offending you with my absence - I have to go to work."

"Understandable," Pakku acknowledged with a wry smirk. "I appreciate your time."

"Good evening."

* * *

"That is quite wonderful, Aang."

"Yea," Aang said peacefully. "I just have this...really good feeling about it."

"It pleases me to see that you have come to terms with this and found happiness through your turmoil."

Aang nodded, but his mind was suddenly swerved off course with the thought of 'happiness.' Happiness, this thing he'd found, while Toph languished in what seemed to be quite horrible feelings...

"Ah, but something still troubles you," Pathik noted. "It is about your friend Toph, isn't it?"

"Mm-hm." Aang nodded precariously. "I'm worried about her. We haven't...really talked in a little while, and it sounds like she's not doing so well."

"It _does_ sound like a difficult situation," Patjik noted, scratching his chin beneath all of his facial hair. "You are still burdened by the weights of guilt."

Aang felt his head shrinking into his neck a bit at this comment.

"Kind of," he confessed meekly. "I feel like it's kind of inconsiderate to jump into another relationship so soon..."

"This is an understandable doubt, Aang. However, you must remind yourself that you already did try to bring her happiness."

"I, uh...I guess I did..."

"I do not feel it would be wise to continue to believe that Toph's happiness is your responsibility. We all find our own happiness in this world, as do we find our own sorrow. No one gives it to us - nor do they take it from us. They merely give us the reasons."

Aang wasn't sure how he felt about that idea. After all, Toph had given him a lot of trouble, and he felt like he'd given her a lot, too...

"Look at all that you have lived through," Pathik went on. "You have experienced such great loss - and yet even these things do not keep you from love, from happiness. It is by your own choice that this occurs."

"Hm..." _That's...a good point, though._

"You have done nothing in this with the intent to hurt your friend. She does sound heartbroken - this much is true. But your heart was broken, as well. You have simply made the effort to put the pieces back together, Aang. If Toph wants to be happy, she will have to do the same - sooner or later. You cannot take this control away from her – nor should you."

"I suppose you're right," Aang sighed. "So...So what should I do to help?"

"You must tell her the truth," Pathik put it simply. "Your friend cannot decide how to accept these things if she is not aware of them."

"But...I'm just really afraid of hurting her..."

"You must overcome this fear, Aang."

"I know..."

"And you must remember that you are not alone – and neither is she. I think that, if anything, it would be best to make sure she is aware that she is not alone, either."

"R-right, of course," Aang agreed. His thoughts currently dictated that this was _not_ how Toph was feeling lately. She seemed to be quite distant and lonely, from what he could tell. It couldn't hurt to remind her that this didn't have to be the case if she was willing to be more peaceful about things.

But Toph? Being peaceful? That was the thought which was sparking doubts within him.

"I'm not sure how...agreeable...she's going to be, is the thing," mumbled Aang dubiously.

"There is no way of knowing until you seek the answer, mm?"

Aang swallowed the lump that had been in his throat.

_Right. Assertive. I need to stop letting my judgment get clouded by fear. Toph is my friend - she will understand._

"You're right," Aang affirmed. "I just need to tell her the truth, when I have the right time."

"I do believe that will be best for everyone."

"Hm." With a deep breath, Aang reached for a peppermint in Pathik's wooden bowl on the small table beside them. It was shaped like a turtle shell, flipped upside down to form a bowl that sat on rounded, wooden stands to match. It seemed exotic, and foreign, and...neat.

"Well...Was there anything else you would like to discuss today?" Pathik wondered with a calm smile.

Aang rubbed his chin for only a moment before the idea hit him.

"Actually, _yea._ I've been trying to think of ways to use my art to reach others."

"Ah, yes, you have mentioned this in the past."

"Well, that place I've been working on? It opened this week."

"Yea, yes, I heard. It sounds like it has been quite the busy place."

"Really? That's great. I actually haven't had a chance to go and visit."

"Perhaps you should."

"Yea...Then I could finally see what all of that hard work looks like with... _people_ there...or something."

"You must be proud to have been a part of such work."

"I am, it was...an awesome opportunity..."

"And...you are wondering where to direct your energies next."

"Heh...Yea, basically."

"Well, you _do_ have this new, blossoming flower of love in your life..."

" _Oh_ ," Aang spat out, feeling like idiot. "Y-yea! You're right...I should make her something, huh?" He reflected on the things he'd made for Toph - the origami flower, the wooden ring. Yea, he'd made stuff for Katara, but not specifically with romance in mind... "Thanks for the idea!"

"Haha...I have not made an ideas, Aang - that is up to you."

* * *

"Of _course_ , it's classic."

"So what's your favorite scene?"

"Mm..." Piandao took a moment to sink his teeth into his cinnamon bun as he considered the question.

"My sister's favorite is where Samwise helps Frodo up the volcano at the end - and that's pretty awesome, I gotta say - but my favorite is when Gandalf sticks it to the Balrog, and then he comes back and he's all like-" Sokka arced his arms up to his sides, wrists twisted inward. "-'Sup, bitches? Yea, I come back like Jesus.' _Man,_ he's so bad-ass."

"Haha. I see..." Piandao nodded, amused by his student's reply.

"What about you?"

"Me?" Piandao looked upward, trying to recall how it went. He swallowed a swig of his warm tea, savoring how it slid down his throat. "Well, there's this scene in the second one, where Samwise gives Frodo this...kind of speech, about how great stories usually have this darkness that has to be overcome..." He nodded sagely to himself. "But the important part is how it ends with him talking about how those stories, they always involve people who _could_ have chosen to give up and turn back, play it safe - but don't." Piandao's hand remained gripped on his cup.

Sokka sipped at his coffee, seeming to have forgotten this part.

"He says to Frodo, 'They kept going. Because they were holding onto something.'" Piandao smirked. "Frodo asks, 'What are _we_ holding onto, Sam?' And Sam replies, 'That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo...-" He lifted his finger and tipped it slightly twice, then lowered it, grasping at his cup as he finished. "-...and it's worth fighting for."

Sokka took in the words as his professor drank more tea.

"Huh...That _does_ sound like a pretty cool line...Hmph, sounds like something my sister would say," he decided out loud in bemusement.

"Is that so?"

"Yea, she's really into that whole idea - that there's good in everyone, and all that, and that you should...go out of your way to find it."

"Sounds like your sister has a big heart."

"She _does_..." Sokka acknowledged with a nostalgic, small smile, glancing down. He remembered how gung-ho she'd been about being with Jet, about how 'heartbroken' the guy was, how she was going to 'fight' for him...and how that had turned out. But later, she'd stuck up for Aang a lot in the whole debacle of the 'Aang/Toph Breakup Extravaganza' that had lasted weeks and now...-

"But I get the feeling you do, too, Sokka."

"Huh?"

"You seem to hide it with that sense of humor of yours...but you're quite protective of the ones you love - aren't you?"

Sokka cleared his throat as Piandao's eyes burned into his own.

"Er, I...-" He shrugged. "I am," came an earnest reply.

"Then you already know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

Sokka blinked thoughtfully at the man's stern, slightly wrinkled face.

For all his talk about staying out of drama, and writing off how motherly and crap his sister could be...Sokka didn't often stop to compare his own brotherly protectiveness. Now that Piandao had remarked on it, he remembered how he'd kept Aang away from Toph during the 'Aang/Toph Breakup Extravaganza' and had stuck up for him right alongside his sister...Or how he'd been so critical when this girl who called herself 'Smellerbee' seemed to be butting into their lives. He'd been a bit paranoid about letting Suki drive when they had started dating again - after the accident with Yue, letting his girlfriend take the wheel had been an impossible prospect for a while. In his own way, maybe he _was_ a bit 'dramatic,' too, sometimes.

Did this all make him a hypocrite, or something?

"Hold onto that," Piandao advised. "I get the impression that you and your sister are quite close."

"Of course."

"Well...Haha...Not all siblings are like that, Sokka."

"Er...Mm-hm. No, right, I-...Obviously. Yea. It's-...What we've got is special. For sure."

"I think that the reason you are is because you both believe that philosophy: that you're both worth fighting for."

"Damn straight." Sokka felt more affirmed with this idea now, hearing it from someone else's mouth.

"Ha. That's the spirit. Now, you just need to find an occupation that will let you take that spirit and go places with it."

"Ulgh..." Bleh, _that_ topic...

"Now, Sokka, I've been doing some thinking...But why did you get into History?"

"Uhm...Dunno, it...just seemed right. Ya know?"

Piandao's gaze was solid like a statue. That answer wasn't going to cut it.

"I guess I just really like learning about...how all the dots line up. How we are... _where_ we are - - all the things that tie us together as a culture. Inventions - all the ideas we come up with and then _make_ a reality. How those things relate, and...-" He was mashing his curved hands into each other. "-...then looking at how we as a species have cut each other up, and trying to understand _why_ , and...-"

"Cut each other up?"

"Oh, like...War. How human beings just can't seem to _not_ fight. And I mean, don't get me wrong, I _love me_ a good fight. But I think it's really important to understand _why_ the fight happens, and look back at how our ancestors went about it. Sure, today, we can hide behind our technology and crap, but back then...back in, like, _Medieval Times,_ " he referenced the class he was taking under this teacher, "I get the feeling that they probably approached things with a totally different mindset. They had to be more creative, more crafty, to get _anything_ done, from...from farming to...making _metal,_ and making stuff _ou_ _tta_ metal. I mean, I bet they really had to strategize over so many things back then on a day-to-day basis, when we just take what we've got for granted. 'Cuz really, when I think about it, we're all just sittin' on all of the hard work everyone _before_ us has put it, right?"

"Hm...That's an interesting way to look at it," Piandao remarked, still grasping his hands around whatever point Sokka had been trying to fuse together. "You like history, and you like thinking about technology and ingenuity, so it's no wonder you seem to like science fiction, and fantasy - the whole point is to create all of those things from your own mind."

" _Yea,_ totally!"

"So...Have you ever tried your hand at it?"

"Huh?"

"Creating your own history."

"Uh...Not sure I follow, Prof."

"A world, a fantasy - have you ever made one of your own?"

"Wh-...?" Sokka jabbed his finger at himself. " _Me?_ Make up...-?" he squinted, confused. "What, like, create my own _fantasy_ world, or something?"

"Sure," Piandao encouraged. "Or even taking someone else's and...adding your own two cents to it."

"Beg your pardon?" Sokka was confused. What, like...fanfiction, or something? Pff. Sokka would leave that nonsense to his _sister,_ and her gushy romantic endeavors. Or...whatever it was she did when she wrote about Harry Potter. Hm. He actually didn't _know._ But it _h_ _ad_ to be just dumb, sappy garbage. Who the hell would just take someone _else's_ ideas and copy them? What a waste of time...

"Hm, not quite your thing?" Piandao read his face. "Some of my colleagues growing up, they went on to be very creative people."

"Oh...?"

"One of them, he's like you - he loves fantasy worlds and history - he works for a company that creates trading cards with creatures on them used in a game of a strategy. He helps come up with the ideas of the world, the history behind the different images. He seems to really enjoy it."

"What, like...Magic?"

"Heh, well, the way he talks about it, he _does_ make it sound like a miracle job for him."

"Ha," came out Sokka's awkward, stupid laugh, against his will. "Oh, er...No, no, I meant...Magic: The Gathering. It's a card game, like what you're talking about."

"Ah, I see. Well...perhaps, I...don't really know what it's _called_..."

"Well, there's a bunch like it, that's just the most famous one."

"Could be."

"Wow, that sounds like an awesome job," Sokka humored the thought. He imagined designing some epic story of mythological proportions, like...like _God of War_. Then maybe he could make the third one end better. Or-or-or working with people on some big fantasy movie! The possibilities suddenly were opening up in his mind. How had he never thought about this sort of thing before?

"Well, it's not an easy field to break into."

Oh. Right. That was...probably why.

"Yea," he lamented, chin sinking into his palm.

"I'm just bringing it up as an example. It doesn't sound like you want to be a History teacher."

" _Hell_ no," he groaned. There was a moment of silence in which Piandao - who happened to be of this profession, he just remembered - lifted a curious brow his way. "N-not that there's... _anything_ wrong with that line of work, it's... _very important_ ," he added in a bellowing seriousness. "Sharpen us young minds right up-" he slammed his fingertip into his temple. "-good n' proper!"

"In that case," continued the professor, letting this slide, "I believe that in looking for a career path to follow, you should use _exactly_ what you've been talking about: ingenuity. Be crafty, think outside of the box. Don't let yourself get swept up in what's common, or obvious - take a chance, take a risk toward what you _really_ want. Don't just settle for what's easy, or simple."

"Hm..." Sokka went to run his finger across his goatee hairs but...nope. Nothing but stubble. Man...

"There's some good in this world, Sokka, and it's out there waiting for you," Piandao concluded. "And that's worth fighting for, isn't it?"

" _Yea_ ," agreed Sokka, letting the man talk him into some enthusiasm. They knocked paper cups together in a toast.

* * *

\- Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 -

"For fuck's sake, girl," June sighed, framing her palm against her forehead briefly in dismay. "You're _surrounded_ by food here. _Eat_ something."

Jane shook her head passively, sitting on the chair in the side room, where the pizzas were baked and the milkshakes mixed. She was sitting complacently, texting on her phone.

"C'mon, it's your break," June insisted gruffly. "You even eat lunch today?"

A dismissive shrug. June rolled her eyes at this reply.

"Jesus," she sighed to herself. "Listen, it's pretty slow, lemme know what you want, I'll whip it up for ya."

"Not hungry," Jane called back, prepossessed by her phone.

"Not hung-...?" June gawked in disbelief. "Not _hungry?_ You have _got_ to be shitting me...Shamrocks, you're a fucking _twig_!"

Jane was really starting to get sick of being called that. She had been putting on some weight lately, how could people still think she was a 'twig?'

[To: johnny]  
[lol yea. havent seen or heard from those dicks since. you musta scared em off, cowboy. ;) ]  
[Sent: 2:35pm]

"I'm makin' you one of my Swiss Shroom Wraps," June announced as the sound of sizzling meat hit the grill.

[From: johnny]  
[Hopefully we've seen the last of them.]  
[Sent: 2:36pm]

"Who are you talkin' to, anyway?" June probed, leaning over to peer through the doorway. "Chattin' with your _boyfriend_?" she teased.

Jane frowned with some irritation after June's face disappeared.

"I don't _got_ a boyfriend," she huffed, her lips puckering out in a slight pout.

"Really?" June was surprised. "Tough lady like you? I'd think all the guys would want a piece o' ya. A break from all those fuckin' princesses out in the world."

The edges of Jane's lips curled up in gratitude at June's words. The woman was pretty attractive and tough, herself, and Jane didn't doubt that what she had just said in fact applied to herself. Her self-esteem withered a bit, though, the more she dwelt on this. June was buxom and curvy and threw herself out there at people, drew attention to herself...and Jane was the opposite of these things.

"Nah," she dismissed June's theory. "Boys don't like _twigs_."

"Pff!" June walked into the doorway, greasy spatula in hand. She spoke with a scolding but sympathetic "C'mon, don't be such a bitch about it, kid - ain't like you..." June studied Jane's avoidance while the girl pretended to be enveloped in her phone still. "Someone screw you over recently?" was June's hypothesis.

"N- _no_ ," Jane sputtered, her face heating up in a rush as a myriad of Katara's expressions flashed through her mind.

"Come off it, sister," June scoffed, going back to tend to the burger she'd put on the grill for her worker. "I just read it all over your face - someone broke your angry, Irish heart and you're playing the whole 'Unfeeling Ice Queen' act. Been there, done that. It's a waste o' time, don't bother."

"Nobody did anything wrong," Jane insisted with a sigh. Who'd she think she was, trying to pry into business that wasn't hers?

"You're a good liar, Shamrocks, but ya ain't _that_ good."

"Fuckin' Christ..." She rolled her eyes, dropping her phone down into her lap. "I made a move on someone and nothin' happened but an awkward shitstorm. OK?"

"So get over it. Move on. Forget about him."

"That's what I _am_ doing! But I'm not gonna cut her out of my life, or somethin', not after all she's done for me. Just makes it...hard. For right now."

" _'She',_ huh...?" June was obviously amused, though Jane couldn't see her expression. "Can't say I'm surprised," she mused at the thought.

Jane could sense that by now her cheeks were on fire, so it was probably for the best that June wasn't looking.

"Yo," came June's voice. Jane saw her profile in the doorway as she took down a new order, all casual-like. Jane was still on break, so she didn't worry about it, opting to go back to her phone.

[To: johnny]  
[yea, me too. old bar is all fixed up new, just opened. doing good, i think.]  
[Sent: 2:39pm]

[From: johnny]  
[ ('u')=b ]  
[Sent: 2:40pm]

A smile came over Jane, tiny and endeared. She'd missed his cute little smiley faces that he'd text her. Hell, she just missed _him._ At least he sounded like he was doing better...

"Just 'cuz ya got rejected doesn't mean it's fine to call it quits, kid," June lobbed more undesired advice. "C'mere, yer food's ready."

With a disgruntled frown, Jane slipped her phone into her pocket and came over. June was working on the new customer's order, but it seemed that the Swiss Shroom Wrap was all done, still warm on its plate on the central table of the food prep room.

"Put some meat on those bones," June quipped, waggling her spatula at the plate as a prompt. Jane took a bite - the cheese, mushrooms, and meat melted together into a delectable and greasy combination.

"Thanks," she muttered after swallowing the first bite. "Never knew how good this shit was."

"It's good 'cuz _I_ made it," June insisted. "Don't let that idiot Sokka ever make one for you, he'll just fuck it up."

"Heh...He's good at that." Jane took another bite.

"What? Fucking?"

Jane nearly choked on her burger, much to Jane's amusement.

"Whff...-?" she managed.

June shrugged, a sly grin on her face.

"Don't tell me ya haven't wondered. _I_ see the way you two look at each other, the things that come outta your mouths."

 _Ugh._ Seriously? Could Jane just _not_ have any friends without some kinda sexual shit coming up _somewhere,_ somehow?

"Tssh! Uhhh, _no_ ," Jane denied the notion outright. In her gut, she acknowledged the tension June was referring to, but...-

"Whoa-ho," June mocked defense, lifting up her wrist. "I stand _corrected_ , then. Heh."

"Guy's a total asswipe," Jane wrote it off. "I mean, we're friends n' crap, but... _nuh-uh._ " Jane's belief was that the only reason she let that sexual tension junk even exist between the two of them was because there was an unspoken, mutual agreement that it was never going to go anywhere. "Besides, he's got a fuckin' _girlfriend,_ I ain't no homewrecker." _Unlike_ some _people I know..._

"Does he, still?" June muttered to herself. "Thought they broke up..."

"What? No..."

"Way he's been acting, sure seems like it," June shrugged while Jane ate some more. Damn, this stuff was good. "Besides, the guy seems to want to stick his dick in every other lady's pants."

"Heh, _that_ is a fact," Jane chuckled. "But he's not gonna cheat on his girlfriend..."

"Shame," June flipped over the meat she was currently tending to. "I see in your eyes, though - _both_ of you two. I know what your problem is, just figured you could fix it for each other."

Jane's brows hung low over her dull eyes as she mashed her mandibles together. June smirked as she twisted her head to jane.

"Neither of you two have gotten it on with anybody in a while," June concluded. " _That's_ what your problem is - ya just need a good screw."

Jane managed to hold back her choking this time. What kind of boss talked with her workers like this, anyway? What a psycho...

"I was just figurin', way you two act around each other, could be a kind of an 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' kinda thing," June rambled on. "But fuck if I know, right?"

A part of Jane was suddenly humored by the idea, which quickly led to thoughts that she crushed like the cockroach they were. Urgh. Wait. Nope, didn't crush it good enough.

"Yeeeaaa, we...wouldn't do that kinda thing," Jane managed out. Fuckin' eh, her cheeks were burning up again at all this talk. ARGH, stupid...cockroach...The thought of _that_ wasn't leaving her mind so easily as she'd like, wouldn't die, like a damned stupid cockroach.

"Meh," June shrugged. "Maybe for the best, then, right?"

Whew. Finally squashed it. Yeesh.

"You're...crazy," Jane laughed out, utterly perplexed by this whole discussion.

" _That_ is a fact," June repeated the line from the moments before with a wide smile. "Made ya _think_ about it, though, didn't I?"

Damnit, June looked right at her - no doubt she was red-faced.

" _Hey,_ I'm...in his _age_ _group,_ " Jane defended. "You're, like, what, twice our age, or somethin'? Stop bein' gross, I ain't cool with...thinkin' of _you_ thinkin' of... _us_...and _that._ "

"So you're sayin' he _would_ be interested in that kind of thing?" June probed.

Jane rolled her eyes at the woman's words, but deep down she did find herself wondering about it now.

June cawed out some delighted laughter at the social unease of the discussion.

"See? Ya got _one_ guy in your life who'd be interested in bonin' your twiggy self," June encouraged, in her own odd, crude way. "And that other kid - little twerp with the hat? Drew your face all pretty-like, didn't he? Wouldn't have done that unless he thought it was good-lookin', too, doncha think?" Oh, right...Aang's drawing of Jane's face, her Xmas gift - Sokka had brought it up when he'd been trying to defend his now clearly debunked 'theory.' "And whoever you're talkin' with on the phone, there? Betcha same goes for them, too." June bumped Jane in the shoulder with her elbow. "Stop bein' so pathetic, who gives a fuck whatcha look like, anyway, kid? Big tits, little tits, fat, skinny, _whatever_ \- ain't about what everyone thinks, it's about what _you_ think. Someone calls you a stick, tries to say you're ugly? They can piss off. Am I right?"

Jane blinked at her, mouth full of food, baffled. Hadn't...June herself just called her names like, _twice_ in this conversation?

"Beauty's in the eye of the beholder, Shamrocks, so start... _beholdin'_ yourself a little higher."

Jane was biting at her lip now, but June's sneaky purpose in all of this was clear at this point.

"You...got a _creepy_ way of makin' people feel better," Jane sighed out with some relief. Somehow, she _was_ feeling a bit better...

"Being a creeper and _still_ being respected, somehow," June feigned complex contemplation. "Ya know, it's a gift, I myself wonder what to do with it."

"Yea? Well...Thanks. 'Creeper.'"

"Anytime, Fuzzball."


	69. Dirt

\- Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 -

Katara twirled her finger through her raggedy ponytail. She'd tried brushing it, but it was no use - today it was just going to be all puffy and stick out every which-way, so at least a ponytail could attempt to tame it. She was waiting, alone, at the Jasmine Dragon, sitting at a table near the glass, double-door entrance so she could make sure she didn't miss her 'date' tonight. She hadn't actually stopped by the coffee shop in a while. Not _stopped_ by. She'd come in occasionally and grab some caffeine in a cup to help give her a boost, but she hadn't really sat down to do a nice heart-to-heart in some while in this place. She often forgot how atmospheric it was.

A young boy was playing violin up on stage. It was lovely, a merry little tune. She recognized his face...one of those kids from the Freedom Fighters, if she wasn't mistaken. She was warmed to see him doing better things with himself than being led around by them.

[From: Korra]  
[Yo. What's the deal? Too busy to come visit?]  
[Sent: 8:23pm]

Oh, _shoot._ Korra! Katara had helped her cousin move in, but life had been going so quickly lately that it had slipped her mind to go visit. Geez, that...would be a good idea. Round up the group and go see her. Wow, how could she be so inconsiderate? Too much schoolwork, too many things to do...and what little free time she'd been dealt this week had gone right into spending time with Aang. She felt it was important for them to build a strong base level of comfort with each other at this phase.

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[I'm so sorry! Yes, very busy. It's been crazy. We'll come see you soon, I promise. This weekend? Is Saturday good?]  
[Sent: 8:24pm]

And there Mai was. After putting her phone away, Katara saw Mai, wearing black cargo pants and a sleeveless t-shirt with a grafitti-styled skull on it. A ring in her nose, her finely-trimmed black bangs streaked with red highlights. Their eyes met, hers an amber color, the single spark of life in her whole appearance, and even then, they were laced with dark rings of makeup. She had a mysterious elegance about her, Katara had to admit. She reflected on what she knew of Zuko - so serious and stuffy, dating such a gloomy-looking girl with off-beat, gothic fashion. And yet, she was beginning to believe that there was more to Mai than just a dull, dark face.

"Hey," Mai's dry voice crackled out with a dainty wave before she lifted an index finger to Katara's greeting and went to order herself a drink. Oh, ha. Ty-Lee was working at the shop - Katara just remembered that the two of them were roommates. Speaking of which, wasn't the big black kid near the front of the shop roommates with the kid playing violin...?

As Katara recalled a brief phase of her social life that had thankfully ended, Mai sat down beside her, and the two smiled to express their mutual social interest.

"Hi, Mai."

"How have you been doing, Katara?" Mai asked with a sly smirk. "A new man in your life and everything..."

"Heh," Katara shrugged with a timid grin. "I guess you kind of saw that coming, didn't you?" she credited the girl, recalling the night she'd been led up to Aang at the art building.

"Something like that," chuckled Mai with a knowing gleam in her eye.

Katara finally decided to slurp at some of her cappuccino, which by now was cooled off enough where it could actually be consumed comfortably. The music that had been playing died down, and as the gentle clapping of the audience picked up to thank the young, fair-haired boy for his playing, Katara and Mai got swept up with it. As the boy took his leave from the stage, the other one - the hulking, dark-skinned lad - followed him toward the front door, taking his traveling mug with him.

As they passed by, the big fellow's face lit up as his eyes crossed Katara's. He waved enthusiastically, and Katara, with some embarrassment, waved back.

They shuffled out of the shop, the boy seeming to have a pessimistic scowl about him all of a sudden.

"You...know those guys?" Mai wondered.

"Um...Y-yea, kind of," Katara mumbled, observing them as they walked up the stone steps back to campus. It was a bit cold out tonight, the steps glistening and damp under the entryway light that shone outside of the cafe's entrance. "I, um...don't actually know their _names_..."

"Well, I don't know who the big guy is - first time I've ever seen him. But that kid, his name is Doug." Katara's stomach twisted around when she heard this. "He's this shy little guy, but he sure can play, right?"

"Yea..." Katara muttered, her head swimming. Doug? As in, the guy who Toph _cheated_ with? _That_ Doug? Oh, man, he'd better hope she never saw him again or-...N-no, wait...he hadn't _known._ Yea, that was right, he had been the one to confess the whole situation to Aang when he had found out...OK, right. Yea. Whew. No need to get so worked up...

"You OK?" Mai probed, confused by how Katara was still gawking out through the empty glass doors.

"Oh, I'm fine," Katara sighed out with a nervous laugh. "Sorry. It's nothing, my mind went somewhere else."

"Ah..."

"Mai~" sang out Ty-Lee from the counter. "Drinkies!"

Mai's eyes rolled around while the left corner of her mouth slanted up just a bit, and she got up to retrieve her beverage.

"Omigosh," Ty-Lee squeaked out in a whisper to Mai. "That's her _roomie,_ right?"

"Shh," Mai hushed her friend sternly. "Yes, it is."

"Ohhhhhh, man." Ty-Lee's wrists were bundled together in front of her face with flamboyant fear.

"I just figured showing would be better than telling."

" _Ohhhhh_ , gosh. Goshy-gosh."

"Toph _is_ on the list tonight, right? 8:30?" Mai wondered, popping the cap off of her drink. Steam billowed out at her.

Wide-eyed, Ty-Lee pulled her gaze away from Katara, who was casually glancing through a stray issue of the White Lotus that was sitting on their table, and looked up at Mai, nodded nervously.

"Why are you so weirded out?" Mai sighed, irritated at Ty-Lee's overreacting.

" _Mai,_ she's gonna _find out_..."

"That's...the whole _point_ , Ty..." Mai's eyes glanced off to the side as she fought to keep her patience under wraps.

"But then it's gonna pop their social _bubble_!" Ty-Lee hissed, her voice still hushed.

"No, it's _not_ , ugh. Stop being melodramatic." Mai blew a gentle breath at her drink to help cool it down before snapping the top back on.

"OK, OK," moaned Ty-Lee, pouty-lipped and forlorn.

"Anyway...Thanks," Mai said, trying to wipe away any potential scorn she may have slung on Ty-Lee's delicate face. "Just...please try to calm down, all right?"

"Oh, right." Quivering eyes of doubt dissolved to reveal confidence. A small salute. "You can count on me~"

Both girls shared encouraging smiles before going back to their business.

"Hey, sorry about that," Mai offered an apology as she sat down. "My roommate needed to talk with me about something, I guess."

"Oh, no problem," Katara put her at ease. They both drank in silence for a moment. "Guhhh, sooo...-" Katara awkwardly groped for whatever topic Mai had been no-doubt well meaning in wanting to bring up.

"Yea," Mai acknowledged, setting her cup down. "All right, Katara. All of this...social muck, with you and Toph-...I mean, I don't know the details, obviously, but I hear things from Aang. I see things on Facebook. And recently, I've been running into Toph once in a while, and...-" Mai was aware that her her tone was lacking the kind of hint at concern she found herself able to get out around Zuko. But Zuko wasn't here. Somehow...it made it harder for her to get the emotions inside outward - she had no base with Katara, like she with Aang or Ty-Lee.

Katara was immediately confused as a result. Mai's body language was stiff, even though her words seemed to be expressing fear.

"I'm worried about Toph," Mai put it bluntly, her eyes dull and despondent. "It's not my place," she immediately conceded, even though Katara wasn't objecting. "I get that. It sounds like you've been just ignoring each other, and you know what? You have good reason. Toph really hurt Aang. I may not be his girlfriend, I may not even be his _good_ friend, but I can I can _see it_ in his eyes whenever he talks about her. Believe me, I am _really_ happy for you two. I knew Aang would find someone else that would look after him, and really take his feelings into account. I may not know you that well, but...again...-" She shrugged with a weak smile. "-...His _eyes,_ when he talked about you? They...heh...they practically glow." Katara's blushed a bit at the thought.

"Really?"

"Seriously. He seems so much better than he was just a couple months ago. But...Toph...I'm really getting a bad feeling about her."

Why would Mai think this so much? Mai seemed like the type to keep away from other people's baggage, so...why the concern for Toph?

"I...um...-" Katara was puzzled. "I'm not sure what you're getting at, Mai...There's a lot of-"  
"She's coming."

Katara was startled by Ty-Lee, who had called out to Mai in as calm a manner as she could from about ten feet away at the front door. That's when Katara saw Toph, in her green Terra hoodie, face veiled in messy, dirty hair, a bit damp from her walk outside. Seemed like it was sprinkling again. She was in her sandals and sweatpants, her guitar case slung over her back.

"Wh-?" Katara's attention was drawn to Mai with a brisk wave of the hand. When she looked, Mai had a dire glare, her index finger up to her lips, signaling silence. Katara retaliated this command with an indignant set of furrowed eyebrows, but Mai was persistent, shaking her head, lips still pressed by her finger.

Realization struck - Mai didn't want Toph to know they were here. But... _why_? Because they were talking about her, or something?

Whoa, wait. Why was _Toph_ here? Since when did Toph carry her guitar to the _cafe?_ She didn't even like going to the cafe. She used to talk about how she didn't like it there...

Stage. Kid with the violin.

Katara checked - the microphone was still there, set up.

Toph was...here to play music?

The blind girl found her way in, shuffling her cane along the floor with care. Ty-Lee was already there to greet her.

"Heya."

She received no response.

"Here, um...I'll get you set up like usual."

Ty-Lee extended an arm, winding her own around Toph's, which elicited a cranky sigh from the musician.

As they made their way through the cafe, there was a handful of cheers, enthusiastic greeting, and then a small applause of about five people was clamoring for her to start before she had even reached the stage.

She'd been here before. And from the looks of it, a few times.

By now, Toph was outside of earshot if they whispered, with all of the other noise going on. While Ty-Lee helped get her set up on stage, Katara whipped her head to Mai.

"Wait, she performs music here?"

A nod from Mai.

"How long has she been doing this?"

A shrug.

"Why are we being all _quiet?_ " This was all sinking Katara in a deep vat of awkwardness. "This feels _weird_ ," she insisted when Mai offered no response.

"Sshh," Mai spat out at last with some impatience. She could tell she struck a nerve and immediately rectified. "Just... _watch,_ everything'll make sense." She waggled her hand toward the tiny wooden stage, and Katara sighed, deciding that this was all for a reason. It made sense now - Mai had arranged it specifically so Katara would be here to see Toph play music. But...Katara had seen Toph play music before. She didn't get why this would be any different.

But then Toph started to play.

And it _was_ different than anytime Katara had seen her perform before..

\+ http:/youtu.be/fE4KJ6EHnw8 +

"~I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel~"

Head, smacking against the wall of the empty practice room.

"~I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real~"

Because her hands couldn't play right, her words couldn't come out right.

"~The needle tears a hole, the old familiar sting~"

Katara's jaw was agape. There Toph was, on stool, dirty and damp and clearly distraught.

"~Try to kill it all away...But I remember everything~"

Katara's hands found their way around her stomach. Somehow, this was difficult for her empathetic self watch - all the raw emotion.

"~What have I become, my sweetest friend?~"

The emotion Toph tried so hard to hide. Katara could see why. It looked...painful.

"~Everyone I know goes away in the end~"

_Grandma. Mom and Dad. Aang. Meng. Katara. Sokka. Jane.  
_

"~And you could have it all: my empire of Dirt~"

Katara moved her glance to Mai, worried she might start crying at any moment.

"~I will let you down...I will make you hurt~"

Katara nodded slowly to Mai, to express that now she understood what Mai had been getting at.

"~I wear this crown of thorns upon my liar's chair~"

_You try to tell yourself how great you are._

"~Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair~"

_But you're broken. Damaged goods. No fixing a stubborn idiot like you._

"~Beneath the stains of time, the feelings disappear~"

These were just song lyrics, right? But...from Toph, the way she was playing them...no. Not 'just' lyrics.

"~You are someone else...I am still right here~"

Katara's heart was aching with longing and disappointment and fear and...love.

_I am right here, too, Toph._

"And you could have it all: my empire of Dirt~"

_Oh, Toph...What are we going to do with you?_

"~I will let you down...I will make you hurt~"

Damnit, and there it was...

Katara took a slow, deep breath, brushing tears from her face. Mai smiled sympathetically. Katara really _did_ care a great deal...

"~If I could start again, a million miles away~"

Katara drowned herself in the remnants of her coffee as a means of trying to cope with all of these hormones and 'motherly desires' that were overbearing.

"~I will keep myself, I would find a way~"

The song concluded, Toph was given a paltry applause - which Mai and Katara both joined in on.

Her thought for this past week out there for all to hear, Toph packed up and left and unceremoniously as she'd shown up.

Katara was speechless. Her right middle finger was entwined in the hairs on the edge of her ponytail, her other hand grasping at her cup while she stared as Toph trudged up the steps, back into the evening. Alone.

"Mm...maybe I should...-" she began, getting up from her seat.

"No, let her be," Mai advised. "I don't think it'd be a good idea if she knew you were here..."

"Wh...B-but why _not_?"

"Katara," Mai sighed, waving her wrist gently to ease the girl to sit back down. After she'd done so, Mai explained. "Toph is in a bad place right now - being able to play her music like this? It's her emotional outlet."

"R-right, of course," Katara agreed. That much seemed clear now. "But she...she needs us, she's...-" Katara scratched at her head, baffled by this. Toph acted so tough and angry, but... _that_...-

"She _does_ need you," Mai agreed. "But she also needs _this_ : the music, the...-" Mai waved her skinny hand in the air vaguely. "-...therapy of it. What you saw up there? That came out because she wasn't worried about anyone who actually _knows_ her seeing it. Don't you get it?"

Katara swallowed, intimidated by Mai's resolve on this matter. Katara nodded after a moment, believing she comprehended things.

"It's like her...escape."

"Exactly."

"She's so stubborn and... _infuriating_...putting up her walls, she needs some place - some way - to come out and breathe once in a while. Is that-...? I-I mean, am I getting this?"

"I think you are."

"But isn't this...unhealthy?" Katara mumbled, her eyes clouding with doubt. "I just...didn't really think that she was really _hurting_ this much, I don't...-" She clutched at her forehead as guilt, shame, and confusion made her dizzy. "She needs to be able to talk to us, we're her _friends_ , after all..." Katara sighed to herself. "She can _talk_ to me." This was muttered more quietly, seemingly directed at herself. "Why doesn't she _know_ that...?"

"I'm not sure," Mai honestly replied. "But if she's anything like I was a while back...-" Mai tipped her head thoughtfully to the side. "-...she probably has just been needing some space to be on her own for a while."

"That...that doesn't seem like it makes sense," Katara grumbled, head still planted on her palm, supported by an elbow. "I could see it - and hear it: she's lonely right now."

"Yea, she is...Because she's wanted to be lonely."

"She didn't look happy with that to me."

"I don't think she _is_. Maybe she's at the point where she's ready to...stop being lonely."

"Yea..." Katara wasn't sure what Mai was getting at. The idea of _wanting_ to be lonely didn't compute in her brain. But Toph definitely didn't look like she wanted that anymore, even if Mai had been right about before. "So what am I supposed to do with this, now?"

"Whatever...you think you can," Mai muttered. How was _she_ supposed to know? She was just the messenger.

"Ugh...Yea, but...-"

"Katara, isn't this your _thing_?"

"Huh?" Katara finally raised her head up to look back at Mai, who was leaning against the chair, arms laid plainly in her lap.

"Helping people? Being loving, and...going out of your way for them? All that sort of thing?"

"I...I guess. I _try_ to do that..."

"So just...I dunno... _do it._ Do...what you _do._ "

"But you just told me _not_ to do that!"

"What?"

"Just now! When she left!"

" _Oh._ No, that...was because the timing wasn't right. Toph still needs this place as her safe-haven, where she can express herself without fearing what her friends think."

"O-OK, I can...understand that, but, so...what do I _do?_ When am I supposed to try helping her?"

"You _live_ with her, don't you?"

"Um...We share a _room,_ but ever since her breakup, it's like she wants to pretend I don't exist. All we do is _argue_."

Mai gave a nod to this. That _didn't_ surprise her in the slightest. How the two of them ended up as roommates was a mystery. What kind of person would...room with...their opposite? Er, wait...Maybe Mai hadn't given much thought to it, but her and Ty-Lee were as different - maybe even moreso - than Toph and Katara. And they seemed to work out just fine...Why was that?

"It's because you both don't _understand_ each other," Mai concluded.

"That...that's because she's so _intolerable,_ she refuses to listen to me."

"She probably has a _reason_ , then, Katara," Mai tried to advise as gently as she could. "Do you know _why_?"

"Uhh..." Katara was dumbfounded for a moment. "Because...Because I'm...'motherly?' Or something?" Mai's eyes stayed locked. There was more to it than that. "OK, OK, because...-" Katara sighed, head tilted back. "-...I can be kind of pushy sometimes with what I think is best for her..."

"Sounds like you're getting somewhere. Now, does _she_ understand what _your_ problems are?"

"Well, I've tried _telling_ her enough times," Katara groaned.

"You mean, you've _argued_ with her about it?"

"Er...Y-yea, a lot..."

"So you haven't really... _talked._ Like...just sat and _talked._ About any of this."

"I don't...-! N-no, I guess no, but she's so _stubborn_."

"You seem like you're pretty stubborn, _too_ , Katara. No offense."

Katara was getting a bit aggravated, but she kept her cool, and tried not to take this personally. Mai meant well. That much seemed clear. No way she'd drag Katara into this if she didn't have good intentions, it surely wasn't benefiting _her_ in any way to try to get involved.

"What I'm getting at, is that it sounds like you and Toph don't seem to have a good understanding of how to really live with each other - or if you _do,_ you're both ignoring it. Believe me, it can take some effort, but me and Ty-Lee are...like night and day. And we get along fine - because we understand each other, and we've learned to work around our differences."

"OK." Katara nodded in comprehension. "So how do I make that happen? Toph's never _around_ now, and she never will talk to me anymore. Every discussion has to be this...this battle for _power_ with her."

"Listen, I wish I could give you advice on that, but I _can't_ ," Mai lamented. "But Katara, the fact is, she deserves to know that you and Aang are dating. Whatever you do, I say you use that as your base to work from."

"Yea..." Oh, _Aang_. Duh. He had dated Toph. Surely _he_ would have some idea as to what to do... "We'll tell it soon," Katara assured.

"How soon?"

"I...I'm not sure, maybe-"  
"Decide on a day."

"What?"

"If you don't commit to something, you might just keep procrastinating."

"Oh...Y-yea, that...heh...I guess that's true, huh?" Man, for such a gloomy girl who seemed to act all apathetic, Mai seemed...pretty rigid and insistent on a lot of these matters.

Mai caught an irritated vibe from Katara that seemed to be increasing the longer this conversation went on, and she started to consider if she was passing into the line of hypocrisy yet.

"I'm sorry," she sighed out. "I'm coming off as really pushy, right?"

"Um..." The way Katara's face grimaced for just that split-second was a 'yes.' "Kind of, but...I know it's because you want to help."

"Right. OK. Well, I...didn't mean to get so bossy about it, I only wanted to show you what I was talking about - that Toph's really dug herself in deep."

"Yea. Thanks, Mai. I get where you were coming from now. I think you did the right thing."

"If you really think, then I hope _you_ do the _better_ thing and actually help that girl figure out what her problems are."

"I will."

"From everything Aang's said about you, I know you won't just let this go on this way now."

"Uh-uh." Katara shook here head with vehement agreement. "No way, I love Toph. I'm going to do what I can for her."

"Then let's just hope she's learned by now that she needs to accept that help if she wants to get herself out of whatever damned hole she's lodged in."

There was some peace between them. By this point, some girl had been singing a folksy song with no accompaniment in the background, but their conversation had taken too much priority for either to really pay it any heed.

"Well, umm...Guess I should get going, then," Katara decided, feeling that their conversation was about at its end.

"You sure?" Mai asked. This gave Katara pause. Their...discussion was finished, right? Mai had said her peace. "Like, do you have somewhere you have to be, or...-?"

"N-no, not...specifically," Katara admitted, drumming her fingers on the table.

Mai hadn't liked where the discussion had ended - on this awkward, forced note. She wasn't going to accept that. And besides, she actually felt like she was maybe making a _friend_ here, or something. This wasn't common. Dwelling on Toph had ultimately served as a reminder for Mai of how she had once been, and how she could stand to have a few more faces in her life. Sure, it meant a little more work, but...Zuko had taught her by now that taking things seriously, investing effort into them, could pay off sometimes - she just decided that she'd try to pick and her choose her battles carefully.

"Why don't you stick around for a while longer?" Mai asked casually. "Extra cup of coffee on me," she sweetened the deal.

"Oh..." Katara felt kind of touched. So this wasn't _just_ about Toph? Katara wasn't ever one to turn down a potential friend, regardless of their sense of fashion. "All right, sure. Thanks."

Mai got up and nodded her head, gesturing Katara to follow with her empty cup for a refill. As they hit the counter they met Ty-Lee, grinning wide at them.

"Evening ladies! Back for more?"

"Just going to get her a refill," Mai advised, pulling out the cash from her wallet. After they'd paid it off, Katara went to refill at the counter off to the side with the dispensers. "So, Katara," Mai initiated. "Aang's told me you're big into English?"

"Mm-hm."

"Just by Facebook, I can tell you do a lot of reading, but...what about _writing_?"

* * *

[ **Facebook - Katara Kesuk** ]

[ **Katara Kesuk** had a very insightful chat with  Mai Chiao tonight. Don't let that makeup fool you, she's got a big heart somewhere underneath all that gloom.  ]  
[2 hours ago]  
[Mai Chiao, Tylee Moretti, Aang Leekpai, and 2 others like this.]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- Gee, thanks.  I'm glad we got a chance to get to know each other better.]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Aang Leekpai likes this.]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- ^_^ yaaaaaayyy girl bonding time!]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Katara Kesuk likes this.]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- see? nothing to worry about.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- Oh, it's understandable. I'm super intimidating.]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Zuko Kurosawa** \- Especially when you wake up in the morning. ;D ]  
[47 minutes ago]  
[Sokka Kesuk likes this.]

[ **Mai Chiao** **-** O_O Then I guess I'd better not scare you like that from now on...]  
[23 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Uh-oh. Your man's in the doghouse tonight.]  
[12 minutes ago]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- Got that right.]  
[8 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- HAHAHAHA.]  
[4 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- See, Aang, you can learn lessons from Zuko's mistakes.  ]  
[Moments ago]


	70. Stand

\- Friday, March 4th, 2011 -

It was awkward.

This familiar space - the smells of caffeinated drink and the sounds of idle chatter...only now there was a wash of calming pop music or something pouring from the speakers, a gentle background to all this. The Jasmine Dragon just didn't feel right in this way, from this place - on a chair at a table and not on that stage.

All the more difficult and confusing was the presence of Aang and Katara in this same location. Why were _they_ here? This was _here_ place. They weren't ever supposed to be here. Why had they agreed to meet _here_ , of all places? And what was going on?

That last question, however, seemed to make itself apparent to Toph when the conversation started. Both Katara and Aang were speaking in hushed voices, seemingly fearful of how Toph would react.

Their fear didn't match her own, though.

"So spit it _out_ , then," she grunted, immediately disinterested in their pleasantries. They both seemed awfully calm and polite, on some similar wavelength of pacifism.

"We just want to make sure you get where we're coming from," Aang explained. "You know, that we cover all our bases here, and that you don't feel like everyone's ignoring you. I'm just...trying to figure out the best way of putting it..."

"Right," Katara agreed. "I mean, this has been a big mess for...for _all_ of us, and we're just trying to sort it all out."

"Yea, and you've been acting really...erm...well, _difficult_ lately, and so I don't really know what-"  
"No, Twinkle-Toes!" Toph snapped, fists balling up. The nickname slipped out. It was habit. "Just...No." She sighed. "You've gotta stop thinking like that. _Christ!_ There's no different angle, no clever solution...no fuckin' _trickety-trick_ that's gonna to fix this." She prodded her pointer finger into Aang's chest. "You've gotta face it head on."

A frown fell over Aang's face, and he exchanged glances with Katara, who was just as annoyed with their friend's hypocrisy. But Katara's expression quickly shifted, and Aang understood - they just needed to let it go right now and be straight with her.

"A-all right," he muttered. Then his voice grew conviction. "Katara and I just started dating."

Yup. And there is was. Fuckin' beautiful. Just _fantastic._ She knew it. She fuckin' _knew it._

But that didn't make the finality of it sting any less.

"It's only been a few days," Katara hastily pointed out. "We wanted to tell you sooner rather than later, but with how you've been acting lately, we didn't know if-"  
"A few days, huh?" Toph spat out her doubt.

"... _Yes_ ," Aang confirmed with a tint of irritation.

"We didn't want to hurt your feelings," Katara continued, trying to move away from the negativity Toph was trying to brew. "But this is our decision."

Ugh. Toph could _sense_ it, they were...doing something lovey-dovey. Looking at each other, no-doubt. Whatever 'magic' such a thing entailed. _Ulgh,_ she could hear it, skin sliding over skin. A thumb, over a wrist? Fingers over an arm? Whatever. It was gross and wretched. Aang was supposed to be _her_ person to touch that way.

"Of all the girls you coulda picked, had to be my _roommate_ , right?" Toph growled out. The words hadn't had thought put into them, they'd just slipped.

"Toph, that's...just how it _happened_ ," Aang defended. "I didn't _plan_ on this."

"Yea, this was pretty unexpected for us," Katara lathered innocence onto the subject.

Psh, bullshit. Toph had seen it coming a mile away, how could they _not_ have?

And...and was that _more_ skin rubbing she was hearing? _Grrr._

"Well, _whatever_ ," Toph scoffed at the whole thing, slumped back in her chair, her arms folded around her chest, like a wall to block them from seeing inside.

Or was it a wall to block what was inside from coming out?

"Lah-dee-dah," Toph's dark words dismissed their happiness. "Way to fuckin' go. Not my damned business, why are you telling me?"

"We thought you deserved to know," Aang insisted with peaceful resolve. How was he so _calm_ about this?

"And we miss you, Toph," Katara added with some soured sympathy. Bitch, please. I didn't ask to be missed.

" _Ha_ ," the laugh came out, a mechanism to hold back the tears that were welling up against her will. "Yea, bet you all _really_ miss the Cunt Queen. Haven't had enough of Miss Mudslug giving you trouble?" Fuckin' Christ, her voice was starting to shake. Come on, get a grip.

"Toph," Aang sighed. "We're worried about you. _I_ am worried about you."

A choked out laugh from Toph. Or was it a sob? She had tried to make it _sound_ like a laugh...

"We want you to feel like part of the group again," Katara cooed. "Because you _are_."

"'Kay..." Toph eked out with half-hearted grumpiness.

Tense silence hung over all three of them like a fog. Aang wished he had ordered some coffee so he could drink some in this odd moment.

"That all?" Toph asked dryly, and with some impatience. Her breathing was beginning to rattle, her pale, useless eyes trembling to hold back tears.

"Um...Y-yes, I suppose," Katara mumbled. "But...But I mean, d-did that all make sense?"

"Mm-hm."

"All right...Sooo...Are you...Are you OK?" Katara's voice was soothing and thick with that motherly tone that often irked Toph to no end.

"Yea," she replied plainly. "Can I go now?"

Another pause, this one even heavier than the last one.

"Sure," Aang agreed. "If you want to..."

"'Kay..." Toph relished her relief, her exit, her escape. It was like her heart was going to puke any moment, and she couldn't stand them seeing it. She grabbed her walking stick and fumbled out of her chair, bumping her elbow on it as she did so and ignoring the pain - which was easy given the burning in her brain. "Bye," she spat out, her voice cracking as she went to leave.

\+ http:/youtu.be/aZkd91HXng4 +

Fingers tickling strings, somber sounds spilling out across the cafe. Nothing existed in those moment but her guitar and the music. How she longed for one of those therapeutic moments right here, right now.

**~She never slows down~**

Toph rammed her shoulder to push out through the double doors of the Jasmine Dragon. The rushing noise of rain suddenly surrounded her, each step splashing drops of water onto her toes. Great weather for sandals. When had it started raining? Whatever, she had to get out of here, get somewhere else. The music building, her room...anywhere but here. She couldn't be around those two right now.

**~She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone~**

As she trudged across campus, the water beat down on her, each drop like a frozen needle.

"Shit," she seethed to herself as she picked up her pace, frantically sliding her cane across the wet sidewalk.

_Scrrt-spsh. Scrrt-spsh. Scfff-spsh._

The tension from moments before was swelling, and now that she was by herself, her head felt like exploding. _  
_

**~feels like it's all coming down~**

How could this happen? How could he do this to her? Hardly any fucking time at all, and he was already throwing himself at someone else. Not just someone else, her own _roommate._ Had this been how it was all along? He'd been pining for Katara this whole time? Just biding until he could dump his grumpy girlfriend aside? Her parents had betrayed her, and now the two people she trusted most, conspiring behind her back. She just couldn't trust _anyone,_ could she?

**~She won't turn around~The shadows are long~**

_"You wish they were proud of you, that they respected you. You feel like they're ashamed of you. But you're too stubborn, and you won't confront them about it. You don't want to_ deal _with any of this, so_ instead _,_ _you try pinning it all on them, turn them into villains, and then whenever it gets brought up, you act like this...this_ crazy _person!"_

**~And she fears if she cries that first tear~**

She was beginning to lose focus, the stinging downpour freezing her feet. Her free arm was clutched around her stomach, which felt queasy. She choked out, suppressing tears as her face heated up.

_Not gonna fuckin' cry. Not a damned baby._

**~the tears will not stop raining down~**

The canons of fury she'd been firing off at everyone else stopped and redirected their course back at their owner.

_You're such a hypocrite. Selfish, arrogant cunt. You brought this on yourself. This is all your own fault. Grow up and take your own advice.  
_

**~So stand in the rain~**

Her numb cheeks barely felt the tears as they flooded out, mixing with the rain. Thick bangs stuck to her face. She flicked her head to push them away but they just fell back down. She growled in frustration, pressing on through the slush.

**~Stand your ground~**

_"I'm saying that when you've got a fuckin' problem you don't be a pussy and run away from it. **You stand your ground**. You face it head-on. Gotta be solid - like a rock."_

**~Stand up when it's all crashing down~**

_How could he give up on me so easily?_ **  
**

She had been building up speed, desperate to escape this waterfall of ice, and in her haste, she slipped on a patch of sidewalk slicked over with ice, made even more hazardous from the rain. She tumbled off to her right, dropped her cane and pushing her hands out to catch herself. Her fingers sunk into a slimy mess. Snow, rainwater, mud...She couldn't tell what was what, but when she came to a moment later, she could feel half of her face plastered in it, her hair now heavy with muck. Her jeans were drenched and grimy, her hands burning from scrapes the cold, her hoodie a soaking weight. **  
**

**~You stand through the pain, you won't drown~**

_"No, Twinkle-Toes! Just...No. You've gotta stop thinking like that._ Christ _! There's no different angle, no clever solution...no fuckin'_ trickety-trick _that's gonna to fix this. You've gotta face it head on."_

**~And one day what's lost can be found~**

Toph struggled to push herself up from the ground, her entire body quivering. She coughed, mucus building in her throat, her nose now runny. She realized now that she didn't know where her cane was, and her right sandal had slipped off in the fall.

 _Of course he left me. I let him down. Turned my back on him - on_ all _of them. No one trusts me anymore. And why_ should _they?_

**~You stand in the rain~**

Jane's harsh words joined Katara's in biting away at Toph's shattered confidence. **  
**

 _"Then stop trying to pretend like nothing's wrong and_ do something _about it!"_

**~She won't make a sound~**

Toph shook off her memories and got to her knees. She slammed her trembling fist into the ground, splashing mud across her knuckles.

" _Fuck_ ," she grunted at herself, teeth chattering.

**~Alone in this fight with herself~**

_"_ _For how much you love telling off everyone else, you_ really _suck at dealing with your own issues," Sokka grumbled. "You wanna be so damned independent? Go for it. This is_ your _mess,_ you _clean it up."_

**~And the fears whispering, 'If she stands, she'll fall down'~**

Toph lifted her hands from the sludge and wobbled onto her feet, but as she attempted to unbend her knees, her right foot, now lacking traction, gave way and she went right back down to one knee, catching herself before she hit the ground a second time.

**~She wants to be found~**

Supporting her shivering, drenched body with one knee and one scratched-up hand, Toph clutched at her stomach as it churned with uneasiness. A sob spilled out despite her every effort to contain it.

She wished one of them was here to pull her up, but no one was around. She had to take care of herself, just as she had been saying she wanted to.

Well, _that_ sure was working out well...

**~The only way out is through everything she's running from~**

_"So, are you going to stomp off like usual?" Katara rhetorically insulted. "Run away from me because I'm telling you that you're acting immature? Because you refuse to try solving your own problems?"_

**~Wants to give up and lie down~**

Her head pounded, her face stung, her hands throbbed...Anguish and guilt coursed through her veins. It was all too much to handle.

**~So stand in the rain **~Stand your ground~ **Stand up when it's all crashing down~******

_I can't take this. Just can't fucking deal with it...What am I supposed to do? What does everyone_ want _from me?_

**********~You stand through the pain, you won't drown **~And one day what's lost can be found~ ** ** **You stand in the rain~********** **   
** ** **

Toph crawled her way to the sidewalk, its hard surface welcoming. She groped around, retrieving her misplaced sandal and squirming to get it onto her foot, grit wedged between her toes. She found her cane nearby and choked out with relief, tears still drizzling out of her face.

**~So stand in the rain **~Stand your ground~ **Stand up when it's all crashing down~  
******

___"You love someone, you fuckin' work it out. You stand your ground."_ _ _

__Guess I need to practice what I preach and shit...  
_ _

****************~Stand through the pain, you won't drown **~And one day what's lost can be found~**** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

_What a bitch I am, trying to act like Aang was the one who needed to do something. He was trying all along._ I _was the one who gave up on_ him _...  
_

**********~So stand in the rain **~Stand your ground~ **Stand up when it's all crashing down~****** ** ** ** **

Her teeth clattered against each other, muddy hair stuck to her face, her useless eyes squinting to keep the gunk out. She pulled her hood over her head, stuffed her hands in its waist pocket, and puffed out a shivering groan as she rubbed lethargic hands together to try and regain feeling in them.

****~You stand through the pain, you won't drown~**   
**

Leaning on her cane for support, Toph forced herself onto her feet, huffing from exhaustion and determination.

******~And one day what's lost can be found~** ** **

"...awwfff..."

As she carefully skidded her stick against the sidewalk, shaking uncontrollably as she willed her way across the seemingly flooded campus, voices called out behind her.

_Nothing will be the same. What do I do?_

**~You stand in the rain~**

"...awphh...?"  
"...oph!"

"G-guys...?" A hand tucked in her pocket still, Toph limped her body in a 180 to direct her attention to the familiar calls.

"Toph!" Aang's concern warmed her.

"What _happened?_ " Katara's petrified voice called out. Splashing steps got louder as they drew close.

"I...I fell," Toph confessed, coughing out a sob. Not from the pain, not from the childish act of slipping, just stress seeping out through her face.

"Toph..." Aang sighed with a sniff.

Katara's familiar arms enclosed Toph's body in a tight hug.

"Y-you're gonna get...all dirty," Toph half-heartedly joked. Katara ran her hand over Toph's inundated hair, her breath warm on Toph's neck. Aang came at her from the other side, and Toph's queasiness intensified before fading away into relief. They clutched at her body as if to hold the broken pieces together, to cover up the person that was now exposed from her shell to the rain.

That shell, that mask.

A lonely, angry girl with pale, cold eyes - white like snow. Her hands slid across the ivory keys, each note like a frigid raindrop.

"Why don't...we head back to Aqua?" Katara offered with sympathy. "Get you cleaned up and warm."

Toph sensed some kind of silent communication between Aang and Katara. Likely some approval or some such.

"Yea, you should...go do that," Aang agreed calmly. His hand rubbed at Toph's shoulder. Fuck, how she missed that hand... "Don't need to get sick again, right?"

"Fff, yea," was Toph's meek reply.

A lingering quiet, only raindrops echoing around. A shiver swept down Toph's spine and she shuddered. Katara's arm wound over her.

"We'll catch you later, Aang," Katara bid him farewell. Just by the tone, Toph sensed a pang of desire to kiss Aang, but they didn't. Obviously out of some kind of pity for her, right? Like she couldn't handle it?

Well...Maybe, right then...she _couldn't_ handle it.

* * *

"How she takin' it?" Jane wondered in a hushed tone with concerned curiosity. The sound of the shower from the bathroom one room hour served as a backdrop to their conversation.

"I can't tell," Katara honestly confessed, shaking her head. Both girls sighed, mentally drained. They had expected some full-on volcanic eruption of hormones...but none had come. Or maybe it was just waiting. That was what Katara feared.

"Looks like your _head_ is still screwed on," Jane observed with some humor. " _That's_ a good sign..."

"Heh, yea..." Katara tousled her loose-hanging hair a bit before scratching at an itch. Her hand then flopped into her lap. Jane caught herself staring and looked off around the room when Katara's gaze lifted. It was so weird for her, thinking on all this. She'd spent days in fear over this very event, like it was some ominous doom, some social apocalypse. How uneventful it had been - simple words exchanged, and hardly any objection. Katara could only rule out that Toph was hurting and for once, instead of snapping back and running away, she was just holding it inside.

The shower's streaming patter quieted.

"Uhh..." Jane nodded slowly to herself. "So, I'm gonna head off, then...Good luck."

"Yea...Good night."

Jane vanished, and moments later, Toph entered, taking careful steps in a towel.

From her chair, Katara spun round, facing her computer screen. She read while Toph got dressed.

[ **Facebook - Katara Kesuk** ]

[ **Katara Kesuk** is in a relationship with **Aang Leekpai.** ]  
[2 hours ago]  
[18 people like this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- FUCKING CALLED IT! ;D ]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- You did? How in the hell would you have known?]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Sokka Kesuk** \- Also, **OOGIE OOGIE** **OOGIE** **OOOOOOOOGIE BLEH.** ]  
[2 hours ago]

[ **Jane Fitzpatrick** \- for some bigshot detective you really suck at figurin out this shit.  ]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Aang and Katara like this.]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Sokka Kesuk Shut up, you baby.]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Suki and Jane like this.]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- uh oh. it's fb official now, we get to hear from the peanut gallery.]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Katara and Mai like this.]

[ **Tylee Moretti** \- eeeeeeeeee! u guys are 2 kewt together! :3]  
[1 hour ago]

[ **Suki Kyoshi** \- Is this that ' **oogie** ' thing you told me about Katara? That doesn't even mean sense, you've seen US together all the time...]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Katara Kesuk likes this.]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Suki Kyoshi I KNOW, right? That's exactly what I said! Sounds like a double-standard.]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Suki Kyoshi likes this.]

[ **Suki Kyoshi** \- Sounds pretty CHILDISH...]  
[1 hour ago]  
[Jane and Korra like this.]

[ **Meng Beifong** \- omg i'm so happy for you guys! ~heart~ ]  
[56 minutes ago]  
[Aang and Katara like this.]

[ **Mai Chiao** \- Looks like someone finally found that apple tree - right in their own backyard.  ]  
[51 minutes ago]  
[Aang Leekpai likes this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- For rizzle. I need to be caught up on what the fuck's been goin on. You all need to visit.]  
[42 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Ew. You just said 'for rizzle.']  
[37 minutes ago]  
[Mai and Zuko like this.]

[ **Korra Kesuk** \- True dat. My nizzle.]  
[36 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- I'd avoid picking up all that slang you're getting exposed to if I were you.]  
[30 minutes ago]

[ **Hakoda Kesuk** \- wow, so you have a new boyfriend? this sounds like it ought to be an interesting story.]  
[21 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- O_O; I'm sorry, Dad, I meant to call but I kept forgetting, and it's been so stressful lately, and I've been so busy...I'll call tomorrow, I promise! ^_^; ]  
[17 minutes ago]

[ **Zuko Kurosawa** \- Look what the internet is doing to our generation. But seriously, I wish you two the best.]  
[12 minutes ago]

[ **Aang Leekpai** \- thanks!]  
[4 minutes ago]

[ **Katara Kesuk** \- Mai Chiao Zuko Kurosawa We should go on a double date sometime.  ]  
[Moments ago]

_Fwumph._

Katara's attention was pulled from her screen to the bed to her left, across the room. Toph had thrown herself down, face-first into her pillow.

"How are you doing?" asked Katara gently.

A hummed 'I dunno' drizzled out from underneath the pillow. Stepping through her trepidation, Katara crossed the sea of uncomfortable tension and sat down on the edge of Toph's bed.

"Toph?" she probed.

Toph rolled over onto her side, her eyes guarded by tangles of damp black.

"What?" she sighed out.

"Talk to me," Katara eased, extending her hand. Toph's shoulder immediately flinched and shrugged it off.

"Talk about _what_?" she grumbled. "'Bout how you stole my boyfriend from under my nose?"

 _Ugh_ , here it was...

"Tch," a tiny laugh in spite of herself came from Toph. "More like, how I _lost_ my boyfriend..."

With no sense of what direction this was heading in, Katara remained still and quiet, just letting her roommate go on.

"Why do you guys keep insisting on pulling me around?"

"Huh...?"

"I'm a _bitch,_ I don't give a shit, I say whatever I want, and you _still_ want me nearby? Still want my 'friendship'? The fuck is _wrong_ with you?"

"Toph, you...-" Katara's impulse was to react in irritation but she calmed herself. "You keep _saying_ you don't care, but we both know that's not true..."

A few seconds of quiet reflection. Toph scratched her nose with no reply.

"I mean, we have our limits, Toph - everyone does - but we're your friends...so when you make mistakes, we're going to forgive you."

A puff of air from Toph's lips. She rubbed a finger at her eye.

"You think _Aang_ forgives me...?" she darkly contemplated.

"Toph, _yes,_ of course he does...He told you that."

"Yea, but...I don't get what he wants from me."

"He wants to keep being your friend."

"I _know,_ that's...what I don't _get_." Toph sat up, cross-legged, and scooted back against the wall, hands drooped into her lap. "Guys don't ever want to go back to just being friends, Katara, they move on."

Yet another reason why Aang was different than most guys, Katara decided.

"Well...Obviously, Aang thinks you're worth it to stay friends with."

"Fff. I don't have a goddamm clue _why_." Toph could feel of the thin shoulder straps of her tanktop slipping down her arm, and she pulled it back into place with impatience.

"Because he _loves_ you, Toph..."

"Yea, loves me _so much,_ breaks my fuckin' heart and jumps on the next girl over..."

" _Toph,_ please stop it," Katara stamped down on Toph's immaturity. "We've done this crap enough times. I'm not in the mood for it, and I _really_ don't think you are, either..."

Toph's scowl worsened, dialing up its ferocity as she squirmed, scrunching her blanket between her bare toes.

"You know, _I_ love you, too. Now...Come on, Toph. _Talk_ to me..." Katara slide across the bed, planting her back on the wall right next to Toph. "What are you _really_ thinking?"

_That...you're a whore, and...you took him away from me...And you all are stupid, and... **Arghhh**..._

Toph's body twitched in surprise when Katara's soft hand settled on her rough, calloused one. Her fingers tightened, balling into a fist in an effort to resist.

"Huh?" Katara verbally prodded, her hand remaining fixated on Toph's.

Toph could feel her eyes watering up, that familiar rising motion of tears that she'd gotten so used to suppressing. Everything she'd been feeling minutes before, outside, hammered at her mind like pounding rain wind-whipped in a hurricane. The confusion, the pain, the anger, the loss, the regret, the hopelessness, the loneliness...

_I'm tired. So...tired..._

A stifled " _Guh_ " was the only answer Toph could vocalize as her hand rotated to let their fingers lock together. She welcomed the physical contact - the comfort. That reassurance, that security of skin - the comradery, the care...The proof of concept that someone _gave a fuck_ about her after all the trouble she'd caused. Toph's eyelids were heavy, and tiny rivulets of water seeped down her cheeks. She sniffled, wiping at them drearily with her free hand.

"It's all right," Katara whispered. "Go ahead. Let all that stuff out." Plain, simple words, spoken like a big sister she'd never had. Like a _mother_ she had never had...

Teeth grit and cheeks burning, Toph slumped to her right, letting her head sag onto Katara's shoulder. The texture of fuzzy pajamas tickled her face, the faint remnants of some kind of perfume lingered from the girl's neck, no doubt something she'd worn for Aang. Toph never wore smelly stuff for Aang. Did he _like_ smelly stuff? _She_ liked smelly stuff...he'd worn some for her sometimes...but she'd never really thought much to do the same.

She just never really thought much of everyone else, did she? Ugh. So stupid...No wonder Aang liked Katara, she was always thinking of everyone else, even her bratty, bitchy roommate...

Toph was especially grateful for it, though - that which she often chastised Katara for.

Toph's back was enveloped by one arm, while the other let go of the blind girl's hand and covered the other side, both hands meeting at Toph's bare shoulder.

"Why am I so fucking stupid?" Toph squeaked out at last. "It's like I... _want_ to be alone, but...but I _don't_ want to be alone..."

Katara smiled faintly at Toph's hormonal state while Toph continued to ramble.

"I don't...even make _sense_ ," bemoaned Toph over herself, her eyes wide and brows arced low.

"Nope, you really don't sometimes, Hun," Katara chuckled, rubbing her thumbs over Toph's shoulder.

"Just...fucking...auuughhh..." Toph's eyes slammed shut as more water poured out from her face. She grasped hands over Katara's waist, offering a hug of gratitude. "Hurts so much," she grumbled through clenched teeth. "Don't...know what the h-hell I'm do...doing..." Agh, damnit, and now she was sniffling like a baby. Fuck it. She didn't even care anymore.

"I know," Katara's calming voice anchored her. "It's OK..."

"H-how do you...ffffucking put uh- _up_ with...mm-me?"

Katara placed her forehead on Toph's temple as her own emotions swelled across.

"Same way Sokka puts up with _me_ , Hun - just looking out for my little sister...'Cuz I love her. You know?"

Katara had referred to Toph as a 'little sister' a couple of times before...but Toph had never felt like she actually understood how Katara _meant it_ until that moment, held in the arms of someone who simply wanted to be there, a shoulder to cry on, a voice of reason in a storm of doubt and guilt. Was this what having an older sister was like? Was this what having a _mother_ was supposed to be like?

"Th-thanks," eked out Toph, her brain melted into a puddle by now. All of this emotional strain and suppression getting squeezed out...it felt like playing so many of her 'therapy songs,' all at once. "Sssorry, I'm...acting ah-all mess...messed up..."

"It's _fine,_ Hun. Just let everything out."

Toph took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself, end the sobbing. A moment of peace.

Nope. Still more shit there needing to come out. Her face contorted with sorrow as she cried out more of the anguish and rage, folding over and dropping head into Katara's lap. Arms curled in, knees tight, she lay in almost a fetal position, the soft pajama pants on warm flesh a soothing pillow. Her skull tingled as Katara's delicate fingers ran through her hair, straightening out what was no-doubt a disaster. It was... _nice,_ she had to admit: someone there to straighten it out for the sake of _wanting_ to, not out of pity or obligation.

Toph's breath kept skipping and choking as the drops kept rolling off her face.

She didn't even know what else to say, but did it matter? Katara already knew. She understood. That was...what Katara was _always_ doing - trying to understand, trying to patch up the holes. Toph felt like such an idiot. She'd had this person here, all along, who stuck by her even when she was so cruel and inconsiderate...and she'd just been too stubborn to accept the support.

Maybe her struggle for complete independence was overrated.

A few minutes of intimate serenity slipped by as Toph let Katara's physical gestures quell her exhausted state.

Katara, in the meantime, was observing how what she'd feared to be an exploding volcanic eruption was more of a massive flow of magma bubbling out and spilling off down the sides.

"I'm done," Toph said at last when her trembling had settled down.

"Oh..." Katara's hands lifted.

"No, no," Toph giggled. "That was-...No, that's nice, you can...keep doing that." Katara laughed, too, and went back to petting Toph's head. "Yea, that's the stuff," Toph encouraged the gesture.

"So...What do you mean, then?"

"Oh, I'm-...I meant, like...I'm done being a bitch."

"Haha, no offense, Hun, but I feel like that's just...part of who you are," Katara teased.

"OK, _yea,_ but...you know what I mean."

"I do..."

"I can't...do this. Being a loner, and...and all that shit. I guess...maybe I'm not so independent like I thought..."

"Toph, you know...having people here for you, that doesn't mean you're not strong, or that you can't be who you want to be."

"Mm..." Toph was still unsure about that idea. She just cried like a little child in her friend's lap. That wasn't strong. That couldn't be.

"But do you get it, now?" Katara wondered.

"What's that?"

"That I'm not going anywhere. That you're stuck with me."

Toph smiled brightly.

"Yea."

"And I know the others feel the same way, Toph...We all have been missing our little Mudslug."

"Heh. I've been...missing my Fussybritches."

"Hee. Well, now we just need to get you back with everyone else."

Toph savored that idea, like imagining the taste of a rich dessert she hadn't had in so long. And then she hit a clump of sour.

"But...isn't everyone still _mad_ at me?" Toph mumbled. "Like...I've been a total tool. They _should_ be, so, like...what do I _do_?"

"We'll...figure that out," Katara decided, acknowledging the validity of Toph's doubt. "It'll be all right, Toph, I promise."

Toph sighed with some relief. 'It'll be all right, I promise.' Those words kept echoing, filling her with confidence. Toph knew that with Katara in her corner, it _would_ be all right, because if there was anyone as stubborn as she was...it was Katara. That mutual trait would be beneficial here, wouldn't it?

"Feeling better now?" Katara asked, her voice warm and glowing.

"Mm-hm," Toph hummed out pleasantly, still enjoying fingers running over her head.

"See? You had a breakdown, and you didn't die," teased Katara.

"I _know,_ what the hell? It's like I'm...maybe a normal human _being_ or something..."

" _Ha,_ let's not be hasty, now..."

" _Hey._ I will end you."

"No, you won't. You still need me."

"Mmm... _That's_ true. Your usefulness has not ended. _Yet._ "

"So now you've gotta promise me that you'll remember that I'm always here for you."

"Mehhhhh..."

"Come on."

"OK. _Gosh._ I promise...But now you need another nickname."

"Huh?"

"This is, like...a big step here, Katara, come _on._ That means you need another name."

"Uhh...Ooookay?" Katara snickered, baffled with her roommate's insistence on this habit. She was just as bad as Sokka. Maybe even worse.

"Uhh...So, lessee...erm...-"

"Drawin' a blank, huh?"

"Nah, no, shuddup...It's just-...Okay. We're gonna go with Sister-Face."

" _What_?"

"Oh, don't throw a tantrum about it."

"You know, adding the word 'face' at the end of things wears thin after a while," said Katara with a sly grin. Her logic concluded that Toph was really aiming for 'Sister' or 'Big Sis' but simply was too stubborn to let that be it.

"So sue me, I'm lazy," Toph confessed. "Unless you'd rather I stick with _Fussybritches_."

"Haha, no, that's...fine."

"Yea, see? So...deal with it, Sister-Face."

"I will."

"By the way..."

"Yea?"

"I love you, too, Katara. I needed... _this_. So, thanks..."

"Always."


	71. My Town

\- Saturday, March 5th, 2011 -

Korra took in a deep breath, eyelids heavy, muscles sluggish and unresponsive. She rose from bed - a laborious task - and stretched. She scratched at her rear end through her plaid-patterned boxer shorts and trudged to her dresser. She was thankful to even _have_ a dresser. The last person here had just left it, apparently. One man's trash was another's treasure, and all that, right? Pulling a T-shirt over her sports bra - the white one with the Canadian maple leaf on it - reminded her of how sore her shoulders were. Likewise, putting on a pair of sweatpants served to reiterate her aching muscles. She spent a few minutes stretching to help work out the kinks, then made her way downstairs, lumping her hair into a single ponytail rather than the style she normally fussed it into.

Being a Saturday morning, the house was quiet. Korra wondered if anyone was even still home sleeping, or if people had gone off to work. As she stumbled into the kitchen, she noticed the full sink of dishes that had accumulated over the past couple of days. She ignored it, opting to fix herself some sunny-side-up eggs and toast for breakfast. Peering into the fridge, she observed that the orange juice she had purchased a couple of days ago was already gone. _Grah._ She'd only had one glass of it, too. Whatever cockbite had drunk it all would get a fist in their jaw if she found out. Maybe she'd mark her _name_ on it next time...

After consuming a rather unceremonious and quiet breakfast, Korra couldn't stand staring at the sinkful of dishes. What the fuck? Did she have to do _everything_?

Halfway through this task, her attention was pulled from the voice of one of her roommates.

"Oh...Morning, Korra."

It was Bolin. Rubbing sand from his eyes, he was in a bathrobe. Looked like he'd just taken a shower.

"No wonder the water got cold so fast," he mumbled, glancing at how Korra had the sink trickling out hot water while she scrubbed at the dishes.

"Yea, well...nobody's been doin' this shit and I was sick of lookin' at it," she snipped, taking his comment as some complaint toward her for actually doing the menial chore.

"Err..." Bolin raised a brow at her back, struggling to not stare at the way her brown sweatpants hugged her hips. "I was going to do them before I left for work," he meekly put out.

"Yea, well...-" Korra trailed off grumpily. She was tempted to call him out on this, dubious as to this idea. Bolin didn't seem to contribute much to the house chores, she'd concluded over this week.

"Seriously," insisted Bolin, scratching his stomach with a yawn as he pulled out a box of Captain Crunch cereal from the cupboard. "Don't worry about the rest, I'll do 'em."

Korra finished off the spaghetti-stained plate she'd been working on, wondering to herself if it was a good idea to give him the chance to be lazy and not finish the task.

"Nah, I've got it," she concluded after a moment's thought. He'd just fuck it up, anyway.

Bolin laughed through his nostrils as he poured his breakfast out into a bowl.

"You don't have to do everything around here," he told her. "It looks like you haven't been sleeping good...Isn't today your day off?"

"I haven't," Korra bluntly confessed. "And it is."

"Then geez, woman, take a _break._ "

Back still to him - she had yet to establish eye contact with him - her expression twitched with some irritation. She didn't take _breaks._ She got shit done. No 'stopping partway through' nonsense.

"Listen, uh...Don't you have work to go to?" Korra muttered. "Don't waste your time worrying about me. I'm fine."

Bolin frowned a bit at her put-off. She'd seemed to be getting increasingly more foul-tempered since she'd moved in. It was disconcerting. He couldn't help but wonder if she was the same way to his brother.

"It's still a little bit before I go to work," Bolin noted, chomping down a spoonful after he'd settled at the small, two-chair kitchen table. "I could do the rest of those dishes, really. It's no big deal."

"I've _got it_."

"'Kay..." Bolin shrugged, shaking his head a bit as he continued to eat. Korra finished her task after a few minutes of silent work and retreated back to her room.

[To: Kitty Kat]  
[Yo. You said something about us hanging today?]  
[Sent: 10:48am]

In her nearly empty bedroom, Korra rolled her head around her neck a few times. _Damnit,_ so sore...

_Knock-knock._

"...Yea?"

The door creaked open, and Mako's unassuming gaze scanned across her room briefly.

"Good morning," he greeted, seeming perplexed for some reason. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Yea," she grunted out, rotating her arm around its shoulder socket. _Pop-crackle-snap._ Ow...Awgh...

"Ah...So, what are your plans for today?" The hell was this? These guys all wanting to get in her business - what was up with that?

"Uh, whatever, I dunno," she sputtered out. "Gonna go hit the gym for a while, then I'm supposed to meet up with my cousins later..."

"I see," Mako nodded calmly. "Good to hear you're getting to see your family. Let me know when you're leaving to workout. I need some exercise, myself."

"Er...-" But he'd already left and closed the door behind him. Had she _invited_ him to come with her? Yeeea- _no._ She hadn't. He's just gone and invited himself. Well, whatever.

* * *

_Pap. Pap-pap. Pat-pap. Pap._

Korra's taped fists battered at the bag with swift motions. She lifted up a leg and struck it with a clean kick. Again. Again. Again. Then back to the fists.

The black bag dangled around from its chains, swayed slightly with each strike, her partner in a graceful, forceful dance which she led.

"Kickboxing, huh?"

Her stream of energy, her flow of physicality, was cut off by his voice. Breaths heavy and arteries pulsing, she adjusted the red sweatband on her head as she turned to face him. She nodded in reply, her ice-blue eyes on fire from the fuel of adrenaline. She'd been missing that feeling, having not had a proper workout in weeks due to everything involved in the move.

Mako was lifting handweights as he nodded back in approval.

"Good way to workout," he acknowledged. Like she gave a fuck what he thought about it. They blinked at each other for a moment, both faces glistened with perspiration, before Korra continued. She rotated around a few feet so he was out of eyesight while she went on to whaling, intentionally offering him an opportunity to observe her womanly figure in motion, which he obliged. Korra was fully aware that she had figure and muscle, and had no problem asserting that over any men nearby. In a way, it was her means of sticking it to them - taunting them was her method of establishing dominance when causing black eyes and bloody noses wasn't a reasonable option.

_Pap. Pap-pap. Fssph._

"You seem pretty fit to be working as a restaurant manager."

Korra paused and swallowed saliva, lungs growing weary.

 _OK, yea,_ thanks _, pal. Didn't ask for your commentary. If you're gonna admire my ass at least do it silence, eh?_

Mako seemed to take the hint - maybe he'd seen the subtle scowl that had formed on her face during that brief moment of awkward silence - and settled himself onto a cycling machine nearby. The gym got busier as lunchtime drew near, and Korra was relived to have time to practice without worrying about socializing.

After finishing up and showering, Korra waited near the entrance for her roommate to head out. Her hair hung heavy with water over her shoulders, which Mako laughed at when he arrived, only for her to snipe at his own hairdo and how it was the first time she'd seen it free of a pound of hair gel.

"-so it's refreshing to _not_ feel like my eyes might get gouged out by your forehead."

"Heh, I see..." Mako went to open the door for Korra, but she scurried ahead quick enough to catch it first and see him out. A curious glance later, Mako picked on her in retaliation for her jibe at his hair while they exited. "So you're going to mock my sense of fashion when you wear _three_ ponytails on your head all of the time?"

Korra smirked at his competitive sarcasm, ruffling at her damp hair, which made her head even chillier in the still chilled weather, the last remnants of winter still adrift.

"Touche..."

"And besides," Mako dryly prodded further, "I don't think you have any business ridiculing anyone's dresscode when you insist on looking like the _Fonz_ all the time..." He tipped his head subtley to the leather jacket she always wore.

"Phss," she scoffed while they walked along the sidewalk. She studied his coat and the long, winding decorative scarf he had around his neck. "You're one to talk, Doctor Who."

"Huh?"

"Doctor Hh-...-" She could tell by the look on his face he had no idea what she was referring to, and rather than embarrass herself over such a nerdy thing she wasn't even interested in, she let it drop. "Nevermind, you just...look like a moron with that scarf."

"Hm-hm," Mako laughed gently, shaking off her attempt at an insult while he straightened the article in question. He bobbed his head up, directing Korra to observe the nearby restaurant, a local sandwich shop. "Up for grabbing lunch?"

Korra sighed out in response to the exercise exerted thus far today and nodded with a moment's hesitation.

"Yea...Sure, all right."

Standing by the counter in the small shop, they had a bit of time to burn while waiting for their orders to be completed. An overhead television was playing the midday news.

["-was a forty-seven year-old accountant who lived alone. No eyewitnesses have turned up in the investigation of this most recent incident in what has become a series of arson-related crimes being attributed to 'The Combustion Man,' and authorities have not divulged any information regarding the motives or identity of-"]  
"Glad we never have to worry about _that_ kind of thing around here," Mako pointed out, drawing Korra away from the news report. "Guess that's one of the advantages of living in a small town - crime's hardly a problem, you know? Everyone knows everyone...that sort of thing."

Korra considered that notion - that Wayward was a small town - and couldn't deny that she had experienced more difficult people in a single day at her own job in the city than she had all week at the United Republic.

"Ah, good," she said with some facetiousness. "Guess I don't have to worry about being _raped_ on my way home from work out in _this_ town, huh?" She flexed an arm with a cocky eyebrow to Mako, who glanced at her, seemingly unamused.

"I suppose not," he agreed with a twitch of the shoulder.

As Korra looked at the ashen ruins of what used to be a house on the screen above, she pointed at it and expressed her opinion.

"See, problems like this? It's 'cuz cops gotta people _down_ on shit, not be afraid to put on a little pressure, ya know?" She smacked her fist into the palm of her other hand, and Mako cast her a slightly befuddled sideways glance. "Not just sit around waiting for guys in uniforms to do something about it."

"Erm...I...suppose," he muttered.

"Sometimes ya gotta fight fire with fire," Korra insisted. She realized the irony of the statement, given the burned building on the TV. "Uhhh...like, I mean...as a metaphor," she hastily mumbled. "But, like, maybe sometimes _not,_ if there's _literally_ fire. Like maybe this guy...-" She waggled her hand off toward the television as she let her sentence hang.

_Diggin' myself a nice fuckin' hole here, guy probably thinks I'm a loon._

Mako was relieved when their sandwiches, wrapped and ready to go, were set down on the counter, and he quickly took the opportunity to interrupt the conversation before Korra could try to pick it back up, take his food, and start to leave, thereby implicating Korra to follow suit.

"What do _you_ think, dude?" Korra wondered as they left.

"I think that what you're proposing sounds a bit like anarchy. Vigilantism."

Korra huffed as she unwrapped her cheddar tunafish melt, its aroma tickling her nose like a lover on a Sunday morning. She chewed into it and savored the flavor - it was quite delicious, and the place wasn't as expensive as the ones she had been used to.

"What's wrong with _that_?" she asked, curious as to Mako's reasoning. "People standin' up for themselves, I mean," she jabbed in extra words, hoping to dilute the notion she was some whack-job.

"That's...-" Mako's expression twisted with disbelief as he shot a sideways glance. "Korra, listen to yourself. You're suggesting utter chaos. Citizens attacking criminals?"

"Survival of the fittest."

"We don't live by that kind of law in modern day society." Mako sighed as he pulled the wrapping off the edge of his six-inch turkey sub and chowed down.

"Probably why so many people are fuckin' blobs who can't take care of themselves," scoffed Korra, taking two large bites and filling her mouth. They both walked side-by-side, swallowing their respective morsels of lunch.

"It's not our job to take the law or justice into our own hands," Mako asserted. "That's what the police are here for - to maintain order."

" _Fuck_ the police," Korra grumbled.

"...Didn't you say your _uncle_ was a cop?" Mako grumbled, quite annoyed with her dismissal.

Korra frowned in spite of her own lack of foresight, swallowing another clump of fish and cheese. While Mako was confused and impatient with her temperament, he had to admit - at least to himself - she looked quite endearing with her childish pouty eyes, cheeks puffed up with food. Making herself look like an idiot had its own charms despite her wild claims. He sincerely hoped it was hyperbole, merely for the sake of discussion.

At last, Korra swallowed, having given herself an ample set of seconds to contemplate.

"Canadian cops are... _different_ ," she deduced, eliciting a laugh from Mako.

"Mm- _hm._ I see...Because...Canada is so well known for its... _aggression_."

Korra lifted a fist of threat.

"You talkin' shit about Canada?" she jibed in exaggeration. "I'll fuck you up." She glared at him, pressing all due serious as her lips jittered, barely containing a laugh. "Foh rizzle," she concluded, the edge of a snort falling out.

"Uh..."

"My nizzle."

"Heh, um...N-no, that's-...You can stop now," Mako assured, off-put by her mock-gangster words.

Mako cleared his throat through an awkward moment of silence, and while Korra finished off her sandwich, she took pride at what she interpreted to be a smirk on Mako's face - an achievement with this guy, as far as she was concerned.

* * *

"Shit, man, it's...like I gotta do _everything_ around here," groaned Korra, emerging from the backroom and setting herself back down at the round, wooden table full of guests. The United Republic was humming with steady activity this afternoon. The recreation room - the one lined with wall art Aang had spent so much time getting up - was busy with billiards and chess and foosball played by SRU students, a dartboard in a corner of the main area was occupying a trio of elderly gentleman, and a few others were enjoying some beverages and food around the group.

"OK, whoa, hey," Sokka said, flashing out his palms at her. "If it's your day _off,_ shouldn't you stop working?"

Korra groaned, slapping her forehead while her other arm popped up.

"It's not _my_ fault no one knows what the hell they're doing," she defended the meddling she'd just partaken in. An official assistant manager hadn't been hired on yet, and the one that the college had intended to take the position bailed out, leaving Korra to rely on a more experienced student worker till fill in as keyholder for her days off. She didn't like it.

"Whoever's lookin' after the place today seems to be doin' fine to me," Sokka put off her worries, sticking his hand out to the peaceful, satisfied setting around them.

"Yea, place look like it's up and running good," Jane observed before slurping on her tall glass mug of orange cream soda.

"Food's good," Toph offered a compliment from her edge of the table as she groped her hands around the second half of her club sandwich. and chewed into it.

"Yea, this stuff's _all_ right," Sokka put in his enthusiasm while stabbing a fork through his Cesar salad - it was healthy for him, and all, right? He wiggled his fork toward his bowl of soup while he chewed and added afterward, "And that French Onion? _Daayyyummm._ "

"Yea, guy who's on today makes a mean soup," acknowledged Korra, kicked back in her chair.

"Place has a cool vibe to it," Jane muttered as she looked around at the various odds and ends that littered that wooden walls. It was perplexing to her, in a way, to see what had once been the Treetop Pub transformed into a place full of photographs and artwork and signs and all manner of paraphernalia. "Like what ya guys did with it..."

"Yea, it's...got, like...a 'homey' feeling," concurred Toph in-between bites, a hint of timidness hanging on her words.

"A lot nicer than it used to be," said Katara, smiling as she looked around, as well. She scratched Aang's back with affection as she pointed toward the room he had worked on. "And the art you did is so beautiful."

"Yea," Toph piped in. "It's...yea, it's...really cool."

She received a few perplexed glances at this remark, and while she couldn't actually see this, she could feel their presence at her own lack of thought before she'd spoken.

" _Uhhh,_ that you...did it, I mean. It's...probably nifty-looking. And stuff...I bet..." Toph practically shrunk into her seat with embarrassment. She was going a bit overboard with the compliments, huh? Especially when they were one she couldn't physically mean. Katara smiled sheepishly with some pride at her friend's efforts and slipped her an encouraging gesture beneath the table by patting her on the leg.

"Yea, it really is," she insisted, refocusing attention back on Aang and sparing Toph more social awkwardness. "It's...so wonderful that you had the chance to do that," Katara continued to gush. "I mean, it's so pretty, and it's going to be there for...like... _years_. You know? I'm so proud of you, Sweetie."

"Omph," Aang reacted, his mouth full of pizza. His eyes squinted with pride as he swallowed. "Thanks, Sweetie."

" _Bleh_ ," Sokka groaned out, quite audibly, from beside Aang.

"Stop it," Katara scolded in a quick snip, leaning back to shoot her brother a glare behind Aang's back.

"I'm just _saying_ ," Sokka protested, arms flapping with aloofness. "If I'm gonna have to put up with you guys and your **oogies** all the time, you could at _least_ put a little effort into petnames. Eh?"

Toph snorted out a laugh.

"What's with you and your goofy names for everything?" she picked on him with a smirk glinting from beneath her well-combed bangs that insisted on veiling her eyes tonight.

Sokka was not pleased with her jibe - he was still angry at her over everything that had transpired, most notably what she had said the last time they'd interacted. She was still on his shit list right now, and her weird efforts at trying to be all...polite, and bubbly? That wasn't gonna fly with him today.

"It's a _gift_ ," he replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm accented by a scowl that Toph could feel just from his tone. "You're one to talk, anyway, hypocrite."

"Heh, dude's got a point," Jane was quick to agree from her seat in the middle of them. She wasn't pleased with Toph, either. As far as she was concerned, Toph still had some making up to do before she could go acting like nothing was wrong anymore.

Toph's face jerked with a frown at their negativity - _Come on, gimme a fuckin' break guys...Please?_ \- but she heaved out a breath through her wrinkled nose and a moment later, the grump melted away.

"Fff...Yea, guess you're right," she conceded their point. "I _do_ like my nicknames..."

"Uhh," Katara forced out the sound before an actual thought had processed - she simply didn't want to see the familiar cycle of cynicism disrupt anything. Toph had been acting pretty deliberately polite this evening, being the first time she'd been with the entire group in some while. During their long evening of realization and bonding, Toph had asked Katara for advice on how to work at getting along with everyone better, and based on how she was acting tonight, Katara was led to believe that for a change something had gotten through the girl's head. "No, we...we've got other names," she hastily spat out, pushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear.

"Such as...?" Sokka seemed entirely too interested, his attention hanging on Katara's words as he gulped down a spoonful of brown soup and cheese.

"Umm...-" Katara's face heated up with embarrassment. This was...suddenly very strange. She had spent a few times together with Aang now since they had started dating, and everyone present now already was aware of it, but...this was the first time Aang and Katara - the couple, the boyfriend and girlfriend - had been in a group setting like this, with everyone here and openly knowledgeable about the relationship.

"She's my Eskimo," Aang chirped with a dreamy grin as he ruffled the back of her head gently. They exchanged glances and for the briefest of moments, it was just the two of them at that table. That childishly innocent smile, those sharp eyes...She hadn't grown tired of them yet, and she wondered if they'd ever really go away. "And I'm her Penguin," Aang explained with some goofy pride, beaming as he put a mushroom-studded slice into his mouth.

"Oh, God," Jane chuckled with a pitying head shake.

"Uhhh _yeaa_ ," Sokka sighed, looking a bit confused. "That's...-" His head was tipped to the side, chin tucked in a tad. Katara was scanning his every gesture, trying to get a read on his reaction. "-...uh, well...At least you have proper nicknames, then," he scoffed with a shrug, closing his eyes in arrogance. As he went back to his food, though, Katara's watchful gaze noticed a small, teeny-tiny smile, like a speck of glitter, pass over him. He was pleased. He thought it was cute, but that wasn't 'manly' to think, of course, so not one had to know. Having reached this conclusion from her observation, Katara smirked and

"Ya know, Sister-Face," Toph offered from the left, "I, uh...I could maybe help with those nicknames...In case you're...ya know...lacking inspiration." She said it with a joking implication that the ones in question were horribly lame, but Katara didn't care. She nudged Toph in the shoulder as a means of slight retaliation, and they both shared a giggle.

"I think your nick-namer must be broken, Dead-Eyes," Sokka flatly expressed. "' _Sister-Face?'_ Kinda lame. And lazy."

Katara saw Toph's lips curve down at Sokka's dismissal and she in turn shot him a frown in scolding.

" _I_ like it, and it's _my_ silly nickname, so that's all that matters, Mr. _Meathead,_ " Katara defended, keeping her voice sugary but making clear Sokka saw her irritation.

"Well..." Bemused, Korra decided to cut off whatever odd social undertones were flowing around. " _I_ think you guys are all idiots for obsessing over that shit, haha."

"It's our...stupid names n' crap," Jane told her with a warm, dry tone. "It's part of this crowd, Kor."

"And the humdiddles," Sokka pressed eagerly. "Don't forget the _humdiddles_."

" _And my axe!_ " Toph bellowed.

"Hey, that's _my_ line," Jane quipped, a bit relieved to see some kind of humor coming from Toph, at least. That was better than her fumbling over herself to be all polite and crap.

"Yea, yea, OK," Korra cut them off at the pass. She wasn't in the mood for their weird in-jokes right now. "That's great and all, but-...C'mon, guys," said Korra with some humor, stretching her arms out and flicking her fingers inward. "Tonight's supposed to be all about _me,_ right?" She received some laughs and grinned with satisfaction.

Some time passed, and the building emptied a bit while Korra spun yarns of her move, getting acquainted with Wayward and her job, and some stories from back in Toronto. Eventually, a trio of men - middle-aged, it looked like - shuffled in. They were dressed up in leather and denim, a stereotypical 'biker group' of sorts, complete with tattoos and raggedy facial hair. Sokka was enamored - very manly, big buff guys, with motorcyles, no doubt. That stuff was pretty cool.

Jane, however, felt her innards lurch at the sight. She recognized these men. One, a thick, barreled Caucasian, had a balding head but a thick, bushy mustache and a beard to match that was tied at the bottom. The second man had bulging, muscular arms protruding from a sleeveless vest, fierce mutton-chops over his Hispanic face, and his hair slicked back into a rat tail. The third was a Native American man, slender and lean, his hair in a topknot. In particular, the third man sent a shiver down Jane's spine, as she immediately recognized him by the tattoo over his face, a rhino's head curving over his left eye. Likewise, the bare-armed man had similar body tattoo on his right bicep.

Jane felt her head shrinking into her neck, heart skipping a beat as soon as she identified who these men were. It had been a while. She had hoped they had disappeared after the big shootout incident the semester prior.

"That's why you always keep a Russian man in your corner," concluded Korra in regards to her most recent story. "They've got your back."

"I feel like you've told us this story before..." muttered Aang, trying to recall if this was in fact the case. Toph smirked at this comment.

"That's 'cuz she _did_ Tw-...Aang. Haha."

" _Did_ I...?" Korra scratched at her head. She easily lost track of these things given that she was used to working in a place where she was interacting with new people all of the time.

"Hey, _you_ ," bellowed the burly bearded man from across the room as the small gang approached. All heads at the table twisted around toward the entrance beside Toph, who merely tilted her head in interest. "You the manager here?" The man had a smooth voice despite his rough appearance.

Korra got up from her seat with a casual sigh, hands on her hips.

Jane's heart had woken back up and was pounding now. What were the Rough Rhinos doing here? Whatever it was, she was certain it couldn't be good. Her head bobbed, hands clenching around her knees, she hoped they wouldn't notice her.

"What's goin' on?" Korra asked with her stern authority.

"Are you Korra Kesuk?"

"I am."

The three men all studied her bold, impatient expression for a second or two, trying to make a read from a distance of about twenty feet.

"Uhhh...-" Her eagle eyes narrowed as she caught their stares. The fuck was up with _these_ clowns? "Can I _help_ you guys with anything?"

The rat-tailed fellow snorted out a laugh.

" _This_ is the new mask they're hiding behind, huh?" he scoffed at her, shaking his head. Korra didn't even have time to express her perplexation at this remark as the next one spoke.

"Nice hair," picked the top-knotted man, to which Korra flashed an indignant look.

"Yea, you, _too_ ," she reciprocated, annoyance at the edges of her words.

The entire table behind Korra was tense and silent, practically motionless aside from Jane eating her soup quietly, head down.

"There a problem?" Korra reiterated her impatience. "Somethin' you guys need?"

"We came to deliver a message," announced the bearded one. Korra rolled her eyes at this.

"For Chrissake," she sighed. "What? You one of these gangs I've heard about?" she dismissed. "For fuck's sake, cut the theatrics. What's your deal with me, eh?"

"The Rough Rhinos just want to make sure you know your place in this town," said the furry-faced man in a calm, quieted tone.

"And what place is _that_?" Korra replied, crossed her arms around her chest with some intrigue.

"Anywhere that's out of our business," he clarified.

Their eyes clashed together like two swords, sparks slipping out from the friction. She didn't know what these punks were on about, and she didn't give a shit, either. People weren't just going to be sauntering on in her and giving her crap, she wasn't going to tolerate that. Maybe she couldn't go and throw idiots in jail out there, but in _here?_ This was _her_ house, she was in charge, and she would resort to what she needed to in order to keep undesirables but asserting otherwise.

"Look," she snapped. "I don't know _who_ you clowns are, or what you're here for, but I don't want none of it. So maybe _you_ guys oughtta be staying out of _my_ business, out of _my_ building, if you're just here to pick a fight."

Katara was grimacing with worry, while Toph beside her was grinning with some excitement. Jane's gaze had finally lifted up, her olive eyes wide with shock at Korra's bold attitude. Was she _retarded?_ Did she have _any idea_ what she was dealing with here? These were the guys who had been causing the Freedom Fighters problems for a good while, the ones who had practically killed Jet - who had _almost_ killed _her_...

"Korra," Sokka whispered from his seat, trying to get her to back down a bit. "What are you _doing?_ "

But she ignored him, her glare steady and solid on this man. Some...what? Biker thug who was trying to establish his 'turf?' Nuh-uh. No way.

"Don't play dumb with us, girl," said the dark-skinned man with the facial tattoo. "We know who you work for."

Korra shrugged her shoulders incredulously.

"The fucking _college?_ " she growled out, frustrated at whatever games they were playing. "Yea, _soooo_ intimidating," she mocked, wriggling her wrists around. "Grow the fuck up, people. This ain't some damned _turf_ for you to cop a squat at." She adjusted the collar on her leather jacket, seeming to be flashing her attitude with it. "Not some hideout for thugs or biker gangs. Get me? This is a place for everybody. And it's _my_ place. So if you've got some beef, you take it with me - right here, right now." She stabbed her index finger down toward the wood paneling below her feet.

Sokka was scratching at the back of his neck with some fright at the situation, while Aang, too, was observing with great concern at what he hoped wouldn't break out into violence.

"Hey, Korra," Sokka called out, more loudly this time, rising up from his chair and going to Korra's side. "Ya know...I don't think these guys are really here to pick a fight or anything," he hastily spat out with some sheepishness. "They're...probably just here to scope out the place." He shrugged to the men with a nervous smile. "Sorry guys, this ain't a bar anymore, heh. I mean, they've got some stuff on tap and all, but...-" Korra elbowed him in the rib, and he stumbled back a step and a half.

Then, the moment Jane had been dreading happened. The bearded man - the one she knew by name as Kahchi, as she'd had some bad run-ins with him in the past - noticed her due to Sokka's activity, as she had been sitting beside him. Their eyes crossed paths with a dangerous glint, but Kahchi saw a fear in the red-head's eyes she had never possessed before in his presence. It was unsettling to him, as was this entire situation. He recognized some of these kids - that meddlesome Smellerbee that had caused him quite a stir some time ago...Jet's squeeze before he had met his rather...unfortunate fate. And these other kids, they were ones that Smellerbee had been corralling around lately. And here they all were, with this woman - Korra Kesuk. This couldn't be a coincidence. Mongke, their boss, would certainly not be pleased to hear about this turn of events.

"You don't seem to be comprehending what we're trying to tell you," Kahchi warned, his lips spiced with threat.

"Uhhh, _no,_ " Korra objected. "See, the point is...I don't _care._ If you boys aren't here to relax like everyone else, then you can go ride your little scooters off to some place else and play make-pretend over there. OK?"

Kahchi's teeth scraped together, his jaw sliding to the side. So this was the kind of game they were playing still? Had Jet's death not been a bold enough message?

"Just what do you think you _are_?" Kahchi snarled.

Korra's eyes glinted with some ferocity as she advertised her fearless intentions, cracking her knuckles while an audacious smirk emerged.

" _Why_ don't you come and find out?" she dared with a cheeky spark in her words.

\+ http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=4fj5iIkQ-YE&t=1m48s +

**~When the sun goes down, the stars come out like the ghosts of yesterday~**

Korra had dealt with enough bullshit back up north, people questioning her authority, her strength, her determination.

**~So drink 'em down, 'Cause some things never change~**

Not anymore. This was a fresh start, and that shit wasn't gonna fly.

**~Baby, sing and get loud~**

Some old cronies thought they were hot shit?

**~We ain't gonna fuck around~**

_Ha._ That was funny.

**~When the sun goes down, let me hear you say~**

Kahchi accepted her challenge and lunged forth, pushing out his fat fist.

**~This is my town~**

Korra captured his knuckles in her palm, letting her arm slide back to absorb the impact.

**It's my town!**

A counterpunch to the face.

**It's my town!**

A twist of the arm.

**It's my town!**

A knee to the groin.

**~This is my town~**

She landed a swift kick to his head.

**It's my town!**

Tumbling to the side.

**It's my town!**

Head colliding with a table.

**It's my town!**

Body collapsing to the ground.

**~This is my town~**

Gasps of shock, a yelp from the blind girl.

**~The streets you walk give you a reason~**

Getting into scraps every week growing up.

**~'Cause it's all you got, and that'll never change~**

Never backing down, a bully toward bullies.

**~So keep singing that song and we can live forever~**

Excelling in physical education, undertaking training programs.

**~One little laugh for the ones who passed away~**

Scumbags on the street took people like Aunt Kya away.

**~When the sun goes down, the stars come out like the ghosts of yesterday~**

Anytime she saw creeps like that, she wanted to beat the hell out of them, rob them of any chance of doing that.

**~So drink 'em down, 'cause some things never change~**

There'd always be assholes in the world - she'd just be a _bigger_ asshole and wipe them off the map.

**~Baby, sing and get loud~**

"Korra!" Sokka cried out from behind her. "What are you-?"

**~We ain't gonna fuck around~**

The hispanic man came next, and she was ready.

**~When the sun goes down let me hear you say~**

Before he had been able to draw too close, she'd stuck up her foot, letting his own momentum combine with her kick and stun him in the stomach.

**~This is my town~**

She shoved her shoulder at him, pushing him away.

**It's my town!**

Fumbling backward.

**It's my town!**

Crashing over a chair.

**It's my town!**

Arriving on the floor.

**~This is my town~**

The one with the facial tattoo came next.

**It's my town!**

A knife.

**It's my town!**

She charged head on.

**It's my town!**

Through his panic, she wrenched it from his hands.

**~This is my town~**

She pressed it to his neck, her teeth flashing with sinister pride at her actions. They'd underestimated her. She relished the embarrassed astonishment in his eyes for a moment before tossing the knife to the floor and grabbing him by his coat. She spun around, pulling his lean body around in a circle with all of her might as she let out an angry roar of empowerment. She let him fly, and he crashed through a

" _Woohoo!_ " she hollered with gratification as she thrust her fists up, her breathing heavy. "Suck on _that,_ bitches!"

No one else was cheering, though. In fact...wait...

" _Aaaaghhh..._ " Sokka's voice, howling in agony.

Korra whirled around. Why was Sokka laying underneath the table?

"What the _fuck just happened?_ _!_ " Toph shrieked out, hunched over in her chair, hands clutching at her stomach.

Katara was on her knees, inspecting her brother, who was curled up, hands on his head.

"He hit his head," Katara explained, trying to quell all of the commotion. "He's OK, just a bit bruised."

"And in _pain!_ " Sokka whimpered dramatically. " _Pain!_ Very much! So many of the pain. _All the pain._ "

"How'd _that_ happen?" Korra demanded, perplexed.

"You swung a _person into him_ ," Aang accused, pointing his hands out at her in disbelief.

Korra's mind reeled. Sokka had been nearby, but had he really been _that_ close? She'd...knocked him over when she'd spun that guy around...? That didn't even-...No, how could-...?

" _Damnit_ ," Sokka hissed, his forehead covered by his hands. "Agh, _damnit!_ " he repeated, letting his sister slowly ease him up.

"The fuck's _wrong_ with you?" Jane roared across the table with raging fingers digging through her hair, infuriated at Korra's display. This could be very bad...

What was the deal? Sokka had gotten in her way, what had he been expecting, huh? She had just protected them from a bunch of creepy thugs who'd come messing around - it could've been so much worse if she hadn't stood up to them. Right? How could they be so ungrateful? And Jane, what a fucking hypocrite, like she'd never had to deliver a beatdown to anyone...

" _Seriously_ ," Toph seethed, trembling in her seat while Sokka continued to bemoan his minor injury. "The _hell_ is going on?"

Katara, seeing that Sokka was all right, immediately placed a comforting hand on Toph's arm.

"Our cousin's acting like a _psychopath_ ," she sighed out, flashing Korra a rather disapproving glare.

As Korra scanned Aang and Jane, she realized they were all giving her the same look - and for that matter, the few others who were still in the restaurant were just as flabbergasted and appalled.

The defeated men were struggling to get themselves out, befuddled by Korra's strength - she was buffer than her hairstyle would lead one to believe. Her victory was kind of a flop at this point, though, and she couldn't really congratulate herself much when her cousins and new friends were all pissed off at her.

"I was...-" She tossed out arms to the grumbling men who were seeing their way out. "-...protecting you guys...from...-"

"Thanks for the _protection,_ " Sokka flared out at his cousin. He wobbled into his seat after Aang had realigned it, and Aang administered a back pat. "I get that you love finishing bar fights and everything Korra, and good on ya, but this _isn't a bar._ "

Korra was feeling shame sweep over her, and she hurried to the furniture that had been toppled, correcting it as a means of avoiding guilt for a few fleeting moments.

Sokka was right: this _wasn't_ a bar. This wasn't Toronto, or anywhere else she had lived before. Maybe trying to take charge and establish supremacy with fists really wasn't the best option here.

Fighting fire with fire was pretty fun, but as much of an idiot as Sokka was, Korra wasn't too proud with having bumped him in the head.

"I'm _so_ fuckin' sorry, dude," Korra oozed her apologies over him after she cleaned up the mess. As she approached, she was puzzled. Should she... _touch_ him? Like Aang and Katara had? Nah...No, that didn't seem right. "I didn't know you were so close, and...-"

"Why'd you even _do_ that?" Sokka grumbled with a sharp inward gasp as another pang of pain shot through his skull.

"What?" Korra grunted, baffled at the accusing sting of everyone's looks and words. " _They_ came at _me_."

"Why'd you start shit with them?" Smellerbee demanded. "Those were some of the Rough Rhinos - the people who _killed Jet?_ Those are _not_ the people you want on your bad side..."

Korra's ice blue scratched against Jane's olive green for a moment.

" _They_ came in here, in _my_ place, stirrin' the pot. I was just defending what's mine."

"This place isn't _yours,_ " Aang sighed. "This is _everyone's._ That's the whole _point_..." Man, even Aang was ticked at her, huh? That was unsettling to her. She didn't like that. Aang didn't get pissed very easily, but then again, he really didn't like violence, right? No wonder he'd be upset with her.

"O-OK, you're right," she confessed with a shrug as she sat down. "I'm _sorry,_ all right? Guess I...overreacted."

"You think so?" Katara quipped with sarcastic irritation. She stood up from her chair. "I think we should probably head out for the night," she mumbled, taking Aang's hand as he followed suit.

"We're leaving?" Toph eked out, still startled by what she'd heard. Katara gently took her arm and eased her up.

Jane slurped down the last of her soup as Sokka, still grumbling inaudible things to himself in a daze, put his coat on.

Katara offered her cousin a disappointed stare for a few seconds, letting some empathy out with her frown.

"We'll see you later, Korra," she said with a more gentle tone. "Have a good night."

"Bye," Toph bid, still a bit confused as she was pulled along.

"Night," said Aang.

Sokka gave her no farewell - she knew she didn't deserve one from him.

Jane lingered a bit. This was disconcerting. What business did the Rough Rhinos have with Korra? What was the deal? Likely not good. It made her worried.

"Yo," she huffed out in a hushed voice while the others made their way out. Korra hung on her words, desperate for any kind of resolution. "Those guys? _Bad_ crowd. Watch your back."

And with that, Jane scurried along after the rest.

Korra moaned to herself, elbow on the table, cheek squished by her wrist.

_Damnit. What's wrong with me? No fuckin' restraint. And what was with those guys. 'Watch my back...?'_


	72. That

\- Sunday, March 6th, 2011 -

Bolin cautiously gazed out of the living room window to see the forlorn young woman crouched over on the porch steps, her knees tucked in, arms crossed over her legs. A thin trail of smoke was dripping upward from her head, leading Bolin to figure she was consuming a cigarette. Thankfully, she had gone along with the house rule of doing that kind of thing outside. Mako was also a smoker, but was always considering of his brother's distaste for the habit.

Korra had been very quiet since she had gotten home the night prior, and Bolin was quite curious as to why that was. Last he recalled, she was going to see her cousins, so the fact that she had seemed down in the dumps since she'd returned had him figuring something hadn't gone well.

The door behind Korra opened up slowly, and she turned her head, cigarette loosely hanging from her lips, to see her roommate with two tall, silver cans of beer in hand. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot and dull, but Bolin gave her a sympathetic smile as he approached. She scooted to one of the sides of the shallow wooden staircase to allow Bolin a spot to rest beside her. He thunked down and set one can to his side, cracking open the other and sticking it toward Korra's face.

She raised a brow at him, and he smirked.

"You looked like you could use a drink," he explained simply. She gave a slight nod at the reality of that observation and accepting the offer. Bolin could feel his eyes sting and his nose tighten at the wisps from Korra's nicotine source, and she roughly pulled it out of her mouth, kicking what was left of it to the sidewalk in front of them and snuffing it out with her sneaker.

"Sorry."

A cough came out of Bolin's mouth despite his best efforts to contain it.

"Nah," he forced out, shaking his head. "No big."

Korra smirked at his slightly tensed expression as he tried to act manly in the face of the leftover gray wisps. As he opened his own can, she took a gander at what had been given to her - a lengthy silver can with a gold star emblazoned near the top.

{ **SAPPORO** }

"Sapporo, eh?" she mumbled with an approving nod. "Good stuff. So you _do_ have some decent taste, after all."

Bolin tilted his freshly opened can in her direction.

"Hey, gimme some credit," he chuckled.

She smiled and knocked the edge of her drink against his, and they both took a swig. Bolin sighed out with satisfaction before noticing Korra continuing to guzzle down a few extra gulps. She puffed out a breath of relief as she rested her beer-hand in her lap. Bolin's spine tingled as a cold breeze swooped by, and he was enraptured by the way the wind played with Korra's various tails of hair, like living wind-chimes.

"So, uh...What's eatin' ya?" Bolin wondered after their moment of solitude.

Korra rubbed at her drooping eyes and sighed.

"Last night didn't go so well," she confessed in a grumble.

"Why? What happened?"

Korra didn't reply, drinking some of of her beer. Bolin joined her in this endeavor, but remained intent on an answer. He probed further.

"You didn't get along with your cousin's friends or something?"

"Nah," Korra casually dismissed. " _Nah_ , they're-...They're all right. They're cool." Bolin was surprised to see a tiny smile sprinkle over Korra's sharp face. And it wasn't one of those 'tough' smiles, or 'smart-ass' ones, just...a genuinely affectionate one. It sent another shiver down his spine, in the good way.

"Soooo...-?" he prodded.

"Oh, it...-" And it was gone in a flash as Korra's eyes went shifty. She took another sip to stall time. "Some punks showed up, starting messing around...Had a bit of a scuffle..."

Bolin's head reeled back an inch at this. A 'scuffle?' With this girl, that probably meant a knife-fight or something. She looked pretty OK to him...He'd seen her the night prior in a tanktop after she'd gotten home and readied for bed. Those buff arms hadn't had a scratch on them, her wild hands were rough and calloused maybe...And her face was bold and spotless, practically. If she'd been in some kind of 'scuffle,' she sure didn't look any worse for wear.

"What, like...a fight?" wondered Bolin dubiously.

"Heh..." Korra shrugged and scratched the back of her neck with some embarrassment. "Wasn't much of a _fight -_ I floored their asses."

" _Ha!_ " Bolin reacted in humor, not quite contemplating the potential truth at that point. "That's how it went down?"

"That is how it went down," was Korra's smooth response, with more beer down the hatch.

Bolin blinked at her cool, collected confidence with a raised brow as Korra stared out to the road before them, a minivan passing lazily by.

"Gave 'em a one-two?" Bolin jabbed out his fist at thin air.

"Somethin' like that," she snickered. "Fuck, man, I...threw a guy into a a table."

"Whaaaat?"

" _Ha,_ for real."

"Were these, like, little shrimpy dudes, or...-?"

"No _way,_ bigger n' _you,_ Pudgy," she knuckled his meaty shoulder, and his humored expressed wilted a bit at the name. He _was_ certainly stockier than he brother, no matter what he tried. "Oh, come _on_ ," Korra scowled at his ever-so-slightly injured ego. It was a little cute. Reminded her of Sokka. Though this guy had way better eyebrows - bushy, thick things that accented each expression he made with an earthy tone of authenticity. "So you're a bit stocky, whatevs," Korra tossed aside any excuse for self-deprecation. He seemed to roll off her efforts of cleaning up what hadn't been meant as an insult in the first place. "You look _fine_ , Jesus," she huffed with a light-hearted laugh to enforce her intent.

Bolin smirked a bit at this and ran his hand across his head with some amount of relief. Korra found herself appreciating the funny way that one bit of hair seemed to keep flopping out over his forehead no matter what the guy seemed to do with it.

"But naw, man," she went on, finding herself uncomfortable with the odd tension that Bolin was _clearly_ just fine with based on the way his face was pinkening. "Like, we're talkin' three rolly-polly biker thugs, right? Like, mid-life crisis kinda guys." She sucked down another swig, slamming the can beside her as she mimicked her previous actions with her arms. "One comes at me, I take him down. Pow. Pow. _Wham._ Second comes at me with a knife - no fuckin' lie - I knock from his hands - _bam._ Third guy, I'm like, ' _Fuck this shit,_ ' grab 'im, swim him around, _whoosh,_ _kaburfff._ Down for the count."

" _What?_ " Bolin was exceedingly doubtful. "I want proof."

"Psh. Why don't you ask Sokka, then?" Korra dared. Her expression became sullen and she retreated to her alcohol again. "Fuckin' whacked the idiot in the head with all that flailing around..."

"Huh...?"

"Sokka," she grunted, a bit impatient with having to reiterate her mistake. "He...kinda got in the way, and...I hurt him a bit."

"You...Hurt him 'a bit.' So, like...is he... _OK?_ "

"Tss! That moron's _never_ OK," Korra joked. More beer. "But...errm...Naw, I...-" She tousled at her back ponytail for a moment of regret. "He's _fine,_ I just...gave him a bump on the head. Maybe."

"Ah," Bolin nodded, those intriguing, furry brows settled downward. "So...Kinda creeped them out a bit..."

" _Yeeeaa_..."

"That's too bad...Sounds like you kicked some ass, though."

"Yea, but...also kicked the wrong _kind_ of 'ass,' too."

"Meh. You apologized and crap, right?"

" _Obviously._ "

"Just _saying_...They'll be cool with you later, just...give it time."

"Mm..." Korra nodded thoughtfully. She caught a glance of Bolin ogling her-...Oh, wait. He was staring at her profile, a bit, huh? Her face. Heh, damn straight, silly fool could appreciate beauty when he saw it, at least. She could give him credit for _that,_ since he had asked for some earlier. Plus, he knew that beer was her comfort food. So that was pretty nice, too.

And like his brother, he seemed to know when was a good time to shut up, which was the case at that very moment - finishing off beer, soaking in the afternoon sun as the weather desperately struggled to shift gears into spring.

 _Sritcha-skritch. Skirrritch.  
_ " _Yar-yarp! Yarp! Yawwwrp!_ "

Korra flinched from her relaxed state at the sounds of her puppy clawing at the door. Poor Naga, they'd left the girl trapped inside by herself. She scurried to the door, careful to not let the frisky dog run wild before attached her leash.

"Yea, yea, I get it, time for a shit," she laughed to her overactive puppy, who was flopping all around, tripping on Korra's sneakers, whimpering with impatience. As the front door opened, Naga went flying out, and Bolin leaned wildly to the side as Naga tossed aside an empty can, fleeing for the yard. Korra giggled at the silly creature and looked down at Bolin while her dog did her business in the grass. She felt some guilt in that moment, that she was so wrapped up in stuff with this new life, she wasn't paying enough attention to her new companion.

"Man, that pup seems like a lot of work," Bolin laughed.

"Yea, no kiddin'...Thanks for helping out, by the way," she remarked, thinking back on how Bolin had been helping care for the dog when she was busy.

"No sweat," Bolin assured with an flick of the wrist. "I've got a critter, I know how it goes..."

"Speakin' of which, where's he been at lately?" Korra questioned.

"Oh, uh...-" Bolin shrugged sheepishly. "Think your dog has been scaring him a bit, he's been hiding in our room lately."

"Heh," Korra smirked at her puppy friend while puppy feet scraped against the ground, finishing off the task.

_Already fending people off your territory, huh? That's my girl._

"Your little mongoose gets a bit intimidated easily, eh?" Korra taunted with sly eyes down at Bolin.

"He's a _ferret,_ and...-" Bolin's lips squirmed into just the slightest of pouts. "-...maybe a little..."

Korra grinned at his cute bit of cowardice and messed up his hair a bit while she passed over him, adding a few more bits of unkempt hair to poke around his forehead.

"I'm sure he'll get used to having her around."

* * *

\- Monday, March 7th, 2011 -

Korra's hands, balled in tense fists in her jacket's pockets, were shaking. She was missing her nicotine. Making a trip to campus during her lunch break meant no smoking, as it was forbidden on the school grounds. For her, this was a bit problematic, especially since she'd skipped her morning 'snack' of cigarette. It wasn't doing much for her mood, but she was stomaching the discomfort. She had to. Fuck, what choice did she have, _really?_ She'd done family done.

"Oh, uhh...-" Sokka glanced at the small tome with intrigue. "Thanks," he muttered, still harboring a bit of grudge against his foolhardy older cousin.

"Yep," Korra acknowledged. "Sorry that I...ya know...forgot about it earlier."

"No, it's...-" Grah. He didn't like saying the word to her after how the other evening had gone, but..."It's fine. You've been...busy. Tweaked out."

Korra felt a slight tingle in her hands. Ugh. Tweaked out, indeed. She'd be fine, though. Probably would pick up a six pack before heading home, maybe watch some TV with the guys. Damn, that sounded...fucking fantastic right now. Much simpler, much easier than this fine mess.

"Seriously, man," she grunted out, facing the elephant in the room head-on. "I was fuckin' outta line, I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up to ya?"

Sokka's stern, slightly confused expression went from her to the leather-bound journal in his hands, and when it came back to Korra, the top layer had shed off to reveal some empathy.

"Tell ya what." He gave her a smug wink. "You take me out to drink. Get me some booze, shoot the shit...And we'll call it even."

Korra's guts loosened with relief. She could at least count on Sokka to be reasonable. She flashed her teeth at him, canines glinting with mischief.

"Deal," she sealed it.

"I'll send you a text later when I know what my week's lookin' like," Sokka assured her.

"Cool."

"I've gotta head off to class now, though."

"Yea, yea," she nodded hurriedly. _Elgh,_ collegeclasses. Good thing she passed on _that_ crap. No envy at all. She bobbed her head off toward the door of the ACC behind her. "I've gotta get back to work - don't want them settin' the place on fire, right?" They shared a chuckle, and this small gesture between them erased any remnants of doubt.

"Catch you later, Kor."

"Peace out."

As Korra vanished back to the town from which she now hailed, Sokka opened the book he now possessed as he wandered off to his afternoon class.

{ _1/13/2011_ _\- Hakoda_ }  
{ _Ate out with the guys at work. Had barbeque. Reminded me of the day we had a cookout and Sokka grilled his first steak, but nearly chopped his finger off cutting it. And Katara_ _burned_ _her first steak. I learned that day to be careful_ _with trusting the kids with dangerous things like that too soon. At least back then I had Kya around to keep an eye on them when I wasn't looking. But I guess now they have each other._ _Perhaps, time will-_ }

Sokka's butt vibrated, distracting him from his father's handwriting. He pulled out his phone, tucking the journal in his arm pit while he walked.

[From: ~ Suki]  
[we're still meeting tonight, right?]  
[Sent: 12:51pm]

[Reply]  
[To: ~ Suki]  
[Yea...]  
[Sent: 12:51pm]

Sighing to himself, Sokka dropped the phone back into his pocket. Suki had wanted to get together that evening, and lately, whenever he and Suki got together, it led to arguments and passive aggressive nonsense he hated. But he was trying, here. Staying on top of his schoolwork, picking up extra shifts at Appa's, ironing his jeans, even. He disliked ironing enough, but his _jeans,_ even, man. He was going to be this 'adult' he needed to be, or he'd die trying. Preferably without the 'dying' part.

* * *

"I just...can't comprehend why you won't consider pursuing something more _practical._ "

"Oh, _yea_ ," Sokka snipped back, "And being in a _band_ is such a practical career path."

"It's not a _career_ path, it's my _hobby_."

"So...-" He spiked up his shoulders. "What? You're not gonna go anywhere with it? Just somethin' to do until college is over?"

"Uh, _yea_ ," Suki replied, eyes snapped open, as if this were common sense. "That's pretty much the idea between us girls, Sokka. How would that even _work_ after school?"

"I just...thought that...-" Sokka's eyes wandered to his glass of Sprite, half empty. He was trying to hold back until their pizza arrived. "Well, what about Toph? She's trying to get into music."

"Toph's _blind,_ Sokka," Suki huffed. "It's not like she has a million options, you know..."

Sokka crossed his arms over his chest with skepticism.

"So, then...what's with you and her going and playing stuff...at... _places?_ "

"We've only done that once so far," Suki sighed, rolling her eyes at him. "And that's for _Toph,_ that's...me helping her establish her own name."

" _Not_ a Kyoshi Warrior thing?" Sokka double-checked.

" _No,_ " insisted Suki. "The Kyoshi Warriors are just...something us girls are doing this year. Toph actually wants to make that - the music - her _career._ I want to keep it a hobby."

"So then you're making the Phys-Ed stuff your career."

"Exactly. Because that's a lot more _practical._ "

"And me keeping my options open _isn't?_ "

"There's a difference between 'keeping your options open' and 'ignoring what makes sense.'"

"How does it not make sense, though? I'd be perfect that kinda thing."

"That's _great,_ Sokka, but you can't go putting all your eggs in that basket. It's childish."

"Taking the risky path - actually trying to _make_ something with my life before I get stuck somewhere. That's childish," Sokka concluded, his tone conveying his disbelief.

" _Stuck_ somewhere?" Suki quipped, offended by his phrasing. "Stuck with _me,_ you mean," she derived with irritation.

Sokka swallowed hard, seeking relief from a sip of soda. A heavy silence fell over them as a pizza was laid out, and Sokka bided his time until the server vanished from their sight before clarifying.

"Suki, I didn't mean-"  
"I think you _did_."

Stern, eagle eyes pierced Sokka's like arrows.

"Every time we talk about this," Suki went on with impatience, "you always make it sound like it's be some _horrible_ thing for us to settle down somewhere."

"I...-" Sokka was fumbling for words now. Even meaty pizza with delightfully fragrant scents couldn't tease his attention away in this conversation. "It's a little soon to be thinking of that sorta thing, though...Isn't it?"

"We're about to graduate, Sokka. In the real world right now - the one _outside_ of all of this fantasy junk you surround yourself with - people have to go where there's _work,_ not just...wherever they _feel_ like going."

"Well, that's...not how I look at it," Sokka confessed, trying to bolster his words with some rigidity.

"I know," Suki sighed, glancing down at their meal. "That's what I'm getting at..."

Oh, jeez. That didn't sound good...

"What?" probed Sokka, fearful for what was coming next. "What are you getting at?"

Suki's face twitched with impatience, and she flung up a wrist as she replied as calmly as she could.

"That what we want with ourselves doesn't seem to be matching _up_."

Another awkward silence as Suki seemed to be scanning Sokka for some kind of reaction to prove her wrong.

"That's...kind of expected," said Sokka, attempting to explain away what her statement implied. "We're going to be looking into different fields of work, soo...-"

"I'm not _talking_ 'fields of work,' I'm talking about how we're going to _live._ Sokka, if we can't live in the same place, what's the point in even continuing to do this?"

Well, it was time for pizza now. Meat. Meat and cheese would help settle him down. He took a bite of a slice, then dropped it onto his plate as he contemplated how to respond. That was the question that had been hanging over both their heads for a while now. 'What's the point?'

"We can...work something out," Sokka grasped at straws. "Isn't that what people do?"

"They can _try_ ," Suki acknowledged with a shrug. "Sure, sometimes, but-...Sokka, I can't spend the rest of my life with someone who can't man up and do what needs to be done."

" _What?_ "

"I have to hound you just to dress decently, and be on your back just to get you to look for work, and this is _school_ still. And you're like two totally different people. One day you're all serious and thoughtful and...then the next, you're a...complete _idiot._ " Suki's eyebrows twisted with some regret at her words, but she kept going, confident that this needed to be expressed. "And I never have any idea which side of you I'm going to be seeing at any given moment. It's...confusing. And frustrating."

Sokka was eating his pizza while he let Suki rattle this off to him. It was disheartening.

"I think maybe it's because we're in our Senior year, and...trying to figure ourselves out," Suki went on, trying to be more gentle. "But I'd like to think I have my future planned, and...ready. And you, Sokka? You don't."

"Sooo...Where does that leave us, then?"

"It means...that maybe we should take a break until you've decided what you want to do."

Ugh. That sounded...retarded. 'Take a break?' Did that mean breaking up? Or did that mean taking a step back? Or did that mean...something else?

"What does that even _mean_?" Sokka grumbled out, drinking more soda to fill the hole which had suddenly been opened in his stomach. "'Take a break?'" he specified.

"You know..." Suki shrugged, shaking her head slightly as she considered how to phrase it. "We back off for a while."

"So, like...we break up?" Sokka asked, words trembling just a tad.

"I...I _suppose_ ," Suki muttered, seeming unsure herself. "Is that what you _want?_ " she asked testily.

"I...don't _know_ ," Sokka replied, his own aggravation building up. Did she want to break up or _not?_ He was in no mood for flip-flopping around. "It sounds like you don't really want to be with me, honestly..."

"Not with...who you've been acting like lately, no," confirmed Suki. "I guess I thought that as we got closer to graduation you'd...grow _up_ a bit..."

"Uh- _huh_."

"And you...don't seem like you know how to do that," Suki puffed out, deciding there was no use trying to be nice about it at this point.

"So, then, you _do_ want to break up..."

" _Sure,_ " Suki snapped quietly, finally taking a slice of pizza from the half that contained green peppers and olives. "Yes, fine. I guess maybe that's what I want, since it sounds like what _you_ want..."

"Sooo...That's it, then?" Sokka mumbled out after a couple seconds, watching her eat her veggie piece. "We're gonna burn this bridge?"

" _No,_ that's not what I want," insisted Suki. "I _like_ you, Sokka..."

"...I like you, too," Sokka eked out with some longing.

"Yes, but...we need _more_ than just 'liking' each other. If we give this a break, then we can just focus on finishing school, and...see where things are in a couple months."

"See, _now_ you're making it sound like you want us to stay together..."

"I _would_ like for that to happen," Suki repined with a curt nod before drinking some of her iced water. "But only if things are actually going to _work out._ "

"OK, so..." Sokka squinted for a second, on edge with deciphering all this. "Lemme get this straight, then: we're going to break up...-" Suki nodded at his pause. "-...with the open possibility of...getting back together." Another nod, to which Sokka added his own, now feeling he comprehended what was going on. "All right, then," he sighed with some relief. "Then...that's that, I guess."

An uneasy minute of food consumption went by, both minds buzzing from the disappoint of their situation.

"That means we're still going to be friends, right?" Suki wondered.

"Yeehhhsss...?" The word rolled from Sokka's tongue slowly, with some confusion. Why wouldn't they?

"OK, good. I'd like that."

"Yea, of course."

"Right. So...-" Suki blinked at Sokka's forehead and the slightly purplish spot that she'd been wondering about. "-...you going to explain what happened to your head?"

* * *

[Boomerang Blog: Back At Ya!]

[Welp. GF and I called it quits. You could probably tell from my posts lately that I wasn't really happy, anyway. She obviously wasn't. Probably for the best, and all that shit everyone always says. :/ ]

[I don't get it. I feel like I'm supposed to be sad. Or heartbroken. But I'm not. I'm just...doing OK. It doesn't make sense.]

[And that, as they say, is that.]

[Posted on _Monday, March 7th, 10:13pm_ ]  
[by **Noble Sir Kesuk Esquire** ]

[ **2 Comments** ]

[ **The_Blue_Spirit** ]  
[It probably just means she really wasn't that special to you, or else you'd have more reason to be upset. That's how I'd look at it.]  
[Posted on __Monday, March 7th_ , 11:56pm_]

[ **GhostWitchMalu** ]  
[what they said. ^^^]

[plenty of fish in the sea, and all that shit everyone always says.  ]  
[Posted on _Tuesday, March 8th, 3:11am_ ]

* * *

\- Tuesday, March 8th, 2011 -

Katara stared at his hardened expression as he flipped a page in his history textbook, seemingly lost in the words. She hadn't really known how to react to the news. On the one hand, it hadn't been so surprising, given how miserable he had been lately, and how Suki had seemed to be avoiding the group. Somehow Sokka had made their breakup seem quite uneventful. Maybe it simply _had_ been. After all, Sokka _was_ a very different person than she was - just because all of _her_ breakups had been loud, messy affairs didn't mean Sokka was doomed to such a fate. She couldn't help but assume he was hiding the pain and the rejection from it, though. She had seen him try so hard to do all of the little things Suki had wanted of him. It must've been discouraging to still be pushed away in spite of all that effort. Maybe it was really just-  
"Ya need somethin', Sis?"

Katara's statue gaze crumbled and she returned his tired expression with a weak smile.

"I'm fine, you know," Sokka advised pensively. "Seriously, I'm good. If I need any kind of therapy session, I will _let_ ya know. Promise. Uh-kay?"

Katara shrugged from her spot on the seat across from him. They were sitting on opposing couches in the lounge of the ACC, wrapping up some assignments after class while waiting for dinner.

"Sorry, Sokka," she mumbled. "I'm...worried about you, is all. I mean, that's...ya know, not an easy thing, and...-"

"I get it, Katara, I know," Sokka allowed her calmly, understanding quite well how she worked. He felt the slightest bit agitated that she felt the need to even explain herself, as if he was too shaken up to remember how she was. "It's fine. I appreciate it. Like I _said_ : I'll let ya know."

"Right, of course," Katara eased him, nervous about ruffling his feathers. "I'm sorry."

"You're _good,_ " he insisted with a sympathetic laugh. "Just...do me a solid and keep the **oogies** outta my sight for a while, OK? How about that?"

"Yea, definitely," she nodded in a rush. "You've got it...' _Bro._ '" He smirked at this, his eyes already back to scanning his pages, and she took a deep breath, shifting her attention back to her laptop.

[ **Skype** tm]

[Tuesday, March 8th, 2011]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- bout damn time. i never even saw that woman's face.]  
[4:28 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I know. She was never really big into our group...]  
[4:33 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- screw that. sokkaboy's better off w/o her.]  
[4:34 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- It does seem that way...]  
[4:34 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- speaking of. you guys are still friends with that cheater?]  
[4:35 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Huh? =/ ]  
[4:35 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- pricky blind chick. thought she wasn't hanging w/you guys but she was there on sat.]  
[4:36 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Oh...Yes, for a while, but...things are getting better.]  
[4:36 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- gotcha. that's weird.]  
[4:37 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Weird? What do you mean?]  
[4:38 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- seems so awkward after everything. dating your roommate's ex-bf and you're still friends?]  
[4:39 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Well...Yea... Why not?]  
[4:39 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- heh. you're just as stubborn as she is.]  
[4:39 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I guess so. ^_^; Sometimes that's good, though.]  
[4:40 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- i can dig it.]  
[4:40 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Foh rizzel?]  
[4:41 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- mah nizzol.]  
[4:41 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \-  ]  
[4:42 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- B) ]  
[4:42 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- =B ]  
[4:42 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- ;D ]  
[4:42 pm]

[ _Kool_Kanuck_Kesuk_ \- oops. back to work and shit. ttyl.]  
[4:43 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Haha, bye, Korra.]  
[4:43 pm]

Hm. Korra was a bit of an odd one, roughing people up like a bouncer and then being all friendly. The first half of their chat had revolved around how out of line Korra's actions had been, how dangerous things could've turned, and Korra seemed generally receptive to these complaints, which was refreshing after struggling with Toph for weeks - months? - to fix her mistakes.

Katara had been rotating between a talk with one cousin and another during this time before their dinner meal.

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- when shes redy she can let me know.]  
[4:36 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I think she's kind of nervous, or scared.]  
[4:38 pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- good. she should be.]  
[4:39 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I really do think she's sorry, Meng. She's been trying to get better.]  
[4:39 pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- that's good an stuff but i haven't seen it. she hasnt been tryin with me.]  
[4:40 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I'm sure she will, though...]  
[4:41 pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- im gonna wait until she does.]  
[4:42 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- OK, but...Why don't you try giving _her_ a call?]  
[4:43 pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- cuz i dont wanna talk with her until she wants me around.]  
[4:45 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I bet she does, though...]  
[4:45 pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- not enough yet to actlly apologize.]  
[4:47 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- I guess...]  
[4:48 pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- ive got lotta stuff to wrry about right now. senior year, gettin ready for college..]  
[4:49 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Yea...]  
[4:52 pm]

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- when tophie really wants me back she will let me know.]  
[4:55 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- OK.]  
[4:57 pm]

Katara's chat was interrupted by a pair of soft lips on her head, and she instantly recognized the sensation to be Aang greeting her. Her shoulders pricked up as gentle fingertips trailed down her back, tickling her through her sweatshirt. She giggled softly and leaned back against the couch, reaching her arms up and grasping as Aang's hips blindly.

"Hey, there, Mister Penguin," Katara quietly cooed up in his direction as he bent over to give her a cheerful glance.

" _Ahem!_ " Sokka coughed out rather blatantly from a few feet away. Aang's head tilted back up to Sokka, amused by his ever-present mocking, but Katara spoke up before Aang had the chance, seeing as how Aang wasn't sensitive to the context just yet.

"Sorry!" she squeaked out, her hands flying off of Aang's sides and into her lap. The motion was so quick, her computer almost tumbled out of her lap. She quickly typed into it.

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- Gotta go.]  
[4:59 pm]

"Why'd you even _pick_ to name yourself that, anyway, Aang?" Sokka wondered.

"Huh?"

"' _Penguin?_ ' Do you just like being called stupid, girly nicknames, or something?"

Aang responded with a silent pause.

" _I_ gave him that name," Katara sighed out. " _Me._ It was _my_ idea..."

"...Oh." Sokka's glance wandered precariously back to his book.

"Yea, 'n then I decided she was 'Eskimo,' 'cuz...Well, yea," Aang trailed off with an embarrassed laugh.

"'Cuz we're Inuits," Sokka mumbled dryly. "Yup. Ingenious..."

Katara noticed her laptop screen flash, and she finalized the discussion before slapping the computer closed.

[ _fortuneteller114_ \- have a good one.]  
[4:59 pm]

[ _AquaGirlKatara_ \- You, too.]  
[5:00 pm]

"'Sup, guys?" came Jane's voice as she approached, setting herself down beside Sokka, who seemed to hardly notice her presence.

"What's up with _him?_ " Aang whispered in Katara's ear while Sokka continued to read, ignoring Jane's small talk while she discussed her day.

"He and Suki broke up last night," Katara explained as simply as she could. Aang was her boyfriend, and she trusted him - she wasn't going to be hiding stuff from him. Besides, the sooner he knew, the better, since now he'd understand why being cuddly in front of the guy could make him a bit grumpy.

" _Oh_." Aang sounded a bit surprised. "I thought they were trying to work things out..."

"Apparently not," Katara concluded with a shrug.

"-fuckin' _slammed_ the table with his fist. _Duuuude,_ he was so crazy," Jane finished rattling off about a professor from a class that day.

"Yea..."

Jane had grown observant enough to tell that something was weird with Sokka, but she opted to let it roll off rather than try and get involved.

"We goin' up to eat?" Jane wondered. "Or we waitin' for Dead-Eyes?"

"Toph should be here any minute," Katara explained.

Sure enough, after a couple of minutes of discussion - in which Jane explained the situation which led to her professor hitting a table - Toph came wandering into the building, carefully traversing the steadily more crowded campus center while students were making their way to where food was being served, like wildebeests to a watering hole.

" _Toph!_ " Katara shouted, instinctively waving her arm in the girl's direction.

Sokka was leaned back on the couch quite far, the entirety of his legs sticking out into the open space.

"She can't _see_ you," he flatly advised, to which Katara retracted her arm, cheeks sparking with some shame - it had just been a reflex, and her mind was in about five places right now...

"Toph," she called out again, leading the girl over. As soon as Toph's cane hit the side of the couch Sokka sat on, she set it down, propping it against the furniture and unslinging her backpack.

"Yo," said Jane.  
"Hi," said Aang.  
"How are you?" asked Katara.

Toph face wore a light smile as she worked around the couch's corner, hand grasping at its arm while she found a place to sit.

"I'm doing all r- _agghh!_ " A shrill, squeaking cry slipped out as she tumbled forth.  
 _Fump!_

Toph stumbled over Sokka's knees, her top half sent flying to the ground. She managed to catch herself with her hands enough where her forehead made contact and her palms scraped up a bit with rugburn from the scratchy carpet.

While Aang flinched from the sight, Katara extended an arm in an instant - a pointless reaction - and Jane jerked her body into the back of the cough, keeping clear.

Sokka, however, instantly snorted out a laugh at Toph's misfortune.

"Urgh, _shit_ ," Toph sighed out, on her knees, while Sokka pulled in his legs, still chortling to himself. "You did that on _purpose,_ didn't you?" Toph darkly decided, pushing herself up until she was sitting on her shins.

"Wh-? _No way_ ," Sokka defied, at least trying to hold back the laughter now. "That's what made it so hilarious..."

"You asshole," Toph growled, flinging out her fist blindly in his direction, smacking his calf out of luck. Now Jane was snickering, jumping off of the couch to spare herself any risk of getting caught in the crossfire.

" _Ow!_ Whoa, hey!" Sokka pushed himself up over the spine of the couch while Toph whiffed her fists into its cushioned padding. Sokka slipped around, nearly falling onto his back but sloppily managed to catch himself, limbs flailing every which way. And now Katara and Aang were chuckling, too.

"C'mon, where'd ya go?" Toph snarled, her initially angry tone giving way to a playful threat as a grin seeped across her face. She let herself succumb to the lighthearted humor at her minor accident. People laughing because of her was a lot better than being quiet and weird and grouchy, right? "Little _fucker_ ," Toph squealed, crawling up across the couch, still thrashing her hands about. She heard him laugh at her from straight ahead, beyond the structure she was perched on, and she leaned forth to attempt to slap him one, only to lose her balance once more. Her name was cried out at her, warnings cast out too late.

Her body tightened as she felt gravity pull at her, easing her headfirst. Before she made contact with the ground, hands gripped at her shoulders, propping her up just enough to catch herself. The meaty, clunky hands were familiar - Sokka's. Stupid oaf had grabbed one of her shoulders and wedged the other hand in the opposing armpit, preventing her fall. There was a loud sigh of relief from Katara off behind them, and then Sokka let slip one last, weak laugh at the situation.

"Geez, Dead-Eyes, gotta watch yourself," he scolded her with a humored tone, pushing her stunned self back onto the couch.

"You're a _nut_ ," Jane scoffed, giving her a pat on the back as she sat, stupefied. Why had she gotten so riled up in the first place, anyway?

"Are you OK?" Aang wondered.

"Uhhrrr..." Toph twitched her shoulders up. Sokka's hands had been lingering there, as if to ensure she wouldn't toppled over again. "Yea, I'm-... _pfff_ ," her face warming up with awkward embarrassment, she rotated her arms around their sockets to loosen them up. "I'm all good. But _Meathead_ over here's gonna get it," she barked out, propping up her fist again in an attempt to shake off the strange moment of physical contact.

"I'm _pretty_ sure you just demonstrated that trying to punch at things you can't _see_ doesn't end so well for you," taunted Sokka. Toph attempted to jab a right hand at the direction of his voice, but got nothing but air. _Argh,_ damned slippery bastard. " _Daaang_!" he squawked, his voice offset to the left. "You don't learn your lessons, do you?"

"She's pretty thick-headed like that," Jane pointed out, flicking a finger at Toph's left temple and smirking at the way the girl's body jolted from surprise. The left fist now sprung into action, but Toph lessened the force so that it delivered a soft blow to what she presumed to be Jane's stomach.

"Gulgh," Jane embellished pain, only to grab Toph's ponytail and give it a brief jerk - eliciting a girly yelp - and retreat away from swiping arms. Sokka took this opportunity to yank on Toph's ear. Another squeak, and more limb tossing.

While shouting and childish tomfoolery ensued, Katara smiled up at Aang, still standing above her, and her face melted into a dreamy smile, which Aang reciprocated. They kissed, Aang's head upside down, and then looked back up to see Toph, arms shielding her head as she laid in a fetal position, her body stuffed into a corner of the couch.

"Why hadn't I thought of this before?" Katara said to Aang while Sokka and Jane lobbed joking insults. "Immature acts of violence - _that's_ what they needed to start getting along again..."

"You little _bitches!_ " Toph forced out inbetween giggles. "This isn't funny!" she decried, eyes squinting as her sides were ready to burst at the seams from the laughing. "This is...cruel and _unusual_ punishmeh- _ehhnt_! I'm _blind,_ you dicks!"

"This is how we _show affection_!" Jane cackled with maniacal ardor, using Toph's own words against her, at which she gleamed.


	73. Poetry

\- Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 -

"How much longer until you have to leave?" Zuko asked with nonchalance, thumbing across the glass screen of his iPod as he scrolled for something to listen to.

From the across the table, Mai grasped her mug of tea, glancing to the clock hanging on the wall behind the counter of the Jasmine Dragon.

"A couple more minutes," she advised with a shrug. Her time with Zuko this afternoon hadn't been as rewarding as usual, but this was a bit expected. She was admittedly in a somewhat short-tempered mood - hormonal cycles affected even _her,_ after all - and Zuko had a tendency to withdraw when he knew that her 'time of the month' was transpiring. She did appreciate his means of being considerate after the fact, but during the process often found herself somewhat irritated at what she'd perceive to be him ignoring her.

Zuko, likewise, wasn't in the best of moods, either. He'd caught wind of some complaints from people who had visited the United Republic the weekend prior concerning some kind of fight that had occurred. He was wary about the details, fearing it to be have been started by the same troublemakers he'd heard so much about from his Uncle. Korra had seemed very apologetic about the whole thing, oddly - apologetic that she'd broken a chair, not that she'd reacted with violence. This, too, was disconcerting to him.

After he'd selected a track, he popped an earphone into his left ear, leaving the right one free to hear anything around him. The sound of a melancholy violin began to play.

"Ohhhh~"

He flinched at the sound of Ty-Lee, who was suddenly gawking over his shoulder. She was wearing her Jasmine Dragon apron, and had a carrying tray tucked casually behind her back. She had been aiming to take it back to the spot where dirty mugs and plates were left, but had been sidetracked by Zuko's device.

She lifted a finger, head cocked to the side with piqued curiosity as she ogled his iPod's screen.

"Is that Lady Gaga?" she said with some awe, noting the current album's picture.

Zuko's wrist flicked up at her as he scowled with embarrassment.

" _No,_ of course not, don't be stupid," he spat out in a rush, immediately flipping his player to another album with a slip of the thumb.

Mai, who was in the middle of guzzling down the last of her drink with close eyes, opened one lid in bemusement as she glanced across the table.

"Then what _was_ it?" Ty-Lee pouted, indignant at the way he was trying to brush her away.

"Nothing," Zuko grunted. "Just-...Aren't you supposed to be working?"

She frowned, lips puckered out with disdain.

"Ya don't have to be a jerk about it," she huffed, practically stomping off.

Mai sighed with relief, her liquid consumed, and set it on a coaster.

"It _is_ Lady Gaga, isn't it?" Mai asked dully with a tiny smirk.

" _She_ doesn't need to know about it," Zuko defended. Mai shrugged at this, not sure that she could follow that logic.

"If you say so..." She wiped some cupcake crumbs from her black pants and got up, stretching her skinny arms out with a small yawn before scooping up her mug and delivering it to the tray Ty-Lee had just set down by the entrance to the shop. "See you later, Zuko," she bid him off with the slightest of waves.

"Yea, have a good time," Zuko called back, still tinkering with his toy.

As Mai climbed up the stone steps to the campus beyond, she shivered, her shoulders bare in a bleak, brown shirt. It was supposed to be spring time, but it didn't seem quite there yet. At least not today.

She wanted it to rain. After she got back to Terra House, preferably, and get something warmer on. She'd love to have an evening where she could sit outside underneath the overhang in front of Terra's entrance, snuggle up with her Kindle, and while away the evening. The rain was therapeutic, the thunder as soothing to her as the sound of ocean waves licking a shore.

But, for now, a bit of time trying to socialize with some girls that weren't Ty-Lee was on her agenda for the evening. Katara had invited her over to her dorm room to spend some time with her and Toph. At first Mai hadn't been so sure about this, but Katara had gone so far as to 'theme' their evening as some kind of 'poetry sharing time.' Clearly, Katara had been paying attention to details in their interactions, and knew that poetry was how to get Mai interested. She was a bit puzzled as to how Toph fit into things, but she gathered that Toph was in a 'reformation' phase of sorts, and that some social discourse might do her some good. While Mai didn't really care for this one way or the other, it was no skin off her back. Zuko was being a bore today, anyway.

As Mai passed through the halls of Aqua House, she felt more like she was squirming around, avoiding the noise and commotion she'd encounter. Two girls sprinted down the hall, nearly bumping into her, dashing for the 2nd floor lounge so they could watch TV. Ugh. And there was some kind of gigglefit erupting from another room down the way. Mai was reminded of why she was a Terra girl: all this noise and 'community' wasn't what she wanted where she lived.

At the far end of the hall, near a corner stairwell doorway, Mai encountered an open dorm room where she could see Toph pounding away at a keyboard with precision, her ears covered by massive green headphones. Mai rapped her bony knuckle on the open door, and Katara, who was flipping through a book at her desk, craned her head around, smiled, and slipped a bookmark into her text, closing it and setting it aside.

" _Hi,_ Mai," she cheerfully greeted, scrambling up from her seat and opening her arms out. Mai kept hers at her sides.

Mai was not in a hugging mood today, and cringed a bit at the way the girl threw herself out.

"Hey," she replied with her rusty voice.

Katara broke away and glanced back at Toph, oblivious to their presence in her music, it seemed, and nodded slowly, turning back to Mai and welcoming her in.

" _Sooo -_ how are things?"

"They're...fine," muttered Mai, rubbing her hands together. They were still a bit cold from the outdoors.

"Good." Katara was shuffling through the shelves in her closet and pulled out a duo of ceramic mugs. "You in the mood for tea?"

"Nah, I...just had some, actually," Mai replied with a humored, tiny smile.

"OK." Katara placed a gentle hand on Toph's shoulders, and the girl paused, cocking her ear up to her side as she slipped one earphone off.

"Yep?"

"Mai's here, Hun."

"Oh, cool." Toph popped the headphones off, setting them on the keys in front of her, then clicked the music-making device off. "Hey," she greeted to no direction in particular.

"Hi, Toph," Mai answered from Katara's desk chair.

"Did you want any tea, Toph?" Katara asked.

"Uhhh..." Toph scratched her nose. "Shhhuuure...?"

"Haha, all right. The mint one?"

" _Yee_ ah."

"Sounds good. I'll be back in a minute, ladies." Katara courteously nodded her head to Mai, two empty mugs in her grasp, and whisked away down the hall.

"What's up?" Toph asked, pointing her face to the area Mai's voice had come from.

"Not much," Mai answered with some apathy. "Caught up on my schoolwork, so... _that's_ good, I guess."

"Heh, yea..."

A pause, both girls feeling pressured to keep up discussion, but neither knowing which direction to go in for a few seconds.

"So you're...doing better?" Mai asked.

"Heh...Yea, kind of," Toph mumbled sheepishly.

"Kind of?"

"Eh...Lotta stuff just feels weird, is all."

"Mm..."

"Like everyone's expecting me to...I dunno...be a certain way, or something."

"Heh. Yea, I know how that goes."

"Yea..." Toph didn't actually get what Mai meant by this, but was just trying to play along. "So, uh...Katara said we're doin' poetry 'cuz...that's your thing?"

"It's my 'thing,' mm-hm..."

"Ah...You write poems, or just read 'em?"

"Both."

"That's cool..."

"Do you ever write _songs?_ "

"Psh, me?" Toph grunted as she sat herself cross-legged on the rough, carpeted floor. _"_ Nahhh, I can't write for shit." She covered her blind eyes with a hand and grinned. "Kinda not my thing. I just play stuff."

"Mm. Sooo...Kind of like someone who draws."

"Huh?" Toph's eyebrows twisted with confusion. That didn't make _any_ sense to her, especially with the whole...covering-her-eyes-to-remind-about-the-blindness... _thing._

Mai smirked and shrugged, proceeding to explain.

"Well, sometimes you have people like me, who write, and then other people, who draw - they give the words a visual form, so others can 'see' it. I guess that's like what you do. You take the songs others have written and actually play them out, give them...an 'audio' form, you could say." She shrugged again in spite of herself. " Mm-mm. That's how I look at it, anyway..."

"Nah, that...makes enough sense," Toph conceded, contemplating the thought.

"Katara was telling me you've started playing songs on your own, basically - doing some local shows?"

"Heh..." Toph wiped her thick bangs from her eyes and smiled with a hint of pride. "Somethin' like that. One of...my friends...she helped me get a local gig downtown a while ago. Said she had another one lined up for me later in the month."

"That must be cool. Kind of like a job - getting paid to do what you love."

"What I'd be doing anyway."

"Yea...That's great."

"Yea, it's...pretty cool." Toph sighed to herself, being reminded of Meng, and how her cousin had helped her work at pushing herself more in the first place. She missed Meng.

In that moment of quiet, Mai wondered why Toph seemed lamentable, but Katara entered with steaming mugs, tagged strings hanging off the sides. She set herself down besides Toph and slowly passed one in Toph's direction. Toph stuck out a hand, and Katara tenderly aided Toph's wrist to the mug. Once she felt that Toph's hands were securely locked around it, she let go.

"Careful, it's hot," she warned casually.

"Thanks," said Toph, whipped her hair from her face again, though this seemed like a lost cause.

Mai didn't like the prospect of sitting on the floor - there were three chairs in this room, right? What was the deal? She cast off her distaste with a 'whatever' attitude and set herself down to complete this makeshift circle.

"All _right_ ," Katara said with pep. "So Mai...You want to go first?"

"Huh?" _What's she-...Oh, right._ Mai tilted herself to the side, pulling a now wrinkled piece of folded up paper from her rear pocket. "Ah, yea. Uh...sure. I'll go."

Mai cleared her dry throat and read the poem she'd printed off.

**_{The Lake in spring of youth it was my lot_ **   
**_To haunt of the wide world a spot}_ **

A frustrated teenager with bobbed hair and gloomy eyes, angry with her parents but not allowed to tell them for fear of being shunned.  
Tattered sneakers making way around a fountain in the park, the trickling water a relaxing sound to her ears.

**_{The which I could not love the less -_ **   
**_So lovely was the loneliness}_ **

Brisk autumn afternoons beside the fountain, poring through books she'd lend from the library.  
Others ignored, walked away, mocked, and vanished; but words - oh, lovely words - they were her steady friends in a land of isolation.

**_{Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,_ **   
**_And the tall pines that towered around.}_ **

No snow, no winter, in this land - instead, a season of rain. Even on these days, she would retreat to her fountain, raincoat and umbrella in tow. On these wet days of solitude, she found herself contemplating her own ideas.

What could she say in written words that she could not speak? And how? And why?  
The words began to write themselves out across the steadily filling walls of her mind.

**_{But when the Night had thrown her pall_ **   
**_Upon that spot, as upon all,}_ **

Spring evenings, bitter and jaded. Notebook laid out on her lap. Where words once floated from book to eye, now they seeped from fingertips to pages.  
Foolish father, what did he know of her best interests?  
Silly mother, how could she pretend to understand?

**_{And the mystic wind went by_ **   
**_Murmuring in melody}_ **

Face stained with red streaks from makeup mixed with tears. Tears - such a wretched thing she despised, for they never came out when she wanted them to, only when someone else was there to see.  
At least her friend, unbelievably peppy and ditsy as she was, didn't laugh or jest but instead encourage the tears, teasing them out. It was painful and unpleasant, like leeches - pink, oh so pink, lace-ridden leeches - sucking out the poison.

**_{Then - ah, then I would awake_ **   
**_To the terror of the lone lake.}_ **

The devil girl, so cruel and horrid - taking pleasure in bringing pain to others. In one sense, it was admirable, the ability to control the emotions of others. It seemed that Mai's immunity to such tactics - paired with her cheery friend's complete susceptibility to them - provided the nefarious rich girl enough amusement to start spending time with them.

**_{Yet that terror was not fright,_ **   
**_But a tremulous delight}_ **

Days with Azula, tiring and confusing, yet periodically interesting. Their worth paid out in excuses to spend time with the brother - the moody, raven-haired man with pale eyes to match her own, with moments of cold frustration and flaming temper at his sister. Toned face, dry skin, sharply dressed, smelling of expensive cologne.

**_{A feeling not the jewelled mine_ **   
**_Could teach or bribe me to define}_ **

Sitting together on the cement edges. Zuko, at her fountain, asking about the notebook in her hands. Embarrassment flooding her pale skin.

Some of the words contained within - words about _him._ She couldn't have him know.

**_{Nor Love - although the Love were thine.}_ **

His mellow voice, coaxing her to share the words in ways she hadn't seem him speak to anyone else.

Azula and Ty-Lee approach. Giggles abound. Mockery of the pages - of the _words._

**_{Death was in that poisonous wave,_ **   
**_And in its gulf a fitting grave}_ **

Zuko, rising to protest their jokes. Defending Mai's honor, so he thinks.

Azula, nudging his shoulders, tipping him off balance against the fountain's edge.

Mai, arms outstretched to prevent his fall.

Fountain water, splashing all over them.

**_{For him who thence could solace bring}_ **

A mess of coins and wet clothes. The words, washed and runny, pages soaked.

He growls with anger and rises. Face boiling, fingers like a trembling volcano, ready to burst.

**_{To his lone imagining}_ **

The day after. She sits at her fountain like always.

Alone for today.

Fresh notebook, furiously marked with fresh ink.

**_{Whose solitary soul could make}_ **

Brain mashing out new words. New thoughts.

New _feelings_...of _him._

Confined peace she sometimes needs - all the better to appreciate what she has.

**_{An Eden of that dim lake.}_ **

A heavy pause. Mai exhaled deeply, dropping the paper in her lap as she sifted her hand through bangs of black with red highlights.

"That's a pretty poem," Katara commented with some solemn awe. "Who wrote it?"

"Poe," Mai replied bluntly.

"Edgar _Allan_ Poe?"

"Yea."

"Is he a favorite of yours?" _Guh. I read the poem. Doesn't that say everything that needed to be said? Not in the mood for all the social courtesy, here.  
_

"Mm-hm."

"Neat. He...seems like your kinda style." Katara offered a bubbly smile at Mai, who managed to hold back an eyeroll. She got that Katara was trying to be polite and considerate, and...really, that was great. All the power to her and everything. But right now, Mai just was quickly feeling in the mood to not be here. She was getting 'solitude withdrawals,' a common occurrence during her period, and now only heightened by reading that poem.

"Anyway." Katara took a sip of her tea and smacked her lips together. "You _sure_ you didn't want any?" She tipped up her mug in Mai's direction. The girl swallowed, acknowledging after her reading that she was still feeling thirsty despite her recent dose.

"Uhm...OK," she nodded once with a light smile. "Yea, I'll take some, please."

"Great."

"You have any Earl Grey?"

"Sure do." Katara got up from the floor, still carrying her mug, and took another sip as she made way for the door. "Be back in another minute."

Another awkward moment of quiet. Mai noticed Toph digging her pinky finger through her ear. Eulgh.

"So, uhh...-" Toph kept picking at her earwax while she spoke. "My poem's actually gonna be, like...a _song._ "

_Psh. Big surprise. Kinda cheating, isn't it? But...whatever. I guess that counts._

"Ah..."

"You think maybe you could bring it up for me?"

"Huh?"

"My, umm...-" Toph pulled her ear out and wiped whatever had gotten on her ear onto her sweatpants. Blech. "My iPod, it should be up on my desk..."

Mai twisted her head to look - couldn't see from the floor. She got up and walked a couple steps over to the desk, seeing the scratched up device sitting next to an alarm clock.

"Should already be on the right song," Toph advised.

Mai clicked at the buttons below the screen and observed.

[ **Juke Box Hero** ]

She shrugged at this, being a song she'd never heard, and handed the device to Toph - who, naturally, didn't know to take it at first. Mai Gently set it down in Toph's lap in a slightly awkward fashion, confused as to the 'proper' way to handle such things.

"Thanks..." Toph grabbed it with her no-doubt grimy hands and clutched it like a jewel with glint in her smile. They appreciated a minute of respite - at least Toph was smart enough to appreciate some silence.

Katara came in, and while at first Mai was a bit disappointed at the sudden break in the thin ice of quiet, a fresh mug of liquid heat was welcome.

"You all set, Toph?" Katara checked.

"Yup." Toph swirled her thumb around the ring, turning up the volume, then clicked it to start playing.

\+ http:/youtu(dot)be/c7tzi8wkYgI +

Family gathering at Gran-Gran's. Toph escapes the frustrations. Goes upstairs.

A deep, thumping rhythm lures her.

**_["~Standing in the rain, with his head hung low~"]_ **

She's in the hallway.

Alone.

**_["~Couldn't get a ticket, it was a sold out show~"]_ **

Adults in a room - no children allowed. The thumping still tugs at her.

**_["~Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene~"]_ **

Laughing. Bottles clinking together. That drumbeat...Grandma's record player?

**_["~Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream~"]_ **

Head against the door, ear pressed down tight.

**_["~He heard one guitar~"]_ **

Awe.

**_["~Just blew him away~"]_ **

Unlike any music she's been practicing.

**_["~He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day~"]_ **

Stealthy visit to a music shop with the aid of Gran-Gran.

**_["~Bought a beat up six string in a secondhand store~"]_ **

A used Gibson that Gran buys her as a birthday present.

**_["~Didn't know how to play it, but he knew for sure~"]_ **

She tinkers...It's tricky. Calloused hands.

**_["~That one guitar~"]_ **

She learns.

**_["~felt good in his hands~"]_ **

Fingers strike strings.

Strength.

**_["~and it didn't take long to understand~"]_ **

_"You've got quite a natural talent, my Pickle."_

**_["~Just one guitar, slung way down low~"]_ **

Gran-Gran's acoustic, given as a Christmas present the next year.

**_["~was a one way ticket, only one way to go~"]_ **

The same one she plays on that stool at the coffee shop in college.

**_["~So he started rockin', ain't never gonna stop~"]_ **

Strings strum - fairy dust flies from them.

**_["~Gotta keep on rockin', someday gonna make it to the top~"]_ **

She wants to steal hearts with this magic - like a thief.

**_["~And be a Juke Box Hero - got stars in his eyes - he's a Juke Box Hero~"]_ **

Directionless white eyes, glowing with determination.

She'll become the Blind Bandit.

**_["~He took one guitar - Juke Box Hero - stars in his eyes~"]_ **

Blindness wouldn't stop her. She would succeed.

**_["~Juke Box Hero, (stars in his eyes)~"]_ **

She'd show everyone how strong she could be.

**["~ _He'll come alive tonight~"]_**

Suki is inside the bar, setting up for the gig they have arranged.

**_["~In a town without a name~"]_ **

She waits out back.

**_["~in a heavy downpour~"]_ **

Alone.

**_["~Thought he passed his own shadow by the backstage door~"]_ **

Mistakes, regrets...They come to keep her company.

**_["~Like a trip through the past~"]_ **

She escapes into the music, running headlong...

**_["~to that day in the rain~"]_ **

...colliding with the wet, snowy sidewalk.

Broken.

**_["~And that one guitar...made his whole life change~"]_ **

Grandmother's old instrument, her treasure.

**_["~Now he needs to keep on rockin', he just can't stop~"]_ **

She could take on the world with that guitar in her hands.

**_["~Gotta keep on rockin', that boy has got to stay on top~"]_ **

Chords became walls, keeping them all out.

**_["~And be a Juke Box Hero, got stars in his eyes~"]_ **

Lyrics became holes, letting some in.

**_["~He's a Juke Box Hero, got stars in his eyes~"]_ **

Gran-Gran had shown her light, even with useless eyes.

**_["~Yeah, Juke Box Hero, stars in his eyes~"]_ **

Antiquated wood in her hardened hands.

**_["~With that one guitar, (stars in his eyes)~"]_ **

_You'll always be with me in this guitar._

**_["~He'll come alive...come alive tonight...!~"]_ **

As the song went into a wild solo, Toph grinned wide, starting to pluck rapidly at air to imitate the performance, but quickly contained herself, scrolling the volume back down.

She coughed a bit, pounding her chest briskly.

"Yea, it's...uhh...-" She didn't know what to say. Mai didn't mind - it was for the best. The song had said it for her - like all the other times. Toph was dead-set on pursuing her dream of being a musician.

"It's really fitting, I think," Katara approved.

"Mm." Mai had finished her tea already - soothing to her throat.

She watched Katara slide a consoling hand over Toph's shoulder as the girl's face dissolved into a vacant expression - the one Mai saw Zuko wear when the subject of his mother came up.

"Now _you_ gotta go, Sister-Face," Toph pushed, easing attention away from her and any emotional leaks her roommate had been covering with Sister-Face duct tape.

Katara smiled, concluded their contact with a gentle patting, and opened up the book she had set aside from before, peeling away to the mark she had placed.

"'The Armful'," she read aloud.

**_{For every parcel I stoop down to seize}_ **

A sympathetic hug for Aang when he's discouraged and hurt.  
A long chat with Jane about leaving the Freedom Fighters.  
Petting Toph's head, sobs and tears spilling into Katara's lap.  
Studying Sokka's forlorn face as he contemplates his future.

This is what she has reached for lately.  
Things are more simple now than they have been in so long. But back then...

_**{I lose some other off my arms and knees,}** _

Neurotic. Obsessive. Controlling. Demanding. Clingy. Dramatic.

"You think too much." _There they go._  
"You explain too much." _Another one leaves._  
"You inquire too much." _Still another - gone._  
"You worry too much." _But...It's because I care._  
"You care too much." _Doesn't everyone want to be cared about?_  
"You give too much." _That doesn't even make sense._  
"You ask for too much." _I don't mean to..._  
"You love too much." _Fine! Be that way...You know what? Screw you, too._

 _No, no...Even better - screw_ everyone.

_No good deed goes unpunished, does it?_

_**{And the whole pile is slipping, bottles, buns,}** _

Freshman year of college.

 _Why do they leave? What's so_ wrong _with me?_  
 _I'm trying so hard...Why does this happen?_

_URGHHH. Why does everything have to be such a mess? I clean and I clean, and I work and work, and then one person comes and messes it all up!_

_Over and over again! I have to be missing something. That has to be it. Something is wrong with me, and I can't figure out what is..._

_What am I supposed to do?_

_"I dunno, Sis...Maybe you should try taking medication. Dad does."_

_"What? Wh-...Why would you even_ say _that? I'm...fine. I don't need pills to help me feel better..."_

_"I'm just saying...You seem to be spazzing out a lot lately. Depressed and angry all the time..."_

_"I am...?"_

_"Always complaining about people. You act_ all...dramatic."

_"I do...?"_

_"Seriously, meds helped Dad get through his troubles, you know? Might work for you, too."_

Truth, spoken from her brother's lips - of days past, back in high school.

Father, slipping into depression. Isolation. Practically abandoning them in spirit, in mind.

_**{Extremes too hard to comprehend at once}** _

_Why did you have to leave, Mom?_   
_Why did I have to take your place?_   
_I didn't ask for all that. All this._   
_Why did I take it, then?_

Dad, always gone. Never home.  
Straight to bed when he arrives.  
Straight to work when he wakes.

Pulls himself away.

Years of high school. Caring after the house.

Always cleaning up after her father and brother. Keeping everything in order.

Clinging to whatever can be found.  
Friends come and go. No one stays. Not _really._ Not the way she needs.

Her only cousin, Korra...moves away - to Toronto.

Junior year.

Gran-Gran...moves away - to Nova Scotia.

Senior year.

Big Brother...moves away - to college.

Dad - practically gone for so much of this time. Years, taking their toll, sinking him into depression.

Mom - always gone. A wisp. A fleeting memory. A black candle, tiny flame flickering.  
Dad is like a wisp himself, for a while.

She becomes so jaded at the world that no one _wants_ to be her friend, anyway. And why would they?  
She'd just scare them off, anyhow, right? Intimidate them with her compulsiveness...

 _"You care too much."  
"Weirdo."  
"Who _does _that? Creeper..."_

Graduation draws near. Hakoda's turmoil mends with the help of medication, counseling. With renewed purpose, motivation.  
It's a bit late, though. Sokka's gone. And Katara is going to be gone soon enough, too.

Tears. Bitterness. Anger.  
She tries to suffocate it all in his arms.

Hysterics.  
"How could you leave us, Dad? I mean...I know you love us, but...all this time...W-we've just been so _lost_ without you..."

"I'm _so_ sorry, Katara..."

_**{Yet nothing I should care to leave behind.}** _

Graduation.  
Freshman year of college.  
Friends quickly made - lost just as fast.

Let them go.

 _I can't. I just can't do it...How can-?_  
Let go!

_No! I won't..._

**LET. GO.**

_No!_   
_**I** _   
_**WILL** _   
_**NOT.** _

Fine. They _will_.

_I don't...care._

But you _do_ care.

 _OK. Yes, but...I already lost Mom. Forever. I'm not going to lose anyone else unless I_ have _to._

But people will leave. That is the nature of things. You have to let that be.

People come, and people go.

That is life.

_I understand why they leave. I really do. I know they have to go..._

_So...Why do I still_ feel _this way? I'm so sad, and angry...and_ **hurt** _..._

 _I don't want_ anyone _I love to ever feel this...emptiness. Ever._

_**{With all I have to hold with - hand and mind,}** _

_I'll never,_ ever _turn my back on people who need me._

 _I know I didn't have to do it...I did it because I_ wanted _to._

_Being part of the group means being part of group hugs._

_God put me on this planet to be good to others. To_ _do. To_ act.

_Not to sit back and watch. Not to keep being left behind._

_And most important: not to let anyone_ else _get left behind._

**_{And heart, if need be - I will do my best.}_ **

_I can do it. Yes. Everyone. I can help everyone._

_We can do anything as long as we stick together._

_I'll keep everyone together.  
_

_I can fix everyone's problems. Who_ else _is going to?_

 _No one else cares the way I do...Sure, maybe as_ much _as I do, but..._  
 _Not the same way._

 _Not the way that makes people_ act.

_Right?_ **_  
_ **

_**{To keep their building balanced at my breast.}** _

_If I had done nothing, where would Jane be?_   
_Still lost, maybe even dead.  
_

_If I had done nothing, where would Toph be?_   
_Still alone, still broken.  
_

_If I had done nothing, where would Sokka be?_  
 _Without a sister. Without someone who_ understands _him the way I do - both parts of him._

_If I had done nothing, where would Aang be?_   
_Not in this group, where he is cared for. Not in my arms. Not being given the love I have for him._

_If I had done nothing...this group wouldn't even_ exist.

_**{I crouch down to prevent them as they fall;}** _

_"Aang, I'm sorry, but...Right now I'm just a little confused..."_

_So much bitterness and anger at Toph, so many stupid, childish fights. Fights about breaking Aang's heart, hurting Sokka's feelings, upsetting Jane, disrupting the peace she's worked so hard to build..._   
_Fights about how much she cares about Toph, only to be cast aside, forgotten, cursed out, ignored. Unappreciated. Pushed out._

_Arguments with Sokka about his relationship with Suki, about his drinking alcohol after his promise, about what to do with the Aang/Toph...disaster._

_"Jane...I really care about you...And I'm_ really sorry _if...if somehow I said, or...or_ did _something that made you...made you think that I...felt something that...that I don't feel."_

_**{Then sit down in the middle of them all.}** _

_I love Aang. I admire his kindness, his determination, his virtue. It took us so long to figure each other out. But now we do. And he is_ beautiful.

 _I love Toph. I admire her tenacity, her confidence, her will. We have our moments, but we share the same stubbornness. She's my_ sister.

 _I love Sokka. I admire his intelligence, his versatility, his humor. He maybe doesn't 'get' me...but he knows_ _me better than anyone. He's my_ brother.

 _I love Jane. I admire her vehemence, her flexibility, her decisiveness. She has made such tough decisions, left behind so much, taken risks...She's_ changed _._

 _And she hasn't looked back. She knows how to let go - we always talk about how much she 'learns' from me...I could stand to learn that from_ her _..._

_**{I had to drop the armful in the road}** _

Being kissed by Aang on his terms.

Letting go.

Setting it all down.

Taking a deep breath.

Figuring out what was best for _her,_ and not trying to worry about everyone else.

Kissing Aang on _her_ terms.

Picking the pieces back up.

Carrying on.

_**{And try to stack them in a better load.}** _

Katara's hand was running through her hair as she finished, and she sighed shakily. Fingers still stuck to her skull, she pinched book closed with the other hand and set it in her lap.

That _same_ look in her eyes - but Mai knew enough that Katara had definitely lost _her_ mother, as well. She couldn't genuinely sympathize with all of these people around her coping with loss. What had she lost? Nothing, really. Rich family, little trouble...Well, before Azula and Ty-Lee came into her life, anyway...And even then, Zuko had come, too, to counterbalance things.

So long as she'd been quiet and done as she was told, Mai's youth was an uneventful affair, leading her to this life of poetry, and photography, of art.

Zuko had come along and tripped her up - made her _feel_ something that she couldn't simply contain inside forever.

"Oh, I get it," Toph mumbled. Katara smiled warmly at Toph's efforts to try and focus on the positive. "It's, umm...like, how...you're _carrying_ stuff, so it's...-" _Ugh. If you really_ must _analyze it so bluntly, Toph, you could at least do it coherently..._ "-like how yer...always tryin' to carry all our problems. And shit."

Katara was grinning at this point, apparently amused by her roommate's comments.

"Heehee. Yea, that's...pretty much what it makes me think about," Katara explained and with a shrug.

"Always lookin' out for us, Sugar-Queen." Toph landed a careful jab into Katara's arm.

Bleh. All this sisterly love and junk. Yea, let's just make Mai feel left out, shall we?

Katara just needed to surround herself with 'Yes Men.' Or women, or...whatever. Whoever gave her approval, they were in. Everyone else could leave. That was sure how it seemed. Hell, Toph was the same way, really. Maybe even _worse_ because at least Katara tried to be polite about it.

Both stubborn girls, set in their ways, firm in what they felt was right for them. Well...That was just _great_...Flaunting it off all the time. Toph did it with her music, Katara with all of her...Facebook statuses, quoting all the stuff she'd read...Trying to say and do all the 'proper' things all the time.

They were both the same - refusing to let the world change them.

And yet they were total opposites - like she and Ty-Lee were.

But Mai had learned to get along with Ty-Lee by changing her actions. Not just by expecting the other person to accept her.

Then again, perhaps she was writing off what Katara and Toph had too soon...

In her hormonal state, Mai could still acknowledge that the little things were bothering her tonight.

Really, what did it matter if they were different from her? Wasn't that the entire reason she'd _come_ here tonight? To expose herself to...people who were _different?_

Ugh. Mai hated it when she was right...especially about her own fickleness.

She managed to survive the evening without any recourse or incident, and this was for the best. Katara and Toph were more volatile people than she. It wasn't just an ability but a _reaction_ to control herself.

Discussion went from the poems to some of their favorite stories, or movies, or bands. Mai was pleasantly surprised at how their talk deviated _away_ from the stereotypical things she expected girls like...well, Katara, at least...to always be chattering about. Even Jane from across the hall poked in for a bit before hiding away again in her studies.

If this kind of bonding could do well for _her_...then maybe it was exactly what Zuko could use in his times of stress, as well.

* * *

\- Thursday, March 10th -

[To: Korra]  
[Hey, soooo...Remember that offer? With the booze? How about tonight?]  
[Sent: 1:35am]

[From: Korra]  
[wtf Sox, its way too late...]  
[Sent: 1:38am]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[LOL. No, I meant _tomorrow_ night, but it's...technically Thursday. So tonight.]  
[Sent: 1:39am]

[From: Korra]  
[oh. foshoh. i'm down widdat. got tomorrow off.]  
[Sent: 1:40am]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[Good. Because goddamn. I need to get fuckin' smashed.]  
[Sent: 1:41am]

[From: Korra]  
[on a thursday?]  
[Sent: 1:42am]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[DON'T JUDGE ME! Don't feel like waiting until the weekend.]  
[Sent: 1:43am]

[From: Korra]  
[ok, ok! i'll pick you up and we'll have drinks.]  
[Sent: 1:44am]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Lake - by Edgar Allan Poe. Juke Box Hero - by Foreigner. The Armful - by Robert Frost.


	74. Kick

\- Thursday, March 10th, 2011 -  
  
"Whaaaat...?" Sokka frowned, eyes wide with disappointment as he glared at the frosty mug Korra had set down on the counter in front of him. "This is... _beer._ "  
  
"Uhhhh... _Yah._ " Korra punctured his masculinity with an amused glare. "It's _beer._ "  
  
"But...I wanted-"  
"Girly shit."  
  
"...Yea," Sokka whimpered.  
  
"We're here to _drink_ ," Korra advised, pounding his back with her hand. _Oulff._ Damn, friggin' _monster_ hands. "Not get drunk."  
  
"What's the difference?" Sokka countered, wrapping his hand around the icy cold glass precariously, like it were some foreign technology he hadn't been trained in the use of.  
  
Korra saddled in on the stool beside him.  
  
"Difference is that we take it slow, steady, _enjoy_ it. Shoot the shit. Isn't that what you said you wanted to do, anyway?"  
  
"Mm..." Sokka's lips curved awkwardly in admittance.  
  
"Oh, fuckin' get over yerself," Korra chuckled, latching a muscular arm over his back and tugging him toward her in a brief embrace. "Damn, Sox, you don't wanna go gettin' sick on me, do ya?"  
  
"Nah," Sokka shrugged, taking a sip of the bitter stuff. He had really been pining for something fruitier, something he could just guzzle down and get at least buzzed right off the bat with...  
  
Korra gulped down some of her Guinness and sighed.  
  
"Look," she offered, "I'll get ya somethin' girly after you down that one. All right?" Ah, that was more like it. He could do that. Oh, but...-  
  
"Sure, but...Beer before liquor: never been sicker. Liquor before beer: you're in the clear. Right?" He lifted a brow at her, but she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Heh, that's a buncha bull, dude. Long as you're not a _retard_ and watch what ya drink, you'll be fine."  
  
"...Right..." Sokka sighed deeply and shrugged, hunching over the counter.  
  
"Erm..." Korra blinked at his rapidly deteriorating mood. _Damnit, not this crap...I don't know how to_ handle _this crap..._ "Hey-hey-hey." She nudged him with her fist. "What's the dealio, man?" He snorted a laugh. "...What?"  
  
"' _Dealio_?'"  
  
She glowered at him with indignance, her nostrils expanding - just like Katara's did.  
  
"Shuddap," she spit-fired, getting back on track. "Don't tell me you're hung up on that Asian chick..."  
  
"Suki," Sokka sighed out, staring at his beer. It was lighter in color than his cousin's was.  
  
"Yea. Her. _Shit_ , man...You were miserable."  
  
" _What?_ I wasn't _miz_ -" Sokka froze partway through his sentence when his eyes met Korra's quite cynical ones.  
  
"You were eating _salad_ ," Korra reminded with a sardonic smirk. Sokka offered a cold rebuff to this and drank more of his bitter beverage.  
  
"When was the last time you got screwed, Sox?"  
  
Sokka choked on his drink, sputtered, pounded his chest - a wide-eyed stare at his cousin, who ' _apff_ 'd' at him - swallowed hard, then stuck up a defiant index. The finger trembled with all due animus...but no reply.  
  
" _That_ long, eh? Well, what good's a girlfriend if-"  
"We broke up!" Sokka growled impatiently. But it didn't have that Classic Sokka 'over-the-top' flair to it. Fuck-it-all, she'd actually made it worse. Ugh, _damnit._  
  
 _Just like old times. Everything I touch turns to shit._  
  
Now Sokka was chugging the beer a few gulps at a time. Korra watched him do this twice.  
  
"Uhh...Er..." Korra was at a loss. Still blinking at her distraught cousin, she pounded the side of her fist into the table in a plea of desperation. "Tender!" she called, finally pulling her gaze away from the wreckage. "Can we get an...erm...-" _Fuck fuck fuck, what does Sokka like? Um-um-ummm..._ "-...appletini! Over here?"  
  
As the barkeep readied Sokka's 'girl drink,' Sokka heaved out an irate huff, wiping his lips with his shirt's sleeve. He unbuttoned the top clasp of his dress shirt to give his warm neck space to breath.  
  
"Sorry, Sox," she mumbled, slurping down some of her own alcohol. "I thought...ya know...-"  
  
"That I was over it?" Sokka grumbled. "I... _am_ ," he groused with a grumpy shrug. "It wasn't working, but...the whole thing? Just makes me miss Yue more..."  
  
"... _Oh_." _Shit. Hadn't thought of_ that.  
  
"She was the _perfect_ girl for me. Ya know? Fucking...-" Sokka clasped his chest against his chest in anguish. "-... _perfect._ "  
  
"Nobody's perfect," Korra sternly advised. Sokka scowled at this.  
  
"Yue was close enough, then," dismissed the heart-broken young man with a whining tone. "And now she's gone..."  
  
"Sokka, lemme ask ya somethin'..." Korra fidgeted in her seat, rotating sideways as she stuck out her palms at him. An appletini was set in front of her, but she ignored it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You really believe in all that _soul mate_ bullshit?"  
  
"Fff. That's what Yue _was_ , man... _Argh._ " He bumped his head into his arms on the countertop, letting it rest there in frustration. "I _had_ my soul mate. And I _lost_ her..." He was practically moaning now, his face buried in his arms. "That perfect girl for me? She's _gone._ I'll never be as happy as I was with her. She was The _One._ "  
  
Korra sighed steam through her nose. Stupid emo crap. That wasn't Sokka's style, and it sure as hell wasn't going to help him to take it up now. She slid the green, blurry drink in a fancy glass over to him.  
  
"That's _bullshit,_ Sokka," Korra snarled, smacking him on the back of the head.  
  
" _Ow!_ Geez!" Sokka glared at her with confusion. "Thought you took me here because you hit me in the head _already!_ " he seethed with some resentment.  
  
"Oh, get the fuck _over_ yourself," Korra refuted. "It hurts - I get it. But this crybaby crap? That's not _you._ OK? Fuckin'...-" She wiggled her hand at his appletini. "-... _drink_. Eh?"  
  
Sokka did as he was told without much retaliation to this command. Korra went on. Sokka hadn't opened up to his sister about this. She _knew_ he hadn't, deep in her gut. Sokka was coming to _her,_ the bitchy-tough-as-nails cousin, for a _reason._ He wanted some tough love. Good. She'd give it to him.  
  
"Yue wasn't _'The_ One', Sox. There _is_ no 'One.' That's so much _shit._ Yue made you happy, man. _That's_ true. But she's not the _only_ one who could do that. Damn, like, _Suki_ made you happy, too, for a while, right?"  
  
"Not like _Yue_ did..." Sokka eyes were glazed over.  
  
Korra's face contorted with disgust. The hell _was_ this, eh?  
  
When their glances crossed paths, she testily pointed to his drink again. He guzzled more down.  
  
"Some _other_ chick will some day," she insisted.  
  
"...Well...What about _you,_ huh?" Sokka muttered. His face was already getting pink. Damn, had he already chugged down that mixed drink? He went and took a sip of his beer. Man, guy with a purpose to get hammered. Ugh. This wasn't what she'd planned on, but...she _did_ owe him.  
  
"What _about_ me?"  
  
"I'm just some idiot, but...you're like, Miss Tough Girl n' shit. Got your act together. Bet all kindsa guys line up for you. It's _easy_ for you to say junk like that..."  
  
"Sokka," Korra spat out with some wrath, "Guys fuckin' _run for the hills,_ dude. I'm a walking disaster area."  
  
"Somethin' we share in common..."  
  
"Oh, _fuck_ that," Korra griped at his attitude. "I _mean..._ Guys are afraid I'd _crush 'em_ to death."  
  
"Uh-huh...And I bet those _roommates_ of yours aren't interested at _all_..."  
  
"Like I care," Korra reacted with umbrage. "What does _that_ matter?"  
  
"Oh. Uh-huh. Like there's _nothin'_ going on with either of 'em."  
  
"The _hell,_ Sox?" Korra pounded the counter, causing the beer in her mug to loll around before she grabbed it and downed half the glass.  
  
 _When was the last time_ you _got screwed, Kor_ , _old girl?_  
  
The dark Guinness washed away at the tension, the urges she'd been struggling with.  
  
"Listen," she clarified firmly. "You hardly fucking _know_ those guys. Hell, _I_ hardly know those guys. What makes you think I'm gonna be jumping down their pants _already_ , eh? Before I even know _shit_ about them?"  
  
"Just _saying,_ " Sokka protested. "You _could_ if you _wanted._ "  
  
"Damn _right_ I could," Korra agreed boldly without skipping a beat. "But...-" She had lost track of where she was going to go with that...  
  
"Could? You _would_ ," Sokka teased with a toothy grin. "You're easy like that, remember?"  
  
Heh, he was getting some of that jokester bullcrap back in his system. Must've been the booze talking. What a featherweight fool.  
  
"You callin' me a ho?" was Korra's reposte.  
  
"Foh shoh," Sokka cawed.  
  
Korra shrugged, then drained the rest of her beer. She called for another, and slapped her cousin's back as he had finished his and was ready for more, in kind.  
  
"I'll bet there's some girl out there _stupid_ enough to go along with your retarded humor," Korra picked. "Just a matter of her finding you, is all."  
  
"Tsh..." Sokka shook his head slowly. "I don't _want_ someone stupid, like me. I've got plenty of _dumb_ to go around as it is..."  
  
"HA! Good point, man..."  
  
"Don't...Don't _agree_ with me!"  
  
"Don't act like a teenage drama queen, then!"  
  
Another round of drinks. Another round of jokes.  
  


* * *

\- Friday, March 11th, 2011 -  
  
Another day...still no reply.  
  
Meng was getting restless. Grrrr, when was she going to hear back from them? How long did she have to wait? She was supposed to have heard back by now, right? Were they sending it by _snail mail?_ So she had to wait on that, then...What if they said 'No?' Would she just not hear from them at all? Rrrrgh. She had to wait either way. Ugh, just...waiting on everything. Meng was getting sick of waiting on everything.  
  
Life was on hold.  
  
That was how things had been since the New Year. Waiting for high school to end. Waiting on acceptance letters for school. Waiting for the family to stop being so preoccupied with the selfish girl who'd _left the family_ and maybe worry a bit about the one who was always trying to be there for everyone, including said selfish girl. Waiting for said girl to actually _show_ 'Hey, Meng, I actually _do_ care about you and am sorry for mistreating you,' and maybe actually hear back from _her_ for a change...  
  
Meng cast a cursory glance to her dresser. Her iPhone was sitting idly by – no new messages – her Hello Kitty charm staring up at her innocently. Beside the phone was a small pile of photographs she'd had printed off a while back. They had all been photos from Thanksgiving break – ones of her and Toph. They'd been sitting there, ignored, ever since she'd finally gotten the prints back. She frowned with some disdain and regret at the photo sitting on top. They both looked so happy.  
  
It stung like a needle. Like Toph had been deceiving her the whole time, pretending to care but – just like when they were little – still thinking she was a freak, a weirdo.  
  
 _'She's trying.'_  
  
That was what Katara had been insisting in their passing internet interactions lately. Trying? What proof was there, then? How did Meng know that wasn't just Katara filling the situation with hope? Maybe Toph _was_ acting different, but from Meng's corner of the world, there was no difference. Toph hadn't offered a proper apology - had she even apologized at _all?_  
  
As Meng turned her attention to YouTube, she sighed with frustration to herself.  
  
[YouTube - Broadcast ... _ []] X ]  
[The_Blind_Bandit's Channel - … ]  
[Inbox]  
[Comments (23)]  
  
Meng sifted through the viewer remarks that had been digitally pasted to Toph's videos - it had been a little while since she'd taken a gander at them. She was tempted to express the same inconsiderate deflecting that she herself had received from Toph over the past couple of months. Why not, right? Why reply to these words with kindness, or gratitude? Toph didn't seem to believe in such things. Meng recounted back to previous incidents where Toph had reacted with disgust or apathy to user feedback and Meng had instead opted to give a more positive reply. After all, it was Toph's own good, and it wasn't like she'd _see_ it, anyway...  
  
Now Meng was regretting those white lies.  
  
A familiar sound interrupted her from her activity - it was her Facebook chat sound.  
  
She clicked to another tab and saw a small, square photo depicting Katara's cheek being kissed by Aang. _Aww._  
  
[ **Katara Kesuk** ]  
[Hey, Meng...I saw your status.]  
[Is everything OK?  ]  
  
[ **Meng Beifong** ]  
[hey]  
[just a bad day..]  
  
[ **Katara Kesuk** ]  
[I know what it's like.]  
[Feeling alone like that, I mean...]  
  
[ **Meng Beifong** ]  
[yea]  
[i remember u told me bout it.]  
  
[ **Katara Kesuk** ]  
[It'll get better, though. College is way different than high school.]  
  
Yes, she _knew._ She'd _heard._ Over and over. Why couldn't high school just _end_ already? She was fed up with over-demanding family up in her face all the time. It was no wonder Toph had struggled so hard to find some freedom. The end-of-high-school crunch was really making the Beifong family collectively crack down on Meng, a process she had been warned about.  
  
Since the new year had kicked in, she'd been receiving various newspaper clippings and internet links from her mother and other relatives directing her to various schools when they had found out she was applying for colleges. It had been a bit overwhelming and irksome, having everyone around her seeming to be directing her to where they thought she should go rather than letting her find her way. The whole thing had definitely been lending Toph some credibility in her expressed frustrations, but Meng still felt that outright abandoning her parents hadn't been a wise choice.  
  
Toph was never thinking anything through. Certainly not thinking about the hurt feelings of her cousin. Hmph. Even if Katara was right and Toph _was_ trying to nice to everyone, Meng was seeing any of it, so that just meant she was getting excluded. So it was lose-lose either way.  
  
Huh? Oh, another message from a little earlier.  
  
[ **Aang Leekpai** ]  
[hey meng]  
[just wanted to say I dunno whats going on but i'm sorry and hope youre ok.]  
  
[ **Meng Beifong** ]  
[thanks aangy.]  
  
"Meng!"  
  
Her mother's voice called to her from down the hall. She feigned ignorance. Today was a day to be in an ornery mood. It was Friday, she was done with the school week, she just wanted to dig into her otaku goodness and let all of this social/academic nonsense melt away.  
  
[Crunchyroll - Watch ... ]  
  
She scrolled through her list. What was she in the mood for today? Ouran Host Club? Naruto? Maybe that 'Suzumiya' thing one of her forum friends had told her about...?  
  
"Meng..."  
  
Wu's voice was coming from doorway, pulling her away from her anime browsing.  
  
"You have _mail_ ," Wu sighed at her daughter's tendency to be sucked into her computer screen. "You know, the kind that gets _delivered_ to the house?"  
  
"Oh..." Meng fumbled out of her seat, fidgeting with her Gundam Wing tee shirt - it was a bit big on her scrawny self so it would get misaligned when she sat in her computer chair - and scooping up the trio of envelopes from her mother. "Thanks," she mumbled half-heartedly.  
  
"Dinner will be ready soon," Wu advised curtly before waddling down the hall.  
  
Meng drearily sifted through the letters. The first was junk mail. She chucked it toward her waste bin, but missed. Meh. She'd pick it up later.  
  
The second was from Uncle Lao: Toph's dad.  
  
She let out quite an audible groan at the sight of it and didn't even bother to open it. She already knew what was inside that envelope - clippings from newspapers and magazines about how to prepare for college, or what degrees were most practical in the current economic slump, or pamphlets from fancy schools for girls who wanted to become lawyers, and engineers, and doctors...  
  
But...what was this one?  
  
Was it...? _It was._ It was it was it was it was it _wuhhzzzzz._  
  
She shredded a corner off of the envelope, wedged her finger in, and haphazardly jimmied it open. Her fingers trembled with anticipation as she unfolded the letter.  
  
{We are honored to inform you of your acceptance to Saint Roku University. On behalf of the faculty and other members of-}  
Wait, wait. Back up.  
  
{acceptance}  
  
That was the only part Meng needed to read before shrieking with delight. She tossed the letter up in the air, elbows tucked in, hands wiggling like mad as she hopped in place.  
  
"Are you all right?" Wu cried out in shock.  
  
"Yea!" Meng sang back. She was grinning like a fool now. She proudly strutted out of her room, down the hall, and to the kitchen.  
  
"What in heavens is the matter?" Wu demanded, quite off-put by Meng's explosion.  
  
Beaming, Meng stuck her hands on her hips.  
  
"I got accepted into SRU," she boasted.  
  
"Ah..." But Wu didn't seem terribly happy for her. Meng fussed with one of her bushy, frizzled braids of hair, eyeballing her mother's cautious movements as she tossed around vegetables on the frying pan.  
  
"So, uhhh...-" Meng was stroking her bulbous growth of hair, lamenting its insistence on never cooperating with her hairbrush. "It was where I was most hoping to go to school, and...-"  
  
"Mm..." That passive-aggressiveness Meng hated so very much. Her mother would never outright say anything when she was upset, would she? Ugh.  
  
"It's exciting," Meng muttered, but the mood was dead.  
  
"So this school is going to provide a strong program in the major you've finally decided on?" Wu 's gaze finally lifted from the food to stare at her daughter sternly.  
  
" _Well..._ L-like I said before, I haven't...really _decided_ on my major yet, and...-" Her eyes ran away from her mother's, studying a crack in the floor tile by the corner of the stove. "-...and it's a liberal arts school, so it'll...-" She looked back up to see the same firm gaze. "-...you know...help me figure that stuff out."  
  
"You _did_ apply to those other schools your uncle suggested, as well, yes?"  
  
"Y-yea, of course..."  
  
"Have you heard back from any of those ones?"  
  
 _Well, yea, a couple, but...I'd hate those schools..._  
  
"Uhhh...I, uh...-"  
  
"I've eaten too much bitterness to see you end up like your irresponsible cousin." Ooh, that one stung a bit. "Or your _father,_ for that matter." Owie. One-two. Right in Meng's gut.  
  
More stir-frying. Meng's mouth was agape, her chipped tooth exposed, making her look all the more childish in her oversized anime T-shirt and purple corduroy pants. Wu sighed - rather loudly, really - at the sight. Meng's mind was faltering a bit. How could Mom _say_ something like that? Dad had been...stupid. Meng would never be like Dad. Ever. And Toph? No _way._ They were...totally different people. Forget Toph. Toph could keep wallowing in all her selfishness. Meng wasn't going to be like that. She'd make friends in college and she'd hold onto them, not...be an idiot and push them away.  
  
"I'm... _not_ going to do that," Meng finally managed to dictate. "Mom..." There was a bit of pleading, asking for an apology with that one word.  
  
Wu took a deep breath and turned off the burner, still fiddling with the vegetables on the pan with her spatula.  
  
"I know, Dear," she puffed out tiredly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that..." She gave Meng a weak smile and reached her hand out, pinching the girl's cheek. Meng squinted and flinched, but she appreciated the comfortable, recurring parental gesture. "It's been a long day..."  
  
"Yea...Me, too...Thing are...super confusing right now."  
  
"You're getting ready to leave the nest," Wu observed, scooping some clumps of freshly-cooked rice onto plates. "Haha..." She smiled wide, once again surveying Meng's wildly mismatched attire. "But you still have some eggshell on your head."  
  
"Huh...?" Meng was perplexed at this analogy, but Wu simply smiled.  
  
"After what has happened with your cousin," Wu explained, dumping the vegetables on the piles of rice, "we are all concerned about what your fate will be, Meng."  
  
Meng frowned at this as she sat down at the tiny little metal table on the side of the kitchen. Three chairs - the fourth side tight against the wall.  
  
" _Yea,_ and everyone's freakin' me out...Like I'm supposed to know what I need to do with my life right _now_."  
  
"You aren't the best at planning these things," said Wu with some regret, grabbing two pairs of chopsticks. "And I worry that maybe you spend a bit too much time staring at that computer screen..."  
  
Guh. And there it was, that same old crap. She could hardly use her computer for a few days, or even ignore it for a weekend, but every single time Mom caught her on it, it was the bane of her existence and it was the _only thing she ever did, ohhhhh no._  
  
Meng folded her arms crossly as she folded up in her wooden chair. Wu set down the plates and sat across from her daughter. Meng huffed out her stress as anger at her father swelled up from how the topic had been brought up. Wu slid the small soy sauce bottle from beside the napkin holder at the table's center to her daughter's side. She knew Meng liked drizzling extra soy sauce on her rice.  
  
"It's because that's where all of my _friends_ are," Meng bemoaned. "And even _now,_ the only one I knew in person - Toph - she's...been so stupid and mean, and I...just can't take it any more."  
  
"Then forget about her, Dear," Wu soughed, shaking her head with pity. "Toph treated you poorly, just like she did her parents..."  
  
 _Pff, no, Mom, her parents...were over-protective, and forceful, and...just kinda jerks. What did_ I _ever_ _do to deserve being used and tossed aside? I need to follow Aang's advice - start sticking up for myself, not putting up with stupidness. If I don't make Toph fix her mistake on her own, she's never going to learn. If she_ really _appreciates me, then for once she can come to_ me.  
  
"I just want to have some real friends," Meng grieved, her eyes watering up from all of these thoughts. Her father, Toph, trying to finish high school, having no _idea_ what to major in at college..."But I'm a _dork,_ I'm a _weirdo,_ people don't wanna be around me in _person_ , but...on the internet, it doesn't matter what I look like. Ya know?"  
  
Wu's heart ached for her child. Such a stunning creature, so beautiful in her own eyes. Unfortunately, Wu had to confess...with a wardrobe like that, and the strange demeanor she carried, it wasn't any wonder Meng had trouble making friends at her age.  
  
"You can be a 'weirdo,' and a 'dork,'" Wu shrugged off these labels. She smiled warmly at her daughter and watched her splash some soy sauce on her stir-fry. "You may be different, Meng. And I worry about what you will do out there on your own. But I hope you won't forget that...-" She waited until Meng, grasping at her chopsticks, met her eyes. "-no matter what happens, you are still my Dumpling."  
  


* * *

"I just wanna know why we ate at _Appa's_ tonight," Jane muttered, leaning back in the booth and rubbing her full stomach tenderly. Maybe she _shouldn't_ have eaten Aang's leftover bean chili...But it had been so _good_ , even for meatless chili.  
  
"It's Toph's turn for eating out, and she chose Appa's," Sokka shrugged. It was pretty simple to _him._ Toph was in the restroom at the moment, despite having had to go when they'd arrived. They'd picked on her, as they often did, about her 'tiny bladder,' which she laughed along with instead of the usual denial.  
  
"But...we eat here all the _time_ ," Jane sighed. Ugh. At this rate, she might need to hit the shitter herself.  
  
"So when it's _your_ turn, we'll eat where _you_ feel like," Sokka tiredly dismissed Jane's remark. "No point complaining."  
  
"I wasn't _complaining,_ " Jane defended. "I was just...-" A bony shoulder popped up. "It's kinda odd, is all. Funny, I mean. It's just kinda funny."  
  
There was a soft humming coming from the table next to Katara - it was Toph's phone. Katara peeked her head over to glance at the phone's screen before she spoke, seeming to ignore it.  
  
"I think Toph just figured she'd make it easy on everyone," Katara theorized. Eating at Appa's meant not having to make a car trip anywhere. Plus, it meant everyone could use 'transfer meals,' since Appa's was owned and operated by the college, which basically meant no one had to pay anything extra, even.  
  
"And ya know...What's _with_ that, anyway?" Jane grunted out as her throat bubbled with an uncomfortable burning.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Toph tryin' to be all... _nice_ and shit. Like some switch got flipped. The hell's up with her?" Jane squirmed in her seat on the edge of the booth. She drank some of her remnants of water.  
  
"Yea, somethin' happen recently?" Sokka prodded. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not missin' ol' 'Queen of the Cunts,' and all, but...-" He shrugged up his arms in expectation of some history on this situation.  
  
Katara blinked at her brother with some confusion for a moment, then over at Jane, who was also eying her with suspicion. Aang's head was resting on her shoulder, his body slumped over. She couldn't tell if he had dozed off or was just resting quietly. He'd had a busy week, she knew, and had stayed up late the night prior to finish a project. She lifted her hand up to his head and rang her fingers across his scalp, scratching with affection in slow, methodical motions.  
  
"Toph...-" Katara sighed, still petting her boyfriend's head.  
  
"Things hit her," Aang's voice finally chimed in, relaxed and calm. "Hard," he added.  
  
"Like a...fist?" Sokka considered, putting his knuckles into his opposing palm.  
  
"Heh..." Aang grinned, his eyes half-closed as he smiled pleasantly from the sensation massaging his head. "I mean, like...Everyone being upset with her, and why. I think it just all hit her last week, and she... _gets_ it."  
  
"You mean all the crap we've been trying to get through her fuckin' skull?" said Jane tiredly. "Finally drilled that hole deep enough?"  
  
"Yea, that's...pretty much it," Katara acknowledged with a light nod. For a moment, she considered mentioning Toph's...breakdown. She decided not to - it could help explain things to Sokka and Jane, but at the same time, she felt like it'd be breaking some...unspoken... _something._ "She's made a lot of mistakes. She sees that now."  
  
" _Tch,_ " Sokka snorted. "Well not _really_ 'sees,' 'cuz...-"  
Katara's dagger glare stopped his corniness dead in its tracks. He coughed awkwardly and waggled a hand, allowing her to continue.  
  
"This isn't a _joke_ ," Katara huffed. "She's really trying to turn things around, guys."  
  
Jane and Sokka exchanged glances of consideration at this.  
  
"You _know_ what that sort of stuff is like," Katara added. "Jane," she specified, calling her red-headed friend's attention. Dull olive eyes met Katara's somewhat expectant glance, and Jane felt a bit of remorse from this reminder.  
  
"Y-yea, I do," she mumbled in her gravely voice with a feeble shrug. She rubbed at her chest with irritation from her heartburn. Sokka belched, smacking his chops together as he watched Toph making her way back over with caution. "I get it," she conceded quietly.  
  
"Oh, hey, Toph," Katara spurt out, noticing the girl's presence.  
  
"Uhhh...Hey?" Toph mumbled back, reaching her hand out to feel for the table. They'd been talking about her - she could tell. The question ' _What were ya talkin' about?_ ' lingered on her mind but she resisted the temptation.  
  
"You got a call just now," Katara chirped.  
  
Toph replied with an ornery "Mm."  
  
"It was from your Dad," Katara advised as Toph plopped herself down beside her roommate.  
  
"Yep..."  
  
"Isn't that, like, the third time he's tried calling you this week?"  
  
"I dunno..." But Toph knew full well that Katara's memory was accurate.  
  
"Shouldn't you...maybe call him back?"  
  
Toph was restraining herself from lashing out at Katara's snippy, forced suggestiveness.  
  
"Maybe...later," she grunted out.  
  
"It could be important."  
  
"O _kay._ "  
  
Katara's hand stopped running across Aang's head and she took in a deep breath through her nose.  
  
"Meh, if it was, he'd leave a message, right?" Sokka tossed away concern. Katara frowned at him again, illustrating her disapproval at his example.  
  
"I guess so," Katara agreed begrudgingly. "But...still...I mean, he's trying to get in touch with you. Speaking of, have you talked with Meng at all lately?"  
  
"...Not...yet," Toph mumbled. Ugh. So many things still hurt right now. The disappointment in Meng's voice still echoed around the corners of her mind. It was hard enough just being around Katara and Aang all lovey-dovey...and Sokka and Jane, too, after all that she'd done (which she knew they didn't just forget). Meng she knew she'd really hurt, too. She couldn't balance that on top of everything else. Not yet.  
  
"Ah. Well...I bet she'd love to hear from you," Katara tossed the idea out, feigning innocence, but Toph figured Katara had been speaking with her cousin. At least it...sounded reassuring...?  
  
"She'll work it out," Aang said quietly, nuzzling his head across Katara's collarbone, his skull grazing the edges of her bosom. She smiled and kissed his forehead gently. Toph's stomach churned at the slight sound of it, and Sokka rolled his eyes at them.  
  
" **Oooooogie** ," he protested flatly, arms crossed over his stomach.  
  
"You _said_ it," Jane agreed with a smirk, picking at the remains of her curly fries.  
  
"We can always _leave_ if we're that _offensive t_ o your delicate sensibilities," Katara taunted deviously, flashing them a grin. Sokka didn't like that grin. That was a mischievous grin she'd put on...  
  
Aang lazily worked his arm around Katara's waist, lifted his head up, eyes closed, and squeezed her, landing a long, soft kiss on her neck. Her should crept up, and the mischief in her smile melted, giving way to ecstasy, and she giggled.  
  
" _Ewwww_ ," Sokka continued to whine. He thrust out his arm, nearly stabbing Jane's head with his index finger. "This is a _public_ dinner, and there are to be _no_ **oogies** present! All **oogies** must report to...erm...somewhere else!"  
  
"Heheh..." Katara latched her hand on Aang's jaw and caressed it once before letting him go. "What do you think, my Penguin?" she wondered, tickling his ribs to stir him. "Are you done eating?"  
  
Aang nodded, rubbing at his eyes after he recovered from the minor tickle attack.  
  
"I'm ready to go," he declared with exhaustion, stretching out his arms.  
  
"Good _riddance_!" Sokka shooed them off, flicking his wrists as if they were cockroaches.  
  
"Excuse us, Toph," Katara chimed politely. Toph obeyed, getting up from her seat and letting them pass. After they'd gotten up, Katara told her, "OK, you're good now," and at that, Toph sunk back into the booth.  
  
"Leaving?" Toph muttered, a bit startled at their sudden desire to disappear. Another tiny kissing sound. Urgh.  
  
"Well, no **oogies** allowed here, soooo...we'll just take them ' _somewhere else_!'" Katara boasted with a badgering intonation at the end, giving her grudge-faced brother a wink and a finger wag.  
  
"Shit, what time is it?" Jane grumbled, twisting her neck to see the clock hanging up on the back wall of the restaurant. She grabbed her paper plate and cup and began to scoot out of her seat, as well. "I've gotta get to the lab; group project," she growled. "Ten minutes late," she added in haste, dumping her trash in a nearby bin and zipping off. "Later!" she yelped with a quick wave, fleeing the scene in a hurry.  
  
There was silence for a moment. Then a loud _'shhllurrrrpph'_ as Sokka sucked through his straw at the remnants of his cup of root beer.  
  
"Be back in a sec," he grunted. Toph stuck her hand out in his direction.  
  
"Hey, whoa, wait," she stopped him. "Fill me up, too, would ya?" she asked, groping around the table for her cup. Ah, there it was.  
  
"That's got Katara germs on it," Sokka advised, amused. Oh, oops. Wrong one. Before she could react, Sokka grabbed the one he knew was hers. "I got it," he assured. "Whatcha want?" he called to her as he traversed Appa's, making way for the soda machine. It was a bit busy, being a Friday night, but most of the rush had died down at this point.  
  
" _Duh?_ " Toph mocked. "The Good Doctor! Hell- _oh!_ "  
  
Sokka rolled his eyes with a smirk as he dunked some ice into their cups.  
  
Toph fidgeted in her seat as she waited. She had a sneaking suspicion Katara was bringing Aang back to their dorm room, and she sure as hell didn't want to walk in on...whatever was potentially going to happen there. Maybe she'd head over to the music building and practice for a while?  
  
 _Tukk._  
Her cup being set down in front of her.  
  
 _Phhfff.  
_ The cushion of the booth across from her deflating slightly from Sokka's weight.  
  
With care, Toph grasped her stubby hands around her cup and took a sip from the straw.  
  
"Thanks," she muttered out when the idea struck her. "Oh, and...uh...'Please,' or something. From before. When I asked for the refill," she scoffed at her own attempts at politeness.  
  
" _Ha_ ," chuckled Sokka, scrounging up the waste Katara and Aang had left behind. His sister normally didn't forget to clean up after herself. She must've been-...Ugh. He shuddered...- _horny,_ or something. _EW EW EW. NO. Scratch that!_  
  
"Hey, I'm _tryin'_ over here," Toph defended herself regarding the open topic of courtesy she'd just mentioned. She took another sip. "Turnin' a new leaf, all that shit. Right? Gotta start somewhere."  
  
"That's my sister gettin' to ya, eh?" Sokka sighed, bemused by how Katara would advise _him_ to not let Suki baby him and tell him how to act, then go and coddle Toph like some toddler and try training her like a dog to act polite in front of company. Well...That's what _had_ to be happening, right? Why _else_ would Toph be bothering to act all 'nice' and crap?  
  
"Heh, guess you could say that," Toph mumbled, her head tilting downward a bit. "She's been...ya know...lookin' out for me lately."  
  
Sokka studied her face with a keen eye. He couldn't quite make a read. Toph was usually so straight-forward to 'get,' but for the past week, she... _wasn't._  
  
"She been giving you a hard time?" Sokka wondered. Toph's eyes widened with some embarrassment at this idea.  
  
"Whh...Well, she's...ya know...being _Katara,_ and stuff..."  
  
"Sooo... _Yes?_ "  
  
"Nnno, it's-...I dunno." Her brows slanted down and her lips curved in a weird way. She scratched at her forehead, her heavy bangs flipping around.  
  
"Meh. Well, I'm just sayin', if she starts giving you a hard time, let me know. I'll get her off your back."  
  
Toph smiled weakly at his offer and she sighed. He didn't understand. Why _would_ he, anyway? It's not like he knew what she was going through...Pff, he was a _MeatHead,_ anyway, like he'd be able to get it.  
  
"You doin' OK?" Sokka double-checked after seeing her space out for a moment.  
  
"I'm fine," she grunted. "Why?"  
  
"N-nothin'," Sokka rushed the word out, fearful to rile her up. "Ya just...are actin' a little odd these days."  
  
"Yea?" she snipped with some hostility. "Well... _yea,_ " she huffed out pointlessly, dropping her chin into her palm, elbow down on the table. She blew a gust of air at her forehead hair. "You seem pretty OK for having just broken up," she pointed out, redirecting the focus on him. Besides, he _did_ seem pretty mellow about the whole thing. Toph suspected maybe he was just playing the same game of hideaway she'd been.  
  
"Uhh..." Sokka raised a brow at her remark and shrugged to himself. "Yea, I...guess I am," he acknowledged with a smidgen of offense. "It's not like I didn't see it coming," he mumbled with introspection. "I mean, come on - I'm a _screwup._ I'm a friggin' goofball, ya know? Looking back, I still wonder why Suki even gave me the light of day in the first place..."  
  
Toph's milky eyes glinted with a darkness as her nose wrinkled in self-disgust.  
  
"I know what ya mean," she snarled to herself with desolation, bobbing her head a bit.  
  
Sokka hadn't caught her expression change, and at this point her hair was veiling her face too much, but he'd certainly _heard_ the self-loathing come out of her. So _that_ was what it was all about, was it? The almighty mud-slinger was actually feeling _down on herself_? What a change of pace. It put some alternate context into Sokka's own contemplation and let him look on the bright side: at least he hadn't _cheated_ on Suki...or caused a metric ton of drama for everyone. Right?  
  
Then again...maybe that was just because he didn't seem to _care_. Eck. That notion didn't settle too well with him, either.  
  
"Guess us screwups just need a kick in the teeth once in a while," Sokka mused tiredly, leaning back against the booth with a deep sigh.  
  
There was a long silence after this remark as the two of them brooded on their shortcomings, slurping away at soda. Toph's stomach was squirming with discomfort after a minute or so of idle background chatter. Last Friday: falling apart on the sidewalk in the rain. _That_ had been quite a kick in the teeth. And Sokka was right - she'd needed it.  
  
"I...-" she began. Her throat dried up on her. She cleared it with a rough cough and tried again. "I, umm...had a breakdown last week," she confessed, out of the blue. The second the words had spilled out she desperately wished she could take them back. Why had she just said that? Why in the _fuck_ had she just let Sokka know about that?  
  
Sokka could practically feel the heat of embarrassment emanating from Toph's cheeks from across the table. When he didn't reply, shocked by her sudden admission, Toph was compelled to explain. Explaining was better than the awkward silence. She had grown so sick of silence during her days of isolation from her friends.  
  
"It was-...I-I mean, like, I found out about...Katara and Aang. Right? Like, _so_ fuckin' awkward. And...I-I dunno, it just...kicked me in the teeth," she sheepishly muttered, using his own phrase as she tousled her ponytail nervously. That awful empty-stomach feeling was overpowering as she struggled to face the surge of emotion from that night, clawing its way out from the recesses of her mind. She blinked briskly, her eyes dampening beyond her control. _Ohhhh,_ no. That wasn't gonna happen. She wasn't going to start bawling in front of fucking _Snoozles_ over here. He'd never let her live it down. Shit, she'd probably already crossed that line, anyway. Ugh.  
  
"Didn't feel so good, did it?" Sokka observed with a tint of coldness. "The penny dropped, huh? Well..." He frowned, scratching at the scruff on his face that was forming from a lack of shaving. "That's what _I_ felt that day you brought up Yue..."  
  
Guilt blended in with guilt. Regret with regret.  
  
"Y-yea, about that, I-"  
"It's OK. You were _right_."  
  
Toph's lips hung open slightly, uncertain as to how to react.  
  
"For once, I knew what it was like to be _you_ ," Sokka explained, deciding he'd offer a confession of his own in exchange for her openness. "Being forced to face the truth I was running from. And junk." He blinked with some confusion in spite of himself. "Does that make sense?" he murmured with some doubt.  
  
" _Totally_ ," Toph agreed, eager to try and regain ground she'd been losing from his favor as of late. "And...Like, _really..._ I'm sorry," she insisted on completing her apology.  
  
"It's fine," Sokka dismissed with an arm toss she couldn't see. "You _are_ a female, after all: being a bitch is genetic."  
  
Toph's face fumed with offense at that remark. She would've punched him for the insult, but...damnitall, every time she tried _that_ lately - on him, specifically - she only seemed to end up getting _herself_ hurt in the process.  
  
From Sokka's end, seeing her embarrassment dissolve into irritation was a treat. Katara had been quickly becoming resilient to his picking lately, so if Toph had weakness exposed...Hell, why not?  
  
"Yea? Well...So...-" Toph's gears were practically crunching together, Sokka could see it. "It...It's just like _you._ 'Cuz...you're a _guy,_ and...so...you have a dick. 'Cuz you _are_ a dick...And...-"  
"Yeeeaaa, you oughtta _stop_ before ya hurt yourself, there, Dead-Eyes..."  
  
Toph's lips puckered out with dismay at her failure. She was too muddled by emotion to make comebacks right now.  
  
"It's all good, your brain is filling up with _estrogen_ from all of this _emotion,_ so of course I wouldn't expect you to be in any condition to make proper banter."  
  
What a little bitchy... _man-bitch! Ugh._ He was lucky she was blind, or she'd pop him one in the-...Oh, hey. Wait a sec...  
  
She thrust her foot out, hoping to catch him unawares in the shin.  
  
 _Bumff!_  
  
She gasped in pain, having stubbed her toe - fuckin' flip-flops - on the metal pole holding the table upright.  
  
Sokka snorted out laughter at her pain. Geeeeeez...Hilarious. And Korra thought _she_ was a 'walking disaster area?'  
  
"Remember that part _just now_ when I warned you about _hurting yourself_?"  
  
"Shuddap-shuddap-shuddap!" Toph roared, biting her lip and sucking in air from her minor, self-sustained injury.  
  
The students in the booth behind her were looking at the back of her head with puzzled glances, which only tempted Sokka to chuckle more.  
  
"Hoooo, boy," Sokka sighed with relief. "Thanks, Taters. I needed that."  
  
"Don't call me that," Toph whimpered out, crossing her legs onto the booth and tenderly touching her toe, examining it with her fingers. "That's-...I don't wanna be called that anymore..."  
  
"Not _my_ fault you're obsessed with-"  
"I'm serious."  
  
Sokka went slack-jawed. Man, what the _hell?_ Toph was going back and forth tonight. Stupid, brash, and silly one second, then all serious and brooding the next. Back and forth, black and white, like Yin and Yang, and-...Oh. Huh. Amusing.  
  
"It's-...That... _name_...is from when I was...-" She couldn't seem to bring herself to _say_ it. "But I'm _not_ anymore, and so...-"  
  
"O-OK, yea, all right," Sokka tried to put her at ease. Pff, man. Having to put _Toph_ at ease? What was going _on_ tonight? " _That_ why you keep, uhh...catching yourself?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"From calling him 'Twinkle-Toes.'"  
  
"Oh..." Toph's head seemed to shrink into her shoulders a bit. "Pretty much..."  
  
"Hm..." Sokka was curiously intrigued by this. A 'girly' thing, he supposed, letting something like an endearing nickname have some kind of deep, invested attachment. He hadn't struck Toph as the type to feel that intensely about it. If he had to guess, it was because she usually _wasn't._ "You weren't lying, were you?"  
  
"About...?"  
  
"About having a breakdown."  
  
" _No_. I wasn't," Toph hissed back, insulted that he'd doubted her integrity when she was being so open with him.  
  
"So, uhhh...I see that now."  
  
"Good." Oh, great. Now Toph was fuming, her eyes oddly quivering with the beginnings of tears. She sniffled. Sokka leaned forward to take a-... _Whoa-ho,_ wait. She _sniffled?_ Oh, man...Sokka tried to ignore her seemingly random sniveling and drank from his soda. He hoped she'd stop. It was awkward. What was _he_ supposed to do about it?  
  
"What's...-?" Sokka managed out.  
  
Toph coughed, choking on her own sob. She spoke, her voice squeaking a bit.  
  
"I'm...umm...-" Another cough to clear her throat. "Just...thinking about stuff...Sorry..."  
  
Sokka's expression collapsed into empathy as he pitied the blind, near-to-tears girl in front of him. Argh. He'd been so down on himself these days, but when he tried comparing his own mistakes against hers, he had to admit...her grave was a lot deeper than his. If what Katara had tried to explain to him was correct, she finally understood this, and was hoping to get some help _out_ of said grave.  
  
He thought hard about this. What did every girl he knew _really_ want when they were crying, or about to cry, or having just _finished_ crying...?  
  
He got up from his booth and tapped her shoulder with the back of his wrist.  
  
"What...?" Toph groaned, abashed with her lack of control over...fucking... _emotion._ Rrgghh.  
 _Look what you've done to me, Katara..._  
  
"C'mon. Get up," Sokka advised calmly.  
  
Toph hesitated. She wasn't exactly in the mood to get up and about, she was using all of her energy to stem the tides of stupid female hormones. Sokka's hand tapped her again. She huffed through her nostrils and begrudgingly abided.  
  
She took in a sharp intake of breath as she felt Sokka's chunky arms tighten around her, pressing their chests together. He squeezed – a bit too tight for comfort, really, and _hulgh, ulff_...smacked her back roughly (such a _guy_ thing). In her emotionally vulnerable, mixed-up state of mind, she felt her face boil over with flustered distraction. Her body tingled, shivering with an unpleasant attraction. The last thing she needed right now was _another_ clusterfuck of emotions to get tossed into the blender.  
  
"It's all good," Sokka tried to quell her doubts. He had some experience dealing with little sisters who were overreacting to...well...nothing. This was just like that. Hugs seemed to be the magic key to getting irrational women to calm the hell down, right?  
  
Toph's mind was whirling, her heart pounding in her chest. Was he gonna let her _go?_ Any fucking _second now..._  
  
"Ya done?" Sokka asked, breaking their bodies apart, hands planted on her shoulders. She looked...terrified. Haha. Poor Dead-Eyes. Girl didn't know how to cope with a simple hug, huh?  
  
Toph's lips hung open just slightly, her head dizzy from the blood that had rushed to it, her lungs sputtering out shaky breaths. She wriggled herself from out of his grip and wiped at her face before the tears that had built up could slide out.  
  
"I'm _done_ ," she said, making clear her agitation. "Next time I wanna be _touched_ by your fat, meaty... _meat-hands_...I'll... _say so_ ," she snipped, making out his uncharacteristic gesture to be molestation. "I don't like being touched all of a sudden like that," she hastily reinforced her startled reaction.  
  
"Well...I don't...like seeing women start _crying_ in front of me," Sokka grumbled testily. Go _figure._ He tries to do the friendly, gentlemanly thing of showing kindness, and support, and...touchy-feely _friendship_ and she swaps personalities _again._ Didn't women _like_ hugs when they were all...over-emotional, and leaking estrogen everywhere?  
  
Maybe Toph was having her period. Yea, that had to be it. That would explain a lot.  
  
"That's great," Toph threw a tizzy, groping around for her walking stick. "Now I know to...to not let that _happen_ around you anymore." Got it. She felt her palm around the tabletop, fingers outstretched to find that cup.  
  
"Didn't realize that a simple _hug_ was so offensive," Sokka bemoaned her attitude. How come _Aang_ was able to do touchy-feely stuff and even people like _Jane_ were OK with it? Was there, like, some special way of doing it that he didn't understand? Did he lack the _feminine finesse_ to execute a simple fucking hug without upsetting Miss MudSlug here?  
  
He suddenly realized that Toph was sucking down soda from her straw, already heading off on her own. Those students from before were eyeballing him, giggles on the tips of their tongues at whatever awkward moment they'd witnessed secondhand. Sokka ignored them and pursued Toph, frustrated with her idiotic mood-swinging.  
  
"Hey, don't you want somebody to walk you to...erm...wherever you're going?" he attempted to offer. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, right? Maybe if he just kept trying that route...  
  
"No." _Yes. Yes. Warm man-hands on my shoulder. Nice. Warm._ "I know how to fucking _walk_ on my own, Sokka..."  
  
"A-all right, but-...What did I-?"  
" _Just-!_ " Toph screeched to a halt. "...Leave me alone." _Arms. Warm arms. I fucking_ miss _warm, boy arms._ "Please."  
  
"Did I do something wrong?"  
  
 _No. Nooooo, no, no. Silly boy.  
Urghhh. Fuck. Shit. Shitty shit fuck fuck. This is wrong. Not you, _me. _That's what's wrong._  
  
"Ugh, no, I'm...just...PMS-ing, OK? So...whatever." She started off down the hall again, running her fingertips along the textured wall. "I need some space. So...Good night."  
  
Aha! He _knew it._ Silly girls and their silly hormonal... _things._ Friggin' eh. Sokka knew better than to think he could figure women out. Even _Toph_ succumbed to double-X-chromosome nonsensical tendencies, it was just that Aang and Katara were the ones to serve clean-up duty.  
  
Pff. Good riddance. This whole 'emotional support' bullshit was _not_ his strength, clearly.  
  
After Toph had found her way outside to the chilled night air she gave pause. She set her half-full cup of soda on the sidewalk at her feet, and pressed her palm against her left chest.  
  
 _ **Bud-ump, bud-ump, bud-ump.**_  
  
Her heart hadn't really slowed down since those arms had been around her. She then scraped her fingernails against the base of her neck out of frustration, tugging at her ponytail.  
  
 _Damnit all to fucking **hell**. I can't do this again. I can't go through this again._  
  
 _I can't hurt someone else like that again. I won't do it. No way._  
  
 _It's just a thing. It's whatever. I'm a fucking heart-breaker. It'll pass._  
  
Questions raced through Toph's mind. Why had she opened up to Sokka in the first place? Why had she swelled up with attraction at their proximity? Surely it was simply because she was all emotionally fucked up and confused right now. And he was freshly single, too. Right? So it was just the...'When-Harry-Met-Sally' Syndrome thing. Yea. Jane had _just_ been telling her about it, she'd had the same thing with Sokka just, like...whatever. Like the other week, or something? It was a passing thought, a basic, human natural instinct... _thing._ A phase. And she got over it, because she knew it was _ridiculous._ This was the same thing. Toph was just desperate and fucked up in the head and didn't even _know_ what she wanted.  
  
She'd just wait for this phase to pass.  
  
She didn't need another kick in the teeth right now.


	75. Blessing

\- Saturday, March 12th, 2011 -

"Uhhhh..." Suki paused awkwardly after the band's commotion had settled.

"What's up?" Jane wondered, though she felt confident she knew the answer.

Suki exchanged a concerned glance with Katara, who looked a bit exhausted.

"Well, it's just..."

"It's me," Toph sighed in self-degradation. "I'm sucking it up tonight. I get it." _Damnit. I can't even play tonight. The hell's wrong with me?_

There was another tentative silence for a few seconds as the other three girls, while acknowledging the truth of that statement - that Toph was playing poorly this evening - contemplated how to react to her out-of-character brooding. Toph was usually the one criticizing _them,_ and it was because she had the most experience and talent. So what was the deal today?

"Toph, it's...-" Suki attempted to console her. "We all have our off-nights sometimes. It's fine."

"Yea," Toph muttered in self-loathing. _Having an 'off-night' is different than realizing what a fuck-up you are..._

Suki huffed through her nostrils with impatience at Toph's attitude and pulled herself together immediately thereafter.

"All right, let's just...give it a another try, then."

"Nah, I'm...done for tonight," Toph sighed, giving her electric guitar an angry and brief strum before unplugging the instrument. _I'm just bringin' you all down..._

Katara, confused and a bit distraught, rushed to help Toph pack up and be ready to head out.

"Uhhh...So I guess we're just gonna stop early tonight?" Suki announced, her tone conveying her frustration through courtesy.

"Oh, erm...-" Jane, her bass still slung over her shoulder, shrugged, watching Katara coddle after Toph. "I _guess,_ " she conceded.

"Sorry, guys," Toph begrudgingly apologized. "You can keep going on without me, I'm just...out of it."

"It's all right, Toph," Katara eased, rubbing her roommates shoulders briskly.

"Well, we _do_ have a show coming up, and...we kind of need to be in practice," Suki advised.

"What about tomorrow?" Katara offered politely. "I'm free tomorrow."

"I'm game," Jane agreed.

"Yea...That would work," Suki sighed, still miffed at their practice time being cut short. It would be more convenient to just hammer stuff out right here and now."

"Does that work for you?" Katara asked Toph, shaking her gently by the arms.

" _Rrmph_ ," Toph grunted out her grumpy agreement. _Don't see how I'll be any better by then..._

"OK." Suki puffed out a gust of air once more, her grief clear. "I'll give you a call Katara. I'm thinking probably, like, two or three?"

"Sure." Katara nodded. "Sorry, Suki."

"No, it's...-" Suki began, trailed off, shaking her head and tossing her arm with dismissal.

The girls tidied up, leaving the equipment that wasn't theirs and taking what was. They bid each other a good night and went on their way, which meant Suki headed for Terra and the rest headed for Aqua.

"What happened back there?" Jane asked after they had walked through some silence for a minute or two. "You sick again or somethin', Dead-Eyes?"

Toph's stomach _was_ feeling queasy, but not in the way a physical illness would cause. Her mind was lingering on the regrets of the past few months, and ever since her encounter with Sokka the night before, she was having trouble getting his voice - his fucking _arms_ \- out of her head. It made no sense, and it pissed her the hell off.

"A lotta shit on my mind," Toph mumbled, her arm tangled around Katara's.

"Ah." Jane nodded cautiously at this. Toph - _thinking about stuff?_ That was fuckin' _weird._

"Well, there's a lot going on lately," Katara sheepishly acknowledged her stress. "It's fine. I felt like that a little while back. You'll be all right, Hun. We have your back."

Jane considered that for a moment. Katara's words from the night before wouldn't leave her alone.

 _"You_ know _what that sort of stuff is like...Jane."_

Jane cleared her throat, grinned, and gave Toph a soft punch in the gut. Toph winced and whimpered grouchily.

"C'mon, you're supposed to be the tough one here," Jane teased. Toph didn't really react much to this, and Jane decided to give up on it. Toph was like a rock, often unfazed when she set her mind to a certain attitude.

After arriving back at Aqua and unloading, Toph got ready for bed while Katara checked her e-mail. Jane, in the meantime, went through her phone.

[From: johnny]

[  ? ]

[Sent: 6:13pm]

Jane smirked, lifting an eyebrow. He seemed to have a habit of 'initiating' text message conversations with a symbol or a smiley or some nonsense.

[Reply]  
[To: Johnny]  
[sorry i was at practice. whats up?]  
[Sent: 8:02pm]

She set herself down at her wooden desk chair with a tired sigh. She glanced over at the empty desk to her left. Jin was gone - as usual - doing whatever the fuck it was that Jin was always doing. In that moment of solitude Jane found herself frustrated with her living situation. The room was always empty. No Johnny to come visit, no roommate around...She found herself going across the hall all of the time. But then she took that thought backwards - wasn't it _good_ that she even _gave_ a shit about seeing people? Smellerbee would've _preferred_ locking herself away...but Jane wasn't going to live life on her own anymore, no matter what. She was dead-set on this idea.

Jane took a gander at her computer, refreshing a couple pages. No e-mails. Nothing from Facebook. Another glance at her phone. No reply yet.

She closed the internet browser and faced a background wallpaper of a photo of her and Katara, both red-faced and laughing, from New Year's. Korra had been taking pictures to document the event (and to make fun of people later) but Jane had grown super attached to this particular photo.

She scrolled back to the main menu screen of her cell and paused, carefully examining the photo background: a closeup of her and Johnny during a date over a year ago, when he'd taken her to a shooting range for Valentine's Day.

Jane decided to take this opportunity to take her evening hormonal medication. She trudged over to her dresser, sung open her underwear/socks drawer, pulled out the plastic container that separated her daily dosages, and plucked out her pills. She stared at them for a couple seconds, a sharp spike of reflection rattling her brain. She looked up to the mirror hanging on the back of their door, observing herself. Since the new year, her friends had been making remarks about her looking more "girly." She studied herself harshly and concluded this was, in fact, true...But her face. Her face was still just as blunt and boyish as always. Sunken eyes, bagged skin drooping underneath...And her hair was a shaggy mess.

She picked up the room temperature bottle of water that was half consumed, still sitting at her desk from earlier that day. Clenching her pills in one hand, she unscrewed the cap as her mind trudged through frustrated thoughts.

_I'm not quite a guy, not quite a girl._

_The girl inside me wants Johnny._

_The boy inside me wants Katara._

_And I can't have either._

_At least...not yet._

She swallowed her doubts down with the gulp of water and medication as a light knocking at her open door pulled her to Katara's pensive expression.

"Hey."

"Mm," she hummed back, tipping up her head as she finished guzzling down extra water.

"Did you still want to hang out for a bit?" Katara asked.

"Oh. Yea," Jane nodded. She wiggled the bottle in her hand. "Just had to take my pills."

Katara's eyes popped wide open and she sheepishly smiled with a nervous twitch.

" _Right_ , I...almost forgot about my own..." She whirled back around and went straight into her room to consume her own daily dosage as Toph squirmed around in her covers on her bed.

Jane glared at Katara's flustered mannerism, admiring the attraction of her dorky and quaint scurrying that was sprinkled over top some concern.

"Night, Toph."

"Night, Sister-Face."

Katara closed the door behind her. She was still in jeans and a sweatshirt, clearly not ready for sleep just yet. As a matter of fact, it was just past eight - how was Toph already so tired? Seemed kind of early.

" _So!_ " Katara clasped her hands together before her waist, prancing back into Jane's room.

"Lookit us druggies," Jane noted with some humor.

"Heh, yea..." Katara shrugged haphazardly, leaning herself in the doorway arch as Jane sat at her chair.

"At this rate, Dead-Eyes is gonna need some fuckin' pills, too," Jane sighed, amused by the girl's mood-swinging. Katara laughed through her nose at the remark, then entered the room, closing the door behind her with care. "What's goin' _on_ with her, anyway? She gonna be all right?"

Katara puffed out a dreary sigh and collapsed herself on Jane's bed, her head sagging down as she hunched over the side.

"She's taking everything out on herself," Katara decided.

"Good," said Jane with solid resolve, as she had been every time this topic seemed to get brought up. Katara's head bobbed left and right in stingy agreement.

"Yea, it...means she's accepting everything, and...I know she wants to make everything right. I think she's just intimidated by it all."

"Dug herself a deep hole o' shit," Jane nodded. "...And I, uh...know the feelin'..."

Katara quickly looked up at her friend with sympathy and Jane's glance danced away as she shrugged.

"Seems like you're always the one pulling us outta pits," Jane murmured thoughtfully. "But...like...-" Jane's sentence froze up as she stared down at her bee-striped toe-socks. She wriggled her right toes, her arms hung on the corner of her chair. "I dunno, I wanna...do somethin'. To help Toph, I mean."

Jane's gaze caught a smirk of pride from Katara out of the corner of her eye, and her heart fluttered at this before she grounded herself.

"I needed _you..._ a-and the others...to get me outta shit creek when I lost my paddle," Jane explained. "So...I wanna...lend Toph...my _paddle_...?" she waggled her wrist around loosely, hoping the metaphor had come out right. Katara snorted out a laugh, and Jane smiled. "Hey, shut up, it...made sense in my head."

"I get it," Katara assured.

"So I was thinkin', Kat...What's a musician Toph likes a lot?"

"Huh?" Katara's face perked with surprise at the question as she tapped her cheek, immediately seeking answers.

"Besides the Beatles," Jane added, to which Katara nodded.

"I know she likes P!nk," Katara muttered carefully.

"'Pink'...?" Jane mumbled, confused. Someone named after such a girly color did _not_ sound like Toph's cup of tea.

"I'm _sure_ you've heard her stuff before," said Katara with confidence. Jane blinked at her, dropping her arms into her lap with a slight shake of the head.

"Oh, come _on_ , you totally have," Katara pressed. She slide across the bed and leaned over Jane's lap, immediately accessing her laptop's keyboard and pulling up YouTube in an instant. Jane's body burned at the proximity, Katara's tangled hair hanging a few inches from her face, her neck trickling out traces of the perfume she wore for Aang. Jane scooted her chair back a bit to give distance between them, and Katara seemed too absorbed in the screen to notice this awkward gesture.

"It makes sense, really," Katara prattled. "Her and P!nk have a lot in common. A lot of her songs have, like, this message behind them, about being true to yourself, and stuff like that. And they're both, like, totally tomboyish, but still feminine, at the same time. You know what I mean?"

Jane nodded gently at Katara's words, still recovering from the tension her body had been seized by.

"Here, lemme show you this one song. You _have_ to know this one..."

* * *

\- Sunday, March 13th, 2011 -

"You're sure it's not going to be a big deal?" Aang squeaked quietly as Katara casually tugged him along into her dorm room.

"Toph's off practicing, I bet." She closed her door behind them. "It's _fine,_ Hun, really."

Aang swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry despite having just eaten lunch.

"But...-" His eyes were nervous, his gaze scattering all about - everywhere _but_ Katara, to try and keep his cool. It was failing. "But what if she comes back, and...and we're-"  
"It's _fine,_ ya goof..." Katara locked the door with a sly smile before approaching him, wrapping her arms around his waist. His palms found their way to her hips and they stood, torsos combined, faces glowing with intimacy. Katara nuzzled her nose against his and he grinned playfully at the gesture. She tucked her chin against his slender shoulder and ran her fingers along his spine, rolling across each scapula as the fabric of his T-shirt warped from the gentle waves of her caressing.

His thumbs massaged her sides timidly as she reached up around his ears, popping off his hat and dropping it to the floor. She stroked his scalp, running her fingers through his hair. It was a bit long at this point, compared to his usual - longer than she'd ever seen it before. Probably an inch, inch and a half long by now? She savored the way he exhaled slowly at her touch when she went back down to the base of his neck.

"Heh...You need a haircut, Penguin."

"Mm?" Aang rubbed his ear against the side of her neck.

"Maybe a buzzcut...?" Katara ruminated.

" _Pff_ , you think I'd look good bald, or something?" Aang remarked quietly, amused by the idea.

"Actually...-" Katara leaned her head back, cocked it to the side, and squinted carefully at his face, which was pink and smiling rather giddily. "-... _yes,_ I think you would," she decided in a courteous tone. He laughed and rubbed his hands briskly around her waist.

"Well...I'm not sure I wanna be _bald_ bald," Aang compromised, "but sure...I can go back to the short hair."

" _Super_ short hair," Katara haggled coyly.

"Right," Aang conceded with a sharp nod. It was only fair, after all, given all of the loopy, droopy, crazy beautiful things Katara did with _her_ hair for _his_ sake. Katara laughed in a smooth hum, her eyelids sliding closed as she parted her lips around his own. One kiss became two, and three, and four. Sneakers popped off, Aang's back collided with Katara's mattress. Aang seemed motionless, his hands remaining firm against her hips. As Katara eased herself down upon him, he seemed to squirm, his eyebrows arcing with doubt while she could feel the blood in his loins rushing from beneath his jeans. She gave pause.

"Is this...-?" she whispered with some concern, suddenly realizing they hadn't quite gone this far with their physicality yet. "A-are you OK with...-?"

"Uhh...I...-" Aang looked a bit perplexed.

Katara immediately rolled over, landed at his side.

"I'm sorry," she quickly muttered. "I know that...you need to take things slow..."

They had made out a number of times by now, and cuddling quite a bit, but they hadn't really done much concerning the _pelvic_ region just yet, and she could immediately tell he was wary about it at the moment.

Aang's breathing was controlled and heavy as he stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

"No, it was-...I'm fine, it just...-" He smiled weakly. "I wasn't expecting to...go right _into...stuff..._ like that...? Like, right now I mean, and...it's not that-"  
"I understand," Katara eased him, snuggling up against his side and putting her arm over his chest.

She scratched across his T-shirt, then poked her thumb playfully at each of the four colored dots on its surface.

"I'm sorry," Aang sighed out.

"You're good," Katara giggled, ever amused by his courtesy.

"But...but I _want_ to...do that kind of thing," Aang grumbled. "But it's like...I don't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable..."

Katara found this remark amusing, given things she had done with boys in the past. In retrospect, she had done them more out of a desperation for attention, clinging to the feeling that someone found her beautiful and worthwhile...But here it was so very different. Here, it was because she found _Aang_ beautiful.

"You won't," Katara advised softly as Aang pet her head in reciprocation of her rubbing his stomach. She wormed her hand below his shirt, amused by the lack of hair. He had slight traces of a six-pack, too. It was adorable. "Even if you _did,_ I would let you know, Aang."

"Y-yea, but-...It's-...I don't know what to _do_ with it," Aang puffed out, frustrated with himself. "I guess I'm so...self-conscious about it, I just...don't want to make anyone feel...-"  
"Violated," Katara concluded solemnly, and with some sympathy. "The way others have made _you_ feel..." She wore a serious look on her face and clutched at his jaw, turning his head to look to her. She kissed him on the forehead, then stared at him in earnest.

"It's...just difficult for me to...initiate. I guess," Aang grumbled with some shame, his eyes quivering a bit with meditation as their gazes remained locked.

"Aang." Katara brushed at his jawline again. "I understand, Sweetie. It's _fine._ We can take things at your own pace. I will _never_ try to make you do something you're not comfortable doing." Her retinas burned into his own. " _Ever_ ," she insisted adamantly.

"Well...W-well, yes, but...I-I mean, _thank you,_ that means so much, and...and I mean, I feel the same way about _you,_ but I'm-...I don't _know_ what's comfortable or not for me, and...-" Aang huffed in spite of his own lack of confidence, his own lack of...making _sense._ But Katara understood him well, regardless.

"We can just take it one step at a time," she coolly laid the matter to rest. She kissed him on the cheek, and he rolled onto his side to face her, clutching at her hand tightly. "You've been wronged in the past," Katara lamented gently. "And I'm not going to let that happen again. We're going to do this _right._ "

Aang smiled bashfully at her and kissed the back of her wrist. He leaned over her way and pressed his nose against her own, straining his neck to stretch from his laid down position. Their eyelids remaining half open during this gesture, which evolved into a kiss, and then dissolved back into another abrading of noses.

"My Eskimo won't ever leave me out in the cold," he mused as they broke apart. He readjusted, nestling his head on her pillow, and she wriggled up with him, pushing her hair behind her shoulders. "That's good to know," Aang murmured with serenity.

* * *

He carefully hung the sign on the glass double doors - a lethargic end-cap to the evening's tidying up.

{ **Closed** }

With a deep, wheezing breath, he planted his hefty weight onto a wooden chair, alone. The shop was deserted, officially closed for the night. Iroh cast his glance on a copy of The White Lotus newspaper, folding neatly on the table, left for any student to pick up and read. Many of the other tables in the Jasmine Dragon had papers on them, as well. He was already thoroughly exposed to the contents, even though it was fresh off the presses. He helped manage the publication, after all.

With a restful sigh, Iroh reflected on his day. Teaching a couple classes, helping give feedback on the newspaper, having a deep conversation with one of his new students that semester...

Iroh's entire life revolved around Saint Roku University. It was no wonder he had stayed there for so long, even after he had lost them...Where else was there for him to go? So much of him was _here_ and always had been.

Iroh checked the clock on the wall above the counter at the front of the shop. It was ten past eight now.

"Hummm..." He frowned, stroking his beard thoughtfully. They were running late...

 _Kla-kling-ling...ling..._ ~  
The windchimes that hung above the entrance, signaling when customers entered.

Iroh's brows shoved down over his dreary eyes as he turned to the door. He had left it open out of convenience for them to come right in, as he often did...but they normally weren't so late. But...wait. It hadn't been who he had been expecting.

Had this other person completely _ignored_ the sign he had hung up? He gawked as the girl in the green hoodie shuffled to the counter, tapping her cane carefully in front of her. Her pale, milky eyes, half veiled by black bangs, were drooping to match his own. She yawned and scratched at her rear end, her eyelids slipping half closed every few seconds as she stood patiently at the counter for a few seconds.

"Hello?" she called out, a bit perplexed at the silence. Damn, it was _really_ quiet here tonight...

Iroh's elderly memory finally caught up with him - this was that blind music major that he had heard Zuko and Mai mention now and again, the one that spent time with Leekpai and his friends. Iroh had met her a few fleeting times. What was her name, again...?

"Erghhh..." He slowly rose from his seat, his back shooting out a mild pain from top to bottom. "I'm sorry, Miss, but...we are closed..."

"Ummm..." Toph cocked her head in his direction. She _knew_ that voice. It was Zuko's Uncle - that professor. No doubt about it. Oh, right, this was _his_ shop, right? Heh...

"I suppose you...emm...must not have known from the sign," Iroh observed aloud with a stroke of curious pity.

"The...door was open," Toph awkwardly mumbled, depressed that she couldn't even do something as simple as buy tea without fucking it up and bothering an old man. She turned to leave, holding her palm out for the exit.

"Wait, wait," Iroh called to her slowly, peacefully. He chuckled. "If you would like, I just brewed a pot of tea. You are welcome to some."

Toph's hand slowly sunk into her hoodie pocket, and she smiled weakly, her back still to the professor.

"Shhhhure..." she hesitantly replied. She turned around. "It's fine?" she dubiously wondered.

"Wahaha..." Iroh made his way around the counter to the still steaming kettle on the stove he had prepared. He went about preparing two mugs of tea - the special recipe he had concocted himself, from which the shop had been given its name. "Of _course_ it is fine, my Dear...Please, ehh...-" He gave pause, suddenly realizing his guilt at not offering the girl a seat. But she had already found one by herself. "It will only be a moment," he assured in recovery.

Toph doggedly slung her elbows onto the table, and her head sagged. She puffed out a tired breath. She'd spent her entire _day_ struggling, practicing, especially after another poor display for the Kyoshi Warriors...She felt a bit better now than she had when she'd left her session with the band, at least, but...still. Ugh. No social contact that day other than what little she expressed during practice. She'd gotten a phone call from Sokka, but no voicemail. Just knowing he had called her had made her heart thump just a little bit rougher than usual. It had been a bit frightening. She had absolutely no reason to feel that way. Meh, it had probably not even been important or he would've left a voicemail. Probably just asking if she had wanted to _eat_ with him and Aang or something. Pff. Fucking Meat-Head. Always food on the brain...Always making her laugh and smile. But...wait. Argh. Damnit.

 _It's just a phase_ , she had assured herself, convinced of her own desperation. Once she'd gotten herself out of this self-pitying shit-fest slump that nonsense would go away, too.

_T-tonk._

The gentle clatter of ceramic mug against wood stirred her. She realized her head had found itself lounging in her arms on the table.

"Here is your tea," Iroh offered kindly, sitting himself down beside her. She had flinched back to full consciousness, eyes wide and heavy with fatigue. They seemed to gaze off into nothingness for a moment.

"You...seem quite _tired_ to be out all alone at this hour," Iroh mused.

Toph's face twisted into a ever-so-slightly insulted smirk.

" _You_ seem too _old_ to be _awake_ at this hour," she jibed back without thinking. _Oh. Oops. Shit. That was...pretty rude._

" _ **Wahahaha**_ _!_ " Iroh instantly belted out a laugh, slapping his knee. "Perhaps I am," he acknowledged, his voice warm like a campfire, melting her concern away.

_Shhlllpph._

She could hear him taking a cautious sip of the hot tea, and she could smell its rich fragrance taunting her. She groped her hand along the tabletop slowly, carefully, as she did every other day, until it was gently slid into her grasp. Her face twitched with an indignant frown at this action, but she scooped up the mug anyway. She attempted to drink just a bit, sucking in air along with it when her tongue writhed in agony at its heat. She choked on the vapors, coughing out a few droplets into her sleeve. There was a strange silence, her arm covering her mouth, until she pounded at her chest, coughed once more, then sighed. Daaaaaang, this was some strong stuff.

"Fffff **uck** ," she gasped out. "Uhhhaiiii mean... _frick._ " She grinned sheepishly. "This is...errrmm...-"

"A bit _...bracing?_ " Iroh wryly finished her thought.

"Aheh...Y-yea...I think I need some sugar in mine..." Toph squirmed to rise from her seat, but Iroh managed to get up first.

"Now, now...I will fetch some for you."

Toph struggled to hold back an anguished sigh of frustration, but one still seeped out and she masked it as she sunk back into her seat.

"One lump? Two?"

"Uhhh...-" Toph pondered the liquid she'd just consumed. "Better make it _three_..."

His fat, padding waddles that made for steps returned.

_Plip, plip, plip._

She could feel his presence pitying her circumstance as she reached back for her mug - on her _own_ this time, thank-you-very-much...

"I _know_ what you're thinking," she grumbled testily. "I look like I can't _handle_ being by myself..."

" _I_ wasn't thinking that," Iroh was quick to push out the truth. He took another drink.

"You wouldn't even let me put sugar in my drink," Toph grunted. "Hell, you didn't even let me pick up the _mug_ on my own..." Her nose flared with irritation as she hunched over in her seat, hair drooping over her face.

Iroh sighed at her attitude, rubbing his chin contemplatively.

"I did those things because I _wanted_ to, and for _no other reason_ ," Iroh's crackling voice insisted.

Toph regretted having doubted him after hearing this words. She knew sincerity when she heard it, and he was being quite sincere. She felt like a bit of a bitch for acting all aloof with him – a professor, showing generosity to her despite being tired himself, no doubt. Fucking _damn,_ she just couldn't get anything right today... _Urggghh._ She had to stop needing to let this shit slide. She had to be able to manage this crap without some voice of reason explaining it to her.

She drank a bit more – very carefully this time – and hummed with approval before clearing her throat again.

"People see me and think I'm weak," she explained her aggravation. "They wanna take _care_ of me. But...I can take care of myself _by_ myself...

Iroh nodded slowly to himself at her words, his hands folded beside his mug. He looked back at the clock. Eight fifteen.

"You sound like my nephew," he lamented, recalling Zuko's words and actions as of late, and how tired and stressed and defensive he had been acting – very much like this young woman. "Always thinking you need to do things on your own, without anyone's support." They both gulped down a bit more tea. "There is _nothing wrong_ with letting people who love you _help_ you," Iroh was quite clear in getting this point across. His eyes widened as he considered the context of their conversation. "Not that I _love_ you, urhh...I hardly _know_ you."

Toph let loose a childish giggle at the old man, who was charming her over. She was reminded of her recent cry-session with Katara. Part of her continued to remain angry at herself for letting that happen...but another part relished the relief of that evening - letting everything out. Iroh was probably right - there was nothing wrong with that. Then again, she was an independent woman, now, right? Free of her parents. She had to learn to be able to take care of herself, right? She decided to try and change the subject, slipping back into the whirlpool of confusion this topic kept dumping her into.

"So...How _is_ your nephew these days?" she asked. "I haven't heard from Zuko lately."

"Ah." Iroh's voice changed gears. "I have not been able to talk with him much lately..."

"Busy with his _presidential duties,_ and stuff? Like starting up that restaurant thing?"

"Yes. I'm sure that is part of it..." There was some hesitancy. Something else was there, hiding under that tone.

"Part of it?"

"Over the past couple of years...his life has changed a lot, and our family has been going through pretty difficult times. Zuko is trying to help someone who is very important to him - to me, as well - but I fear he is beginning to lose hope."

"Mm..." Toph's stomach quivered with sympathy and worry. She recalled hearing about how his mother had passed away a couple of years back, and was sure this was the source of what Iroh spoke of. "Uhh...Sorry about that," she muttered out, wanting to make amends for her rudeness at the start.

"I appreciate your sympathy," acceded Iroh. "I know that Zuko has been putting so much of himself into this new project. It is...his way of coping. Finding hope. Really...-" He grunted, readjusting himself in his set and clamping both hands on his mug. "-...I think it has brought hope to many of us at SRU."

"Huh...?" Toph was perplexed.

Iroh smiled knowingly, aware that the girl before him couldn't fully comprehend what he meant, given her lack of knowledge - and that was for the best, really. But he could probably explain the base level to her. That was harmless.

"You may have noticed that our campus seems very disconnected from Wayward."

"Mm-hm." Toph agreed with that - for a town so close to the college, she couldn't think of anyone she actually _knew_ from the town...

"The truth is, our school and that town both need each other. SRU brings a young adult population that helps fuel the small businesses in Wayward, and our campus is fairly isolated on its own. Despite our co-dependence, we still function as two separate communities. Two segregated groups of people who pass each other by, but without connection."

Toph leaned back in her chair, drinking slowly as she listened. What he was talking about was kind of glancing over her head, but just the sound of the man's peaceful, wise voice was soothing to her ears. Toph of course could not relate with the idea of being hypnotized by a campfire's flickering hues, but she was willing to bet this elder's voice elicited a similar effect, and she was pleased just to listen to him speak.

"I witnessed some of the activities of violence that took place last winter," Iroh lamented, harkening back to the fight that had broken out between the Freedom Fighters and the Rough Rhinos. "It is quite telling of the state of things in Wayward. You see, the United Republic is a symbol of our community reaching out to theirs - trying to help their community find peace and balance with our own, and also within itself."

All Toph was hearing from this was _Yadda-yadda-politics-community-yadda-yadda-love-eachother_. But the quality of his careful, plodding words and the old rasp in his voice reminded her of Grammy. And that was perfectly fine and made it all worthwhile.

"It was my nephew's idea to create a place where our students and staff could be expected to mingle with Wayward's citizens, and I have already heard of friendships formed there from the events that were arranged." Iroh smiled wide and finished off his drink in a large gulp. "It is amazing what some free ice cream can accomplish, don't you think?"

Toph smirked in his direction, her head hung down lazily.

"It sounds like you're...really stoked about all the stuff your nephew's doing," she observed with some warmth. It was reminding her of how Gram-Gram used to speak of her with pride.

"Of course," said Iroh simply, with some elation. "He is a sharp young man with ambition. I know he is going to do great things with his life."

"Mmm..." Toph's heart sank a bit at that notion. She'd been telling herself ever since she got to this school that she would do great things herself. And what had she accomplished? She'd broken _two_ guy's hearts, gotten a bunch of people pissed at her, made some enemies within her own major, hurt the _only_ family member who cared about her, _and,_ the grand cherry on top...she'd cut her own parents out of her life.

So much for 'great things.'

"Sounds like he's doing a lot better at that than I am," Toph grumbled. It was a bit selfish, taking the focus away from Iroh and onto herself - the words had just tumbled out before she'd really thought about them. Ugh, fuck. Like they always _did._ She seriously needed to start doing something about that. Well...No use taking it back, it was out now. "All _I've_ done since I got here is fuck everything up." _Shit!_ _Er, 'shoot.'_ "I mean... _mess_ everything up."

"Hahah...No need to censor your frustrations with this old man. My ears can handle it. They are old, but not frail."

"Psh." She grinned.

"Now, then...I am sure you haven't ruined as much as you are making yourself believe."

"Rrrm..." A grunt of doubt. "The whole point of college is learning to be an _adult,_ right? Take care of yourself...Seems like every time I actually try _doing_ that - really try to carry my own weight, and take care of myself _by_ myself - things go to shit."

"Heh. As they often do. I get the impression that independence is highly important to you."

"Well, _yea._ I hate it when people think I need their help, just because I'm blind."

"So you don't accept _anyone's_ help."

"Umm...Y-yea, sometimes. That happens."

"Perhaps it would be wise to change your perspective."

"I...don't think I understand."

"Ask yourself this: do you ever need help?"

Toph's nose wrinkled. Her eyes squinted stubbornly.

"...Yea. I do." The words were pushed out against the inner forces trying to hold them inside.

"But it _isn't_ because you are blind. Is it?"

Her eyelids loosened.

"...No," she answered. This time she spoke with much more serenity and understanding than a moment before.

"That sweet, kind girl I always see you with...Does she help you because you are blind?"

"Ermmm...Well, _yea,_ if I wasn't, she wouldn't need to do so much stuff for me."

"But she does not _need_ to do _anything_ for you. You walked to this shop all on your own. You said so yourself - you can function all of your own."

"Umm..."

"Dogs can walk on their own, yet a caring master will walk his dog."

"Err..."

"Flowers can grow on their own, yet a caring hand will still garden them."

"I _guess_..."

"I think...that your friend watches over you not because it is necessary, but because it is her own way of showing her love for you."

"Yea." Toph could certainly get behind _that_ one...

"Your condition is not the _cause_ of her action - it is simply the obstacle she chooses to help you overcome."

"I think I see what you mean."

"I would have prepared your drink for you even if you _could_ see."

"Right...I get it."

Iroh took a deep breath. He could tell by her tint of impatient he had probably overdone it a bit.

"Well...My apologies. You must pardon an old man and his enthusiasm. Wahaha..."

"Heh...It's all right. Sometimes...I need a good kick in the teeth." She felt her stomach fluttering like moth wings.

"Eh?"

"Haha. I mean...You're right. Guess I shouldn't just...always assume people are only nice to be because I'm blind. But...-" She stuck her elbow on the table, cheek in palm, and puffed out air at her bangs. "I hate having to rely on others. But now, I don't even feel good about _myself._ I've made so many _stupid_ mistakes lately...I don't even _know_ how to go about...fixing it." Toph's drummed her fingernails against the now empty mug with pensive uncertainty.

Iroh rose his seat, and placed a wide, wrinkled hand on her shoulder.

"While it is best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing."

He left her to ponder this as he cleaned up their drinks. Toph yawned, stretching out her arms and retrieving her cane from the floor. She got up, as well, and waited until she heard him approach.

"I think I'm finally starting to realize that," she agreed with him, refocusing her thoughts on things like lying in Katara's lap, and Sokka's arms around her. She turned to leave, but caught herself. "...Thank you," she piped up in a grateful, chirping tone. The man had certainly filled her with some confidence.

"My pleasure," said Iroh. "Sharing a drink with fascinating people is one of my life's true delights."

"Haha. No, I meant...like...Thank you for what you said." She inhaled briskly, feeling refreshed from the beverage and It helped me. "It helped me," she informed with with timid gratitude. She tapped her stick before her, pressing forward, eager to face the future.

"I'm glad," said Iroh peacefully, watching her reach the door and open it.

"Oh, and...about Zuko. I hope you guys are able to help that person."

Iroh sighed solemnly at this and nodded to himself.

"As do I."

__Kla-kling-ling...ling..._ ~_


	76. Chance

\- Monday, March 14th, 2011 -

"Right. See? You've got it," Aang encouraged, rubbing his elbow against hers, his hands occupied with the game controller in his hands.

"Uhhh...-" Katara's voice was shaky as she was trying to keep up with the pace of what was on screen. "S-so, like...-"

The on-screen vehicle leaned heavily into a turn, the little mushroom-man in the driver's seat twisting the wheel fiercely. Katara immediately reacted, flicking her control stick left and right. Sparks began flying from the wheels of their car before it boosted forward. A childish squeal popped out of Katara's lips.

"I've got this," she chirped, her tone regaining its confidence.

"OK, so you also gotta watch out," Aang cautioned as a box in the top corner rotated through items. "'Cuz you're also in charge of the items, too..."

An alarm began beeping at them, and the pink-dressed princess in the backseat held up a banana peel.

"So, like, right there, it's a red shell, so you...-"

But Katara had already dropped the banana peel, cancelling out the oncoming attack.

"I _remember_ how to play Mario Kart, Goofus," she teased. "This one's just...different."

Aang had introduced Katara to Mario Kart a while back, but this was the first time she had ever played _Double Dash!_ before. It was quite enjoyable, both of them playing as characters in the same kart. He had figured she'd find it endearing and...about as romantic as Mario Kart was capable of being. When they won the first race and she kissed his cheek, he knew he'd made a good choice. A few grand prix sessions passed by as they both got into things. Aang was charmed by how cute Katara was as she was taking this somewhat seriously, interested in learning how to play effectively.

"Looks like penguins and Eskimos make a good team," Katara announced as their characters celebrating earning another trophy. She was endeared by how Aang had come up with his own activity for them to do together, and pleasantly surprised by how much she was enjoying it. Mario Kart had previously proven a bit crazy for her to comprehend in the past with all of the items flying around, but letting her boy take the wheel while she learned how to shoot shells and deflect attacks was making things easier to take in. He was easing her into things one step at a time this way.

After their victory, Katara's arms wound up snugly wrapped around Aang's waist.

"Hey, Sweetie..."

"Yea?"

"I was playing as Princess Peach, but...how come you played as _Toad?_ "

"What's wrong with Toad?"

"Nothing." She laughed through her nose and ruffled his hair. His scalp was super dry, his hair almost like hay today. "I just-...I dunno, I figured you'd play as Mario."

Aang shrugged and dropped a small smooch on her shoulder.

"Mario's...like...the _hero_ ," he muttered. "But Toad's the royal retainer. He looks out for the princess and does anything she needs for him..."

Katara frowned slightly at this, a bit perplexed.

"But Mario _saves_ the princess..."

"W-well, yea, but...you don't need _saving_ , _"_ mumbled Aang with a sheepish grin.

"I guess _not_ ," Katara agreed coyly. A curious explanation from a curious young man. She was fascinated by his mindset, and he was tickled by her questions, always seeking to understand him.

She ran her fingertips beneath his shirt along his hairless stomach.

"You lost some weight over the past couple of months, didn't you?" she noted. Just because they hadn't been dating earlier didn't mean she wouldn't notice this kind of thing.

"Heh..." Aang shrugged timidly, but she read him easily. ' _Yea, I did._ '

"All that jogging, right?"

"Mm..."

She leaned herself against him as he clicked the game to go back to the menu screen.

"Weren't you doing all that running to try and get on the track team?" she asked, suddenly reminded of his previous goals.

"Oh, uhh...-" Aang swallowed hard and shrugged half-heartedly. "Yea, I...I was..."

"'Was?'" She rubbed her head against his twice, opting not to put him on the spot with eye contact. His hands set his own controller down and rested on her arm.

"Yea, I didn't get in," he clarified. "Things, uh-...Well, my priorities changed," he explained with warmth, reaching to his side and rubbing blindly at her jaw with his thumb.

"Ah- _haaahhh_..." Katara's eyes slid closed and she kissed his neck lightly. He was wearing a different cologne today than usual. Whatever it was, it was working. Still sitting, they awkwardly pressed abdomens together, hugging tightly as Katara left kisses like raindrops across his neck. She could tell he enjoyed it, and he reciprocated afterward. As he did so, the back of her mind juggled the question, ' _Is he comfortable? How come it seems like I'm always initiating? Am I maybe messing something up here?_ '

They made out for a minute or so and she tried to let the lingering doubts go...But they kept hold. After they broke apart, arms still across backs, she whispered a question.

"Is this all OK?"

He nodded slightly, and rubbed her nose. She distracted him with more kissing, and clasped at his wrist. She knew Aang well enough to understand that with some things, she'd have to show him it was OK in order to get him to know he was fine initiating in these matters. She planted his palm against her chest, and it lingered there, motionless. A moment passed, and then the hand quickly retracted at the sound of the door opening. Lips leapt away from each other, chins tucked on shoulders, and hands went back around waists as Sokka walked in, only to freeze in place two steps into the room.

" _Gyughhh_ ," he shuddered. " **Oogies** in my bedroom?" he seethed, eyes narrowing at Aang, who smirked up at him.

"It's _his_ bedroom, too," Katara quipped back cheerfully, not even turning to look at her brother, who huffed through his nose at the remark.

"Yooouuuuu guys..." he growled at them, index finger quaking in the air as he stomped over to his side of the room, unslinging his backpack. "You're lucky that I've got a meeting to go to, or I'd...-" He pulled a folder out and tucked it under his shoulder.

"Go to your meeting, _Bro_ ," taunted Katara. Aang grinned widely, and Sokka pointed at him with silent accusation before heading back out. Closing the door behind him and walking down the hall of Aero, he smiled brightly to himself with relief that his sister and his roommate both seemed to be so enamored with each other. It was reassuring, in a way - two wonderful people he loved finding some happiness in people who could give it back to them. It was a beautiful thing, he had to admit.

A beautiful thing he remembered all too well.

He wondered what he'd have to do to find such fortune once again.

Was there even a chance?

* * *

Sokka was floored by this proposition. Was this for real? He realized his jaw was agape when Piandao cracked a smile at his stare, and he wiped his clammy palm across his face to sober himself from the excitement.

"I had a hunch you might feel that way," said Piandao knowingly. "Which is why I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

At this, Sokka allowed himself to smile and a baffled laugh escaped him.

"I don't even know what to say," he breathed out, staring down at the folder in his hands. He swallowed hard, then looked back up with a hurried, "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me just yet," chuckled the professor. "It's not like this is set in stone - you have to impress my friend first."

"R-right!" Sokka sputtered, fumbling with the folder and sticking it across the desk to Piandao's extended hand.

"Let's have a look at what you've got here," the man muttered to himself as he opened the contents onto his desk. Sokka watched Piandao adjust his external USB camera. Piandao was waiting for the video connection to start up - the video chat Sokka had _no forewarning about._

Sokka's mind raced with possibilities. A shot at a paid internship? This could be exactly the kind of opportunity he'd been looking for. The professor had advised Sokka to bring some samples of the ideas they had discussed off and on in their conversations so he could take a look at them. The goal, Sokka had just been informed of moments prior, was to compile these works into a portfolio Piandao would endorse to his personal friend - the one who worked at the trading card company - in the hopes of landing Sokka an internship there. While it was highly unlikely that he'd be doing something like designing their cards, any kind of experience in that sort of creative kettle could prove valuable - and with some luck, he was told, he might be able to find a job within the company.

Piandao's theory revolved around Sokka's fascination with history, wars, battles (and the tactics employed), and mythology - all the kinds of ideas that went into designing the kinds of strategy games his friend's company worked with.

With the idea - the possibility - now planted into his head, Sokka's mind was reeling, and he was swimming in a quickly flooding state of creativity when Piandao cut off his thought.

"We're all set up?" Piandao was speaking, seemingly to no one. Then the computer speakers replied.

["Yea, we're all good here."]

"Great. So, I have my friend Sokka here - that student I told you about - I just figured I'd have him show you some of his ideas, just to give you a feel for what he's about."

["Sounds good, let's see it."]

"Sure thing."

Sokka's hands were tightening around the edges of his chair. Who was this man on the other line? The monitor was pointed away so he couldn't see, and yet... _arghh, nooo_...Piandao was rotating the spheric camera around to face Sokka, who sheepishly waved and nodded to it.

"Sooo...What's _this,_ exactly?" Piandao asked him with a perplexed look, flipping around a print to him.

\+ http:/destiny-smasher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Wangfyre-Dovahkiin-279642450 +

Sokka shrugged, his face flushing pink briefly as his professor flashed it before the camera.

["Wow, that's pretty solid work."]

"Oh! That! Yea." Sokka's intestines were crawling. "That's, uhhh...something my friend drew up for me," he explained, hoping to draw focus away from the image. He'd tossed that in more to show Piandao in a personal setting, not... _this._ "I designed it, it's just...I can't _draw,_ and so...-"

"But what _is_ it?"

Sokka's brain danced with mischievous thoughts of the fantastical story his mind had crafted to tell the tale of the warrior presented in the picture. A great bearded oaf with a magic sword who saved the innocent and nobly slayed the dark dragons that plagued the mystic lands, belting out words of magic to cause...mystic...magic... _stuff_...to transpire. And such things.

Yes, the character _did_ look startlingly like himself - but with a much more luxurious beard (handsome devil!). _Yes,_ aspects of the design were _borrowed_ from somewhere else. And OK, _yes,_ the more he thought about it, the more it _was_ a somewhat blatant self-insert of himself into a fantasy world of a video game he was anticipating a _lot_ and...-

_Oh God. What hell hath I wrought?_ _I'm no better than Katara and her Harry Potter fanfiction. How have I not seen the error of my ways until this moment?_

"Yea, it's-...W-well, my friend and I, we kinda like, made a version of...of _me,_ but like...in this fantasy world and...and I dunno, it's...just a design. I just thought it was cool."

"I _see_ ," Piandao mumbled, eyeballing the picture, then Sokka, then the drawing once more. "As I'm looking through these, it seems a _number_ of them are drawings..."

["Yea, lotta neat creature designs in there."]

"Yea, that's right," Sokka nodded, hoping the particular print Piandao had brought up would fade in with the rest.

["But you just said you don't draw."]

"Th-that's true, those are pictures I designed, I had him put them together. Like, the concepts, I meant. I came up with a lot of the concepts."

["You got the files for these?"]

"Huh?"

["Digital. Do you have digital copies of this stuff?"]

" _Yeaaa,_ yea, I can...ya know...e-mail those to you with the application."

["Great."]

Piandao nodded thoughtfully in response to this brief exchange as he continued to scroll through the stack, making sure to show the images to the camera to give an impression.

"So you coordinated with your friend on these images?" Piandao checked.

"Exactly. Because, like, I'm an 'Idea Guy,' you know?" Sokka rambled on, hoping he was making sense. "It took some work to coordinate those designs, and...and like, I've got docs in there that lay out the mechanics and lore of the world, so...-"

"It looks like you...already have the concept to a strategy game laid out here," Piandao noted, intrigued.

"W-well, yea, I guess I just thought it might...I-I dunno, be a good way to...-"  
"Run us through it."

["Yea, what's the hook to it?"]

Sokka blinked at him, wide-eyed, his stomach emptying. All of these personal, generally private ideas he'd been brewing over the past year with Aang in his spare time, laid out on paper in words and images, and here he was being asked to _explain_ it? He hadn't prepared for _this_.

"Err..." He gawked, jaw slightly agape, pointing dumbly at his own project.

As Piandao slid the folder across his desk his student, Sokka began fumbling around, trying to remember what parts of his concept would make the most sense to start with. he was having difficulty with that prospect.

"W-well, as you know...this idea that my roommate and I came up with...f-for a strategy game. I mean, I _know_ you know that, because - _apff_ \- why else would I be here, showing it to you? A _hehhhh_ nyway!" Sokka went to scoop up one of the images but dropped it, and the paper floated downward, dodging his clumsy hands as he fumbled to pick it up. He grabbed it from the floor carefully and quickly dropped it back onto the table, his brain degrading with worry and self-doubt, his stomach empty and gurgling.

"So, this world we came up with-" he began, his stupid hands hastily sifting through the jumbled pile - Piandao had rearranged them, _argh_ \- to find the correct drawing. "-the map for that's right here. No- _uhh_ wait- _uhh_ wait- _uhh_ wait-it's _here._ " He stabbed his finger into a very rough drawing of a map. He was talking a mile a minute by this point, caught on the spot. "So the world's made up of these four different races and they each are able to use different kinds of powers and they're been at war for like a _hundred years_ and so that's _bad_ for them but it's _good_ for us because it sets up this place for all of these battles to happen right?" He wasn't even looking at Piandao at this point, just rattling out words incoherently. Sokka interrupted himself with a long-winded huff. "I'm sorry. Let me start at the beginning." He bobbed his head for a moment of recollection before bursting out a rapid-fire string of narrative that had Piandao concerned yet bemused.

"Katara-and-I-met-Aang-last-school-year-now-I-didn't-like-Aang-at-first-but-I-grew-to-love-him-over-time-and-then-my-sister- _really-_ grew-to-love-him-more-recently-but-I'm-getting-ahead-of-myself-and-so-anyway-Aang-and-I-became-roommates-and-so-we-spent-a-lot-of-time-together-and-"

Piandao tuned him out for a few moments, carefully observing the concepts laid out in his bullet-point documents - and a crudely drawn flow-chart - complimented by rough sketches of various stylized figures using the 'powers' Sokka must have been referring to. It seemed like it had some potential, and at least wasn't so stereotypically Tolkien-esque in its design, which he was admittedly expecting after hearing about the lad's interest in such fantasy worlds.

"-got-the-idea-from-how-the-campus-has-the-four-dorms-with-the-four-elements-theme-going-on-and-so-it-just-made-sense-to-turn-them-into-"  
"OK." Piandao thrust up his palm , growing nervous himself, hoping to ease Sokka down. "Sorry," he apologized to his friend. "I put him on the spot here - this was an impromptu thing," he advised. "But we can get all of the digital files sent to you later to look at it in detail. But Sokka," Piandao eyeballed him sternly, hoping Sokka would get his act together, as this wasn't the best first impression. There'd have to be a little damage-control afterward. Perhaps this hadn't been such a great idea, to spring it upon the poor kid on a whim. "Just explain to us the basic ideas of how it works."

Sokka's eyes were wide, his heart thumping fretfully, fingernails digging into the wooden arms of the chair he rested in.

"Y-yea, I can try and do that..."

* * *

\- Tuesday, March 15th, 2011 -

Aang was concerned. Sokka had seemed discouraged all day. Aang knew his meeting had not gone well, as Sokka had briefly explained it, but he hadn't discussed any details. As Aang sucked down his water through a straw he stared at his roommate, his worry refusing to lift. Sokka was nibbling at a Philly cheese steak, reading a text book to make up for time he should have been studying the night before, drowning his cares in video games.

Toph was complacently by Sokka's side, eating her twin-set of fries (curly and steak-style, respectively) without much to say. The others were elsewhere, unable to partake in an extended lunch on this day. Eventually, though, she ended up speaking up through their quiet meal.

"What's the _deal_ with you guys?" She received an awkward glance from Aang and a cold shoulder from her booth neighbor. With furrowed brows, she nudged Sokka's arm with her palm. "Huh? Not nappin' over there, are ya, Snoozles?"

"Wha...-?" Sokka snapped out of his trance.

"Tch, what's _up_? I don't need to _see_ to tell that you're all gloomy."

Sokka puffed out a sigh and cast his gaze to Aang, who was offering a curious look. He shrugged, seemingly drained of all mental strength, and gave in to their prodding.

"I had a meeting last night with my professor - the guy helping me try to find a job I actually _care_ about?"

"Piandao," Toph recollected his name effortlessly, having been _quite_ attentive when Sokka had been rattling on about their friendship a few days prior.

"Right. Well, so...last night, I went to his office, and he had me do, like, a sort of informal interview for an internship."

"Whoa..." Toph didn't know what else to say, knowing little about what _kind_ of internship it was, or what this even entailed.

"Yea. It would've been a great opportunity..."

"... _Would_ have?" Toph knew this wasn't going anywhere good, but hell, Sokka deserved some good luck at some point, right?

"I messed _up,_ Toph..."

"...What?" Sokka? Messing up? He was the _idea guy._ He wasn't supposed to 'mess up.'

"Going for that internship was my moment of truth - and I completely _flopped it_ ," he groaned with self-aggravation, his voice cracking. "I just... _fell_ _apart._ "

"Sokka," Aang sighed out, insisting on speaking up now that it was out in the open. "That meeting wasn't your moment of truth. That was just public speaking, and... _nobody's_ really good at that."

" _Katara_ is," Sokka countered, offering Aang a disparate look.

" _That_ _'s_ true," Toph was quick to agree.

"It wasn't even public speaking," Sokka further contested, glaring down at the remnants of his lunch. "It was just _two people_."

"Look," Aang adamantly pressed, slightly cutting one hand through the air while he stabbed a cherry tomato with the other. "Your moment of truth isn't going to be in front of a webcam talking to some stranger. It's going to be out in the real world, doing what you love."

"But..." Sokka's glance rolled away from his friend. "I don't know _what_ I love..."

"Wait, wait...A _webcam_?" Toph interjected.

"Guh, yea, it...-" Sokka snarled out in frustration, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "-...was this really unofficial kinda thing, just like a video chat, and I just... _blew_ it."

"Sooo...It wasn't _actually_ an interview, then?" Toph checked.

"No, but...-"

"Then...make sure you nail the _actual_ thing, right?"

"But I've already made a bad first impression," Sokka grouchily dismissed. "I just look like an idiot now."

"Fuck that," Toph was quick to spit out with a tint of disgust. She lightly slapped at his shoulder, practically scolding him for his lack of zest. "I don't know if _remember_ this, with that Meat-Head of yours and stuff, but I used to be the _master_ of bad first impressions."

" _Used_ to be?" Sokka taunted. Toph's heart sparked with glee at that hint of the Sokka she knew well, and she made a point to turn her head his way and project a frown, lifting an arm quickly to make a shot - her elbow ended up banging against the hardwood top of the booth and she flinched, retracting her assault as he snickered.

"Smart-ass," she seethed, rubbing her elbow - _shit,_ must've hit the funny-bone. _Argh._ "My _point_ is that just because you screw up at first doesn't mean you can't make it right. I mean...-" Her insides squirmed with a touch of awkward memory, a tingle of longing as she dwelt on the past. "Tw-... _Aang_ over here still managed to win me over even when he pissed me off at first..."

Aang grinned at her analogy, acknowledging how true it was, but fed Sokka his take on things.

"I _think_ what she means is that she was a _total jerk_ at first but that we still ended up as friends..."

Toph crossed her arms over her lap and gave an "Mm- _hm_ " of concurrence. "Even fuck-ups can make things right if they work for it."

Sokka hummed and hawed over their encouragement, taking a couple bites of his meal, and the others did as well.

"Yea," he finally admitted. "Maybe I can just...make sure everything's totally in order for the application."

"And-and- _aaaand_...-" Toph forced in an amendment, leaning into his side. _A-ha. You're wearing a T-shirt today. Bingo. Oh, don't mind me, just appreciating my arm touching yours, heh, that's all._ "-...if you give it a solid try even after looking like the goofball we _know_ you are, maybe you'll trick them into thinking you're...I dunno... _determined,_ or something..."

Sokka shot her a snappy glance of indignation before easing her off of him and shaking his head, a smirk coming through.

"Toph's right," said Aang. "You can't just give up before you even _try_."

"OK, OK," Sokka gave in to their positive spirits. "I get it. Don't count your rotten eggs before they're chickens..."

"...Uhhh...-?" Toph's confusion melted into a giggle. " _Yeeeaa,_ that...didn't make any sense."

"It did in my head," Sokka huffed, the lack of energy in his brain getting the better of him.

"Sounds like _you_ need some coffee," Toph advised.

"Or some Red Bull," Aang chimed in.

"Uh, yea- _no_ ," Toph curtly disagreed, readjusting in the booth with care, foxily arranging herself under the guise of shirt-realignment so that the edge of her leg was just barely brushing against Sokka's. She coyly slipped an arm across his back, squeezed, and jabbed an index finger into his shoulder. "We gotta keep this guy _away_ from that stuff or else he'll go runnin' around _nekkid_ again."

Sokka was non-plussed by their proximity but amused at her bringing that situation up - _again_ \- and he shook her off him gently.

"Ya know, I don't get why _you_ would care," he retorted. "It's not like you're capable of appreciating my _exquisite physique_ _._ " He slapped his own beefy palm against his arm. Toph could detect just by the sound that it was more flab than fab, but it was endearing to let him think highly of himself like that, and her mind wandered to the gutter ever-so-briefly, contemplating how incorrect his statement was: she _could_ appreciate such things, but eyes weren't the tools she had to use...

"Oh, _right,_ " she scoffed. "I think you must be _deaf,_ 'cuz I said we wanted to _prevent_ you from de-clothing. I'm already blind, we don't need anybody _else_ losing their sight, too."

"I'm sorry," Sokka flatly rebutted, "I can't hear you over the sound of how _awesome my muscles are_." He flexed his arm repeatedly in front of his face, evidently for his entertainment, but Aang found it amusing in some capacity. He was joking, at least, so that was the right direction to go.

"Whaaaaat?" Toph called him out with disbelief. "Aang, tell it to me straight: 'muscles?' _Really?_ I'm not buyin' it..."

Aang's mouth was full, and he shot Toph a bewildered look, but he didn't have time to respond. Sokka's face pouted for a split second, his ego dampened, and he grabbed Toph's hand carelessly, latching it onto his half-heartedly flexed bicep.

"See?" he insisted. "Muscle."

The pressure was on now - Toph's innards were tingling and she could feel the blood seeping through her face, though she frowned with a plastic disapproval to mask it while the very kinds of thoughts she was _trying_ to keep out were wrestling with her logic. OK, yea, he _did_ have some muscle in there somewhere...

"Tssh, yea, maybe a bit underneath the _flab,_ dude..."

"You _could_ work out a bit more," Aang passively tossed out advice from his own recent experience.

 _True,_ Toph's mind conceded, _But then he'd be a bit less squishy, and...he seems fine as a squishy sack of meat, I think._

"Meh," Sokka blew off the idea. "Too much work. Ya can't force perfection."

"Don't _we_ sound a bit full of ourselves?" Toph teased.

"Oh, _please_ ," Sokka retaliated. "Like you don't act that way when it comes to music."

"Obviously. That's because I _am_ perfection when it comes to music." She grasped her hand from his arm to his neck to his head - upon locating it, she administered a condescending pat. "You, though? _You're_ just delusional." He swatted her hand away, his lower lip sliding sideways in embarrassment.

"Hey, that reminds me," Aang cut into their moment of banter. "Are you actually playing on Thursday?"

"Say _what_ now?" Toph spat out, barely recovering from her flirtatious encounter as she played innocent, pointing her head toward Aang.

"For Saint Patty's Day? Aren't you guys playing at the concert thing?"

"Oh! Duuude, yea, we are," Toph declared. "For the first time in...a _while._ Right?"

"Holy _crap_ ," Sokka gasped, smacking his own forehead. "It's _Saint Patty's Day_ on Thursday..."

"Yea," Aang slowly went along with him as Sokka stared at him, jaw agape. "Aaand...this means...-?"

"We gotta _drink_ ," Sokka blurted out in a hushed voice, as if he were stating the obvious.

"Fuck yea," said Toph with a smooth smirk. Aang shrugged at this. He wasn't opposed to alcohol in a social setting, but he _was_ technically underage for such things. The United Republic was having a local band concert to keep college students occupied, and no booze was going to be present, so Sokka's scheming was a bit disconcerting.

"Well, there's...not going to be drinking at the concert," Aang tossed out the fact calmly, indifferent to the matter.

"We'll figure something out," Sokka assured. "Maybe pre-game it, or something."

"Uh, but how is it pre-gaming if you're not _gaming_ when you go out?" Toph pondered this ever-pressing question. At this moment, anything Sokka said was ever-pressing in her ears.

Aang had to hold back his objection - namely, the fact that the girls were supposed to be performing as a band, and that alcohol wasn't a keen idea before such a task - but he held it in, deciding there wasn't a point and that they'd end up concluding that on their own in time.

Sokka shrugged fiercely at Toph's muttered inquiry.

" _I_ don't frickin'...know. _I_ didn't make up that phrase."

"So maybe it'll be more like _post_ -gaming," Toph decided, acting like she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

" _Whatever_ 'gaming' it ends up being," announced Sokka, fanning his hands out, "I'm gonna make sure it's, like...multiplayer. Co-op. Something. 'Cuz drinking's no fun when you do it alone."

And there Toph's mind went, back to those insatiable thoughts. There would have to be some 'Number 3' in the bathroom tonight. Fuck, now the idea was in her head, and nothing to stop her from acting on it...And by the way, what the _shit?_ Where was this even _coming from,_ anyway?

"Sokka, you're talking about something _bad_ , aren't you?"

Toph's heart skipped a beat at the sound - it was Suki's voice.

" _What?_ Poppycock," cawed Sokka, puffing up his chest. "I am a proper _gent,_ milady."

"As _always_ ," Suki sighed with amusement, rolling her eyes. "I'll have to look forward to seeing this 'gent' come out at some point."

"Oh, how it _will_ ," Sokka hissed defensively. "The naysayers and the doubters, they will eat their crow."

Suki snickered at his over-acting, and Toph bit her lip with impatience. The fucking hell was _this?_ What did Suki want?

As her laughter faded, she cast her eyes to Toph, who's leg was jittering up and down from her toes - barely touching Sokka's with each motion.

"I heard you crazy people from the other side of the restaurant, but I just wanted to check in with you, Toph: I never heard back from everyone, but is tomorrow night at six going to work?"

"Six is too early," Toph answered briskly, happy to protest with passive-aggressiveness. "Need time to eat before the cafeteria closes."

"Seven, then?" Suki rolled along, not minding one way or another.

"Sure, that's fine," Toph mumbled.

"Great, I'll double check with the others, but if you see them, would you let them know for me?"

"Would if I _could_ ," Toph snipped back, her agitation bubbling over at the girl's presence leeching away Sokka's attention. She tilted her head to the side, pushing back her heavy bangs and pointing to her own face. "But I can't ' _see_ them,' so, umm...-"

"Sorry," Suki sheepishly blurted. "Uh, but...if you run into them, it'd-"  
"Which is more likely, given that, again, _I can't see_ -"  
" _Right!_ " Suki whimpered, whacking her own forehead with her wrist. "Sorry again. But if-...Yea...Let them know, would you?"

Toph didn't respond to this, though, but Suki was bidding her farewells.

"Catch you tomorrow, Toph. Have a good one, guys."

"Yea, see ya, Suki," Aang managed to work out after gulping down the last clump of his salad. He'd been consuming it as fast as he could, suddenly aware of the time and his need to head out.  
"Tootaloo," Sokka coolly waved her off, much to Toph's chagrin.

A silence fell over them, and Toph was using the last of her fries as a distraction.

"You and Suki still seem pretty...OK with each other," Aang observed quietly.

"We are," said Sokka, nodding to himself with satisfaction. "I mean, it's just technicalities that weren't working out, we didn't have some big _blowup,_ like...-" He caught himself and zipped his lip, but before he could manage to recover his train of thought, Toph brought to attention the elephant in the room.

"Like me and _Aang_?" She puffed out a disgusted gust of air at her bangs, tussling them about.

"Well, I wasn't-...But... _yea,_ I mean...basically." Toph could _hear_ him swallow hard from shame. _Heh, that's right, better watch that mouth around me, Buster._

"Hey, it...is what it _is_ , right?" said Aang, down-playing the entire situation and trying to move on. "What's past is past. Just because you break up doesn't mean you can't still be friends, right, Toph?"

"Right," Toph rigidly acceded.


	77. Shamrocks

\- Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 -

The grill sizzled, vapors clinging to her nostrils with the numbing scent of beef. The oils bubbled as they toiled away at the potato slices, crisping them. Hollow eyes stared down, half alive at the food, lanky arms operating like machinery, flipping meat and shaking off french fries. Behind her, she overheard a student talking with her boss.

"What's up?"

"Dude. June. Whoever that new guy is, you gotta teach him how to make a burger, man. Look at this crap."

"Mmmm..." June hummed with that impatience she carried when dealing with a customer she was irritated with. "Aaaand what am I lookin' at?"

"It's burnt, man," insisted the customer, jerking his head in Jane's direction as she turned to face whatever issue was transpiring. "That guy messed up my order, anyway - he gave me pepperjack when I asked for provolone. I can't eat pepperjack."

Wait, Jane was the only student worker here this afternoon...'He?' 'That guy?'

"Uh-huh," June sighed. "Well, sorry 'bout that. We'll get it fixed for ya." She took the plate from the student's hand.

"Thank you," said the equally impatient student. "Might wanna show him how to make a proper burger."

Jane's gaze was practically a glare by now, but the kid was avoiding eye contact. June dismissed his final remark and dropped the burger - one bite taken out - into the large trash bin in the corner of the room, then proceeded to get a fresh patty from the freezer and slap it down on the grill beside Jane.

"Wh...-?" Jane felt indignant at the gesture, as if she was being made incompetent. "The order slip said pepp-"  
"You're good," June coolly tossed aside Jane's defensiveness. "I wrote down the wrong thing. No big. Mind takin' the register for a bit?"

Jane huffed, adjusting her blue-arrowed cap and shuffled to the counter at the front to help the customer who'd been waiting for the past minute or so.

"Hey," she grunted out, struggling to mask her flustered, tired mindset.

"Yo, dude," greeted the customer casually as his eyes looked up to the overhead menu. He was a stocky guy with an arrogant glint in his eyes, a pair of sunglasses propped on his forehead against greased black hair. He rolled his head around his shoulders, winding his arm around to loosen it up. "Angie, girl," he called out, twisting his head back. "Whatchoo want, girl?"

"I'm fine, Hyde," his friend called back from a table immediately behind him. She was an olive-skinned, mousy brunette with her hair tied in a ponytail.

"You sure?" Hyde checked. "You even eat lunch yet?"

"Yea, me and Shoji got food already," Angie explained in a way that suggested the topic had already been discussed. Jane then noticed the tall Asian kid sitting beside Angie at the table. She felt like she recognized these guys from somewhere...

Hyde shrugged and turned back to Jane with a stupid grin on his face.

"That's my girlfriend," he bragged to her with a quieter tone. "Don't tell me you wouldn't tap that."

Jane's eyebrows contorted with perplexation at the young man's brash attitude.

"Uhhh...?"

"Anyway, Bruh-" Jane's lip twitched with contempt at his incorrect assessment of her gender. "-I'm up for a Chicken Deluxe."

"Need anything else with that?" Jane managed out through grit teeth.

"Nah, man, it's all good."

Jane rung him up and June started the new sandwich order. As she waited at the register, rubbing at her bleary eyes with periodic yawns, June gave the previous student his correct order. After this transpired, June went back to finish the chicken. While waiting on that, Jane observed the trio of students at the nearby table having a heated discussion of some sort. Seeing the three of them together - the stocky kid, the brunette, and the Asian - made it all click together in her head: they were the Flamey-O's, that local band she often didn't pay much heed to, and the one Toph often criticized for being "generic."

June set down the paper plate with the Chicken Deluxe on it and Jane called into the intercom with her flat, raspy voice.

["Hyde..."]

She keenly observed the the way Hyde begrudgingly got up from the table, and how Angie was shooting him a stern look.

As he picked up his food, he spoke to Jane in a grumpy huff.

"Women and their damn PMS, am I right?" With that, he took his food back to his seat.

Jane's jaws grinded together at his remark.

"What the fuck?" she growled out, attempting to contain her voice as she whirled around to June, who was leaned against the archway to the back room with the freezers.

"Seem to be having that issue today, doncha?" jeered June with bemusement.

"I don't fuckin' get it," Jane hissed, palms up at her sides, fingers twitching with rage.

"Hate to break it to ya, Twiggy McStick," June puffed out with exhaustion, "but you don't got much to work with, and that outfit? Not helpin' yer case."

Jane glared down at herself, noting a baggy t-shirt covered by a worker's apron, and loose cargo pants.

"And that shag on yer head?" June curtly observed with a slight upward tilt of her chin.

Irate, Jane abashedly fussed with her hair. She struggled to tuck some of the orange mess behind her ears to show off her skull earrings, but it was an uphill battle.

"It's not like ya don't have a cute look," June attempted encouragement. "It's just hiding. Gotta bring it out, Shamrocks - if you give a shit about that kinda thing."

The two exchanged glances, June's knowing and calm, Jane's rash and insecure.

"Yea, yea," Jane grumbled, fidgeting with her uniform's hat.

"You should try those tight jeans ya got," June yawned out, folding her hands behind her neck. "I've caught Sokka stealin' some glances here and there when you wear those."

Jane's cheeks burned at this remark, and she folded her hat down over her face as she tried to feign a divide of her attention from the empty counter ahead.

"Anyway, I'm just sayin'," June nonchalantly established her seeming lack of investment in the topic. "If yer gonna get all hot n' bothered by it, Ginger, do somethin'."

Jane nodded testily, continuing to avoid visual contact with her manager, bony hands sunken into her floppy cargo pockets. When she finally decided to cast her gaze back at June, she acknowledged the black lipstick the woman wore, the spiral earring that hung from one lobe, the thick eyelashes she bore, and the fact that she was wearing a short-sleeved, fairly tight shirt today. It revealed a curious mark on her right upper bicep - one Jane had occasionally seen but hadn't really ever focused much on. She desperately wanted to shift the discussion away from herself, however.

"Do somethin', huh? Like...get some ink on my arm? Will that attract all the hot guys?"

"Mm?" June tracked down where Jane's gaze had rested, and she pushed up her sleeve to reveal the whole tattoo: a coiled red serpent. "Oh, this?" She exhaled with exhaustion. It was a bit startling to Jane, seeing June's expression - her trademark apathy - melt away to convey regret. "Yeeeaaa," she slowly seethed out. "This was a mistake," she explained darkly.

"A mistake?" Jane was intrigued. She knew absolutely nothing about June's past. June nodded thoughtfully, then pushed her sleeve back down, covering up the top half of the ink.

"I like to think of it as a reminder of why I'm...-" She glanced around the cramped, kitchen-like room they stood in. "-...here."

"What do ya mean?"

June shrugged at Jane's probing.

"You told me ya used to run with a bad crowd, right?" June recollected, to which Jane nodded. "Let's just say the crowd I used to be with was worse, and that I'm lucky to have even a shit job like this."

Jane scratched at her orange brow, a bit nervous at the reminder of her old life - of how that old life had burst into the new one not long ago when the Rough Rhinos had shown up at Korra's restaurant. She swallowed hard at the memory and the lingering concern - the nagging at the back of her head - that the conflict she had previous been tangled up within still had remnants lingering in the present.

"Guess we, umm...-" Jane cleared her throat. "We both got shit we ain't proud of, then. From the past."

"Better it stays that way."

"Huh?"

"In the past."

\- Thursday, March 17th, 2011 - St. Patrick's Day

"Holy fuck, woman - you look awesome."

Jane sheepishly grinned at Korra's compliment, shrugging it off as Katara tinkered with the orange mass on her head. It was of a very different shape now. The night prior, Katara and taken to it with a comb and a pair of scissors, trimming it quite a bit. With her friend's aid, Jane's hair now looked less like a frizzy mass on her skull and more like an angled bob cut. Floppy bangs that had began creeping over Jane's eyes had been brushed to the side. All in all, Jane found herself pleased with it - it made her feel more...'feminine.' And everyone had been complimenting it, at that. It would seem there was still hope for her and the whole 'being-a-girl' thing after all.

"I know, doesn't she?" Katara chimed, tucking some of Jane's hair behind her ear to help the girl show off one of her skull earrings. "Took a little doing, but I think I did a decent job." Katara finally released her hands from Jane's head when skinny arms shoved upward. "Took some work, but we pulled it together..."

"I don't like that tone," Jane facetiously growled at Katara, who was smirking devlishly.

"Well...It's cool," Korra nodded, knuckles hanging on her hips. Her hair was hung down, a cheesy green top-hat plopped onto her skull to help celebrate the occasion - it looked pretty comical in and of itself, but contrasted by her black leather jacket it had inspired quite a few laughs that evening. "Anyway, good to have you ladies here. I'm gettin' sick of these Fire Cheerios, or whatever the fuck they're called."

"The Flamey-O's," Katara corrected with a happily amused sigh, casting her glance across the crowded restaurant and to the small raised platform at the back of the building that was serving as a stage. Their music was pleasing background noise.

"Don't worry, Canuck-Sauce," Toph assured cockily from beside Korra, leaning on her walking cane with a dry smile. "We'll stand these guys up, no problem."

"Go for it," Korra acknowledged, surprising Toph with a hard knock on the back, nearly toppling her. "I've got green Jello to pass out, soooo...-" With that, Korra squirmed off to the kitchen to ready another sampling of colored gelatin for the guests she was hosting tonight.

"-freakin' ridick with that on, right?" Sokka could be overheard as he approached, Aang and Suki on either side of him. Aang had been co-erced by Korra into wearing an extra leprechaun hat moments before she'd bumped into the girls. Aang fidgeted the cheap, plastic creation around. It was a bit too large for his head, so he'd arranged it to hang a bit on one side. Katara's face lit up at the adorable sight.

"He's right, Aang, it...doesn't exactly suit you," Suki agreed with a chuckle.

"Ya coulda said 'no,'" Sokka advised.

"No, it...-" Aang shook his head gently. "I kinda like it, it's...appropriately...silly."

"So that's what we're calling it these days?" Sokka teased, flopping the hat's rim down over Aang's eyes.

"Hey, someone asked me to wear this," Aang defended, shoving it back up onto his head. "I didn't volunteer to wear...-" Aang gestured his hand toward the gold and green velvety vest Sokka was wearing, which appeared to be pretty snug - if undersized. "-...that."

"Aye," Sokka burst out with an impersonation, tugging at the vest's collar. "'Tis a wee bit tiny, m'lad, but ohh, what charmin' looks it carries."

Toph's stomach fluttered at his idiotically cute accent, and she stuffed a hand in her hoodie pocket, trying to ignore it and think about the music she was about to perform instead.

"Hey, ladies," called Suki after their trio had made its way through the crowd and aligned with Toph, Katara, and Jane. Suki had four-leaf clovers painted onto her cheeks, her hair tied up in a top-knot. "It's still a little bit before we're on. Anyone need anything before we go?"

"I could use an actual drink," Sokka declared, to which Suki belted out a laugh.

"Well, sure, me, too, but that's gonna have to wait until later," she concluded.

What was up with this, anyway? Suki and Sokka, all...getting along and shit? Toph didn't like it one bit. They were still carrying a slightly flirtatious tone with each other this evening, which was a bit grating. Urgh, no, nnnope, music time, gotta think happy music thoughts.

"Ya know what's not gonna wait until later?" Toph puffed out, sweeping her cane around along the wooden floor. "Me, takin' a piss. Where's the fuckin' bathroom around here?"

The comforting touch of Katara's arm pulled her in the opposite direction she had been heading in.

"Haha, I'll show you," Katara eased. "We'll be back in a minute."

As the two of them headed off for the restroom, Sokka cast quite a scrutinizing glare at Jane, leaning toward her as he tapped his chin thoughtfully. She arched back, her nose wrinkled with discomfort. She was wearing her tight black t-shirt with a yellow-and-black striped undershirt, bleached jeans that hugged her legs, and an adorable little skull earring. She looked entirely different from yesterday, and Sokka was suspicious about the haircut, in particular.

Their eyes bubbled with a strange, tingling tension - like pouring carbonated soda into a glass - until Suki tilted her body from behind Sokka with an inquisitive, slightly irritated glance.

"What is it, Sokka? What's wrong?" she questioned, her voice laced with a hint of poison.

Sokka, still inches from his friend, nodded thoughtfully to himself.

"It's Freckles here, she-...Something must be wrong, indeed. She looks...pretty, or something."

Whump.

Jane's dotted cheeks burned pink as she flicked her wrist loosely to relieve it from the solid punch she'd administered to his stomach.

"It's...for the show, moron," Jane grunted at him as he wheezed out a laugh, gripping his gut as he staggered back. "It's St. Patty's, and I'm Irish, and...so...-"  
"We wanted her to take center stage tonight," Suki explained, easing Sokka by the shoulder and pulling him back from the girl who'd just nailed him.

"Right," confirmed Jane. "So I figured I might as well...ya know...look fuckin' decent."

"You do," Aang piped up, hoping to dial down Jane's defensiveness. "Er, decent, I mean. Nnnoo, wait, I-I meant...-" Aang shrugged hastily, smiling like a fool. "Pretty. You look pretty...Jane. You look nice."

They exchanged encouraging smiles and Jane nodded her head to him with what social dignity she could reel up.

"Thank you, Aang." She shifted gears back to Sokka and twitched her arm, eliciting him to flinch, which caused Suki to giggle. "I know it took a lot of work to make someone like me look nice," she spitefully seethed out with mock pleasantry. "But I'm fuckin' doin' my best with what I've got over here."

"Amazing what a simple haircut can do," Sokka offered a meek compliment with a raised index finger.

This remark led Aang to remove the goofy plastic hat he'd been wearing and run his hand across his own head, considering what the same could do for him. Katara had been prodding him about it all week now, and was clearly on a "makeover" mission of some sort given what she'd done with Jane's hair.

"You look like a different person," Sokka concluded, seeming intent on recuperating any ill will his jest had caused.

"Don't go acting too different, though," said Aang, wedging the green top hat back onto his skull. "We wouldn't, uhh...want a shortage of cusswords. Or...something...witty. Like that."

"Ha, oh, don't worry, I'll keep those comin'," Jane assured, ironically humored by Aang's failed effort to be funny. As she had spoken, the whole restaurant echoed with applause, the band on stage having finished a song.

"They've got one more song until we're up," Suki sharply advised, pushing herself inbetween the two boys and to her bandmate. "C'mon, we've gotta go." She patted Jane's back and asked, "You ready for this?"

Jane's olive eyes sparked with excitement as she nodded, flashing a toothy grin.

"Fuckin' right I am," Jane cheered herself on as they headed off toward the bathrooms. She paused, twisted her head over her shoulder, and shouted over her shoulder to Aang. "Yea, see...That? The cuss word? That was just for you, guy!" Aang rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Break a leg up there, ladies," Aang called with a wave. As the next song by the Flamey-O's started up, Aang sighed to Sokka, who was nonchalantly scratching at his arm, deciding what to do. "Why'd you have to be all weird with Jane, man? You know she's self-conscience about that stuff..."

"She shouldn't be," Sokka calmly explained, not even looking at his friend but instead scoping the place. "Girl's gotta get over her complex."

"Y-yea, sure, but...but I just don't think it helps when-"  
"Yo!" Sokka yelled ahead, skirting around Aang's criticism. "Is that...you? Zuko?"

Aang let the matter roll off, following his friend to pursue the young man clad in an emerald suit that sat at a stool ahead of them. He'd rotated his abdomen at the sound of Sokka's voice, and a quick check of his rather sour expression confirmed that it was, in fact, Zuko. He was dressed in a lime green corduroy suit, and looked none-too-pleased about it. Beside him, Ty-Lee was merrily slurping her way through a mint ice cream sundae. She was wearing what seemed to be a green band uniform of sorts, cut short at the waist to show off her stomach. As she innocently whirled her head around, her eyes lit up at Sokka's presence from beneath her dark green masquerade mask.

"Ayyye, Laddy," Sokka beamed with his accent, waggling a finger from Zuko to himself. "We match, so we do."

Zuko glared at Sokka, arms crossed over his waist, eyes sunken into his skull.

"...Goodie."

"How are things going, guys?" Aang asked, holding back a fit of laughter. Zuko's bluntly grumpy attitude in the face of so much vibrant cheer was comical.

Zuko grimaced at Aang's question, bobbing his head down and running his palm across his slicked back hair.

"I'm, like...soooo fantastic~" squealed Ty-Lee. Her boundlessly peppy demeanor took a turn for the mischievous as she cast a sneaky sideways stare to his neighbor. "What about you, ZuZu? How are yooooo doing? Hmmmm?"

Zuko whimpered out a sigh through his nostrils, his amber eyes smoldering with fury at Ty-Lee, whose mouth curved up into a devilish smile as she stuffed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"I'm...feeling...magically delicious," Zuko seethed, each syllable like an icicle from his lips. Ty-Lee dropped her spoon into her sundae bowl and giddily clapped her hands together before her chest, humming with delight.

"Uhh...I...see," Sokka managed out, utterly confused.

"I lost a bet with my Uncle," Zuko explained hurriedly, his face still frozen with rusted aggravation. It reminded Aang of Mai whenever she was upset - that cold, dull, dry attitude.

"Where's Mai?" Aang pondered, scanning the bar counter, packed with students - but not seeing his art friend anywhere.

"She's up front watching the band," chirped Ty-Lee, pointing her plastic spoon out across the restaurant.

"Oh..." Aang tapped at his cheek pensively, casting his eyes off in the area Ty-Lee had directed. "Hm. I think I'm gonna try and find her. Besides, the Kyoshi Warriors are up next."

Ty-Lee went slack-jawed.

"OMIGAW ARE YOU FOR CEREALS?" she shrieked with delight.

"Yep," Sokka casually replied, leaning against the wooden countertop between the busty girl and her grouchy friend. "I know all of them, ya know. My sister's the lead singer." Zuko sighed and tuned them out, working his way through his pistachio pudding.

"Uh, yea, like...omigosh I know all of them, too," Ty-Lee gasped out in realization. "I know a band."

"It's true," agreed Sokka with a light nod.

Ugh. Aang wasn't too interested in watching these two and their stupid antics. Now that Sokka was single he paid extra attention to this girl every time they ran into each other.

"Ummm, sooo...I'm just...gonna go, then."

"I think I'll chill back here with these guys, Dude. Catch ya later."

Aang weaved his way through the crowd of students, his ears gradually accumulating pain as he drew close to the source of the garage band music sweeping across the place. It wasn't too hard to find Mai, though, standing relatively still in the thick of dancing students. She was directly beside the stage, aiming her camera back at the crowd and snapping pictures. Aang smiled as he watched her, deep in concentration, before intentionally sticking his head right in the path of her lens. She flinched at first, snapped a quick shot of his close-up mug, stupid grin and all, then lowered the device, letting it hang off her neck, and shot him a sly glare.

"Are you trying to sabotage my work?" she shouted through the music.

"As always!" Aang called back, his expression curdling from the racket. He nodded his head to indicate Mai to follow, and she did. They slipped off to the side, through the recreational room adorned with Aang's painstaking wall art - he caught a glance of Korra's two roommates playing billiards as they passed through - and out through the back door into the cool evening air. The gravel lot was completely packed with cars.

"Pretty crazy in there, right?" Aang chuckled, dabbing his finger at his ear as if to clean out leftover noise.

"Seems like a big success," Mai agreed. "I know Zuko spent a lot of time promoting this event - it's the biggest turnout the place has had so far."

"Yea, I can tell."

"Uh...By the way..." Mai squinted at Aang's head. "Did you lose a bet, too?"

"Huh? Wh-...?" Aang tapped the plastic hat. "Oh, ha, no, I just-...Korra made me wear it."

"Uh...huh. And, so...you wanted to?"

"Er...N-not exactly, but I thought it would just be nice to-"  
"You really need to get better at saying 'no' some times, Aang," Mai snickered. "Seems like not being able to do so gets you into a lot of trouble..."

Aang sighed through his nose, his fingers drumming along the rim of the hat. A wave of muffled applause from within signaled that the last Flamey-O performance was finished.

"Heh, yea...So, like...What's with the pictures tonight?"

"Ah." Mai was reminded of her task and immediately went to snap some photos of the jam-packed parking lot. "I got asked to photograph the event for the school paper."

"Oh. That's really neat! Good for you."

"Yea, well...-" Mai shrugged off Aang's impressed tone. "When your boyfriend's uncle helps run it, it's hard to feel special about being picked."

"Aw, hey...Don't be like that. You're the best photographer I know."

Mai's stern face wrinkled up a smile of gratitude.

"Thanks. Now if only I can get-"  
Mai's thoughts were interrupted when the back door flung open, a short girl flying out, her makeup-riddled face damp and messy. Both Aang and Mai immediately recognized her as the girl on stage who'd been playing the keyboard for the band. She looked rather distraught.

"Whoa, hey." On instinct, Aang reached out an arm, but caught himself before he made physical contact as she brushed by. "Are you all right?" he asked the girl, who was for all intents and purposes a stranger. The girl with the ponytail paused and slowly turned around, wiping at her face with her sleeve.

"Y-yes, I'm OK," she mumbled, quite half-heartedly. "I'm just...a little upset."

Aang and Mai exchanged perplexed glances. Aang could tell that Mai didn't want anything to do with the situation, while Mai read it in Aang's eyes that he was going to try and help, to which she conceded and let him try.

Always gotta help a lady in distress, right? That's part of the Aero Man Code.

"O-Oh," Aang sputtered out. "Uhhh...W-well, is there anything I can do to help?"

The girl's face twisted with bewilderment at his offer, then keenly caught the disinterest in Mai's eyes.

"Don't worry...I'm not a drama queen," she sighed out. "It's just been a rough night. That's all. I'm fine, really." She shook off her trembling wrists, still quivering from the emotional outburst that had just transpired inside, and sniffed in a deep breath. "My name's Angie..." Her confused face gave way to an endeared smirk at the oddity atop Aang's skull. "Tch. I like your hat, by the way," she teased.

"Oh, uhh...Thankssss," Aang managed out, fidgeting once more with the silly accessory. Mai slowly shook her head, one hand on her hip, the other latched around her camera. Aang extended his hand "I'm Aang. Nice to meet you."

Angie and Aang clasped hands, while his friend merely gave an upward nod of the head.

"I'm Mai."

"Ah. Say, you're the guy who painted that lovely stuff in there, aren't you?" Angie recollected. "I saw you working on it last month."

"Oh, heh. Yea, that was me. Took me for-"  
This time Aang was cut off as the door opened again, and a barrel of a boy sauntered though, bumping Aang callously. Perhaps standing so close to the door had been a bad idea.

"Angie, I didn't mean it like that, OK?" He immediately reached out his hands, clutching at Angie's wrists, and she retracted, taking a step back.

"Oh, h-hey," Aang greeted sheepishly, while Mai, wide-eyed, scuffled a couple steps back herself. "Ya know, you guys were real great in there," Aang attempted to lighten the mood. Probably foolish, he figured, after he'd spoken. The chunky man with the aviators on his forehead cocked his head back over his shoulder to gaze at Aang with irritation.

"That's right," he bragged. "We were. We're the best indie band around - don't forget it." His attention went back to the girl, who had rolled his eyes behind his back at his own arrogance. "Who're these Chinks? Huh?" Mai's already narrow-set eyes became angry slits at his remark. "Having one around all the time's not enough for you, is it?"

"Hyde, stop it," Angie hushed him, swiftly embarrassed by his words.

"No, I'm sick of all these little Asian punks overrunning the school, thinkin' they're better than the rest of us," Hyde lashed out, sweeping his hand at the two art students.

"It's called Saint Roku University," Mai hissed at him. "The school was founded by 'Asian punks.'"

"Yea? Doesn't make them any better than the rest of us."

"Hyde, what's gotten into you? First Shoji, now them? You don't even know them, they-"  
"And I don't wanna know them."

Mai huffed incredulously at the stark racism being whipped at them.

"Come on, Aang," she seethed, grabbing his shoulder and easing him to follow her back inside. Aang didn't budge, though, to Mai's surprise.

No, I'm not gonna let some blowhard talk about us like that. I'm not a wimp, I can stand up for myself when I have to.

"Angie, is this guy giving you trouble?"

Mai's mouth popped open at Aang's words. Had he...-? Did he really just say that? This guy was going to flatten the poor kid! What was he thinking?

She could hear the Kyoshi Warriors starting up their first song inside, and her bony fingers tightened over Aang's arm.

"Aang, the girls are on," Mai insisted. "We should go innn."

But Aang wouldn't have it. He nudged her off gently, his eyes locked on Hyde's.

No, this guy's too worked up, he can't focus. I could...take him. Yea. Probably.

"I'll be in a sec, Mai, you go on."

You idiot, I'm not leaving you out here with this creepozoid...

"It's OK, Aang," Angie called back. "I'm sorry, we've all had a long day, and...and he's just out of sorts tonight, and...-"

"Why do you care so much about this guy if you 'don't know him?'" Hyde demanded in a snapping remark. He dismissed her before she could even reply and closed the the distance to Aang. "And you seem to sure give a damn about makin' a stand against me."

Aang stared up at him, his stomach jelly, his legs rubber, and he swallowed hard, maintaining his stern expression.

"Listen here, Friend," Hyde snipped, clutching Aang's shoulder in quite the opposite manner that Mai recently had. "Ya got huge fucking ears, but I know your Chink brain probably has trouble processing this sort of stuff, so I'm gonna say this slowly..." The other fat hand clamped down on Aang's other shoulder, but Aang didn't budge. "Angie. Is. My girlfriend. Don't forget it." Hyde administered a harsh shove, causing Aang to toppled backward, losing his footing and nearly tripping over Mai, who managed to catch him.

"Now go back inside with your little Geisha whore and I'll forget all about th-"  
"Take that back," Aang shakily demanded, his voice cracking a bit.

While Mai seriously wanted to see this guy get clobbered, the thought of Aang getting beat to a pulp over some name-calling seemed pretty illogical.

"Aang, just back off," she whispered in his ear as she set him back up straight.

No way, I'm sick of letting people push me around, and I'm sure not going to start letting random jerks do it...

"Take it back," Aang repeated.

"I ain't takin' back shit," Hyde declared. "Maybe your kind can let my Dad take back his job, how about that?"

"Hyde, what is your issue?" Angie whimpered. "Let it go! They didn't do anything wrong."

"I cannot believe you keep taking their side on this," Hyde groaned. "It's them over me every time now, is that it? What happened?"

"Angie," Aang mustered out, having regained himself. "Would like me to show you back inside where this guy can't-"  
"What did you just say, Buddahead?" Hyde slapped the lepracaun hat off of Aang and pushed him again, but he was ready this time. "You're gonna show her back inside? Nobody shows my Angie anywhere."

Mai, her heart pounding with fear - somewhat exhilarating, in a bizarre way, as she couldn't remember the last time she was genuinely scared about anything - retreated, stumbling a few steps and pressing her back against the wall of the building. In that moment, she observed Aang, his sneakers sliding across the gravel, digging into it for support and adjusting his weight and balance. He knew Hyde was about to come at him, and he was ready.

In a smooth motion, Aang dodged to the side as Hyde lurched forth. Aang left one foot in place and eased Hyde's arm down, throwing him off balance and causing him to trip over Aang's sneaker, using his own momentum against him. Mai gasped out audibly, impressed and startled - Aang had made the action look effortless, like he was easing along a simple breeze of air rather than a guy twice his stature. She was relieved that Aang had the ability to back up his talk, but she had to do something. She scrambled to get inside.

Hyde immediately pushed himself off the pebbles and immediately went for another swing, to which Angie shrieked, but Aang sidestepped again. Twice more he dodged Hyde's assaulting blows, all the while being taunted.

"Ahh, think you're-...heph...-all fancy with your-...rrgh...-kung-fu crap?"

Aang didn't offer him a reply, his head slick with sweat.

"Stop it! What's wrong with you?" cried Angie, whose face had dampened again.

The door behind Hyde swung open, the girl's performance of a Beatles cover raising in volume momentarily before the door slammed against the wall and closed, but Hyde ignored it, going after Aang once more.

Angie's cries distracted Aang just long enough for Hyde to fake a blow, only to land a glancing strike to Aang's side, below his ribs. He coughed out in pain, reeling back. Could've been a lot worse...Barely a bruise - he'd managed to drain a lot of the impact in his avoiding the blow.

"Ya gonna fight back, Kung-Pow Chicken?" Hyde breathed out heavily.

"The fuck is this?"

Aang flinched at the recognizable sound of Korra's voice. Korra, having just seen her friend get punched in the side, easily wrestled the unruly student to the pavement.

"Getoffamee!" Hyde snarled, by now far gone, whatever rage had been consuming his mind now in full control. He managed to elbow Korra in the jaw, and she tightened her grip on him, keeping him pinned down as two young men strolled up on either side.

"Need any help with this guy, Korra?" Bolin asked coldly, glaring down and forcing some intimidation into the kid.

"I think she's got it covered," Mako observed from the opposite side, his gaze inquisitive and humored.

Aang was suddenly brought back to his senses, and he whirled around.

"Angie, are you OK?" he sighed out, still catching his breath.

Angie, stupefied, nodded hurriedly.

Two more figures approached as Korra pulled Hyde back to his feet, holding his hands tight behind his back. One was the skinny Asian lad who had been playing drums on stage.

"What's going on?" he cried out, immediately reaching his friend and clasping her hands.

"Shoji," Angie choked out, trembling. "I'm so sorry for what he said, I-"  
"Hey, hey, it's fine..." Shoji embraced his friend as Hyde glared at their intimate moment, his eyes blazing with jealousy.

Aang gave the two some space as the other person who'd followed Korra out - Mai - walked around the situation to approach her friend.

Wow, this Korra chick really stuck it to him, no problem. She really is pretty buff...

"Damn, Aang," Korra laughed out, pushing Hyde along casually. "You're lucky I saved your ass, you were about to be paste, Bro."

Aang was flustered by this remark, but his mood changed as Mai immediately grasped at Aang and squeezed him in a brief, tight hug before letting him go, then smacking him on the back of the head.

"What...-?"

"Don't ever do something so stupid like that again," Mai threatened. "What was I going to tell Katara if you got hurt?"

Aang, teeth clenched with doubt, stuttered for a response, but couldn't come up with one. Mai supplied a sarcastic one of her own.

"'Oh, little Aang decided to pick a fight with a guy twice his size, when he's just a-"  
"A what?" Aang growled out at Mai, suddenly quite defensive. "A wimp? A pussy?"

Mai had been sucker-punched by his sudden hostility as he shook his head and blew right past her. She was distracted for a moment as Shoji and Angie walked off, traumatized by the event, and Korra and her two friends taunted Hyde into submission. Mai woke herself back up before Aang got inside and stopped him.

"Whoa, wait up..." She insisted. Mai's voice usually had a quality to it that made Aang think of dry ice, but in that moment, it was...more like the vapors, the fog, that rose up from dry ice. "Hey, I'm-...Listen, Aang, I didn't mean that, I was worried and-...I'm sorry, OK?"

Aang pushed out a heavy breath before rolling back and bumping the back of his head against the door.

"That was...amazing," Mai encouraged. "Like...I'm-...The way you stood up to him like that? And how you...made him look like a pushover? That was-...Wow."

A weak smile formed on Aang's face.

"I didn't know you had that stuff in you," Mai concluded.

Yea, well, no one seems to know that I do...So I'll prove it to them.

"Yea..."

"I guess you haven't been lying when you always talk about going out and exercising lately," she tried to make light of the situation, pulling the discussion back to familiar territory. Aang bashfully shrugged at this, still trying to recover from this crazy mess that had exploded so quickly. "Hey. Seriously. That...took a lot of guts."

"Thanks..."

"But it was stupid..."

"I know. I just...-" Aang glanced down, noticing the green top hat that had been cast from his head prior. He kicked it stubbornly, pushing it away.

I want to make a difference. I can't do that standing by on the sidelines being just some loser 'nice-guy' all of the time...Right?

"I get it," Mai assured. "But...What the hell? Like you need to prove anything to me?"

"To myself," Aang muttered out, giving the evening sky his attention.

"Well...Tssh..." Mai sighed out, relieved that nothing horrible had transpired. "You are...some piece of work, Aang. But getting into fist-fights isn't such a good idea if you're not going to use your fists." She chuckled at her own joke, still a bit off from Aang's lack of enthusiasm after all this. "Katara's a lucky girl," she pronounced, trying to bolster his spirits. "I'm gonna tell her that."

Aang's eyes bulged open as Mai led him back inside.

"Oh jeez, please-please-please don't tell her about this..." His fingers fiddled together nervously, and she cackled at him, giving no signs of acknowledging his request.

They walked in on the girls on the slightly raised platform finishing their song to a stream of applause. As they passed by, Aang sheepishly smiled to Katara, who blew him a kiss. Mai grinned at their interaction as she brought Aang to his roommate, who was now rotated toward Ty-Lee, still leaning against the counter. Zuko was hunched over a now empty bowl where green pudding had previously sat.

Mai looped her arms around Zuko's waist and kissed his cheek, planting her chin on his tense shoulder.

He smiled peacefully at her presence.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey, Zuko. How are you doing?" she taunted him, crumbling his smile into a grumpy frown.

"I'm...magically delicious, Lassie," Zuko growled through grit teeth.

"Heheh..."

"It's a good thing I don't hate you, Mai..."

"I don't hate you, too, Zuko."

"Well, ain't that sweet?" Sokka mocked their awkward romance from a couple of feet over.

"Oh, I know!" Ty-Lee squealed. "Aren't they, like, just the cutest couple ever?"

"Hey, man, the two of them combined aren't half as cute as you are," Sokka brazenly flirted. Ty-Lee squinted with embarrassed delight, her face glowing as she flicked her wrist.

"Oh, stop it."

Aang felt like he was going to hurl.

"Hey, Sokka," he said, standing a few feet back from all of the sexual tension at the counter. "Maybe you should tone down the oogies a bit, huh?"

Sokka's face contorted with bridled rage - looked like his head was going to burst a vein - but Ty-Lee spoke before he could.

"What's an oogie?" she inquired, head tilted at a 45-degree angle.

"We'll tell you when you're older," Mai immediately jumped in with her sharp wit.

"...Heyyyyy!" Ty-Lee objected in a pout.

Up on stage, the girls were starting up their next song. Jane was indeed front and center, jamming on her bass to start their song. What was more surprising was that she was also standing in front of a microphone. Suki was going crazy on the drums, Toph strummed her electric guitar, and Katara rattled a tamborine, acting as the harmony vocals, while Jane's bass was prominent as she started to sing.

\+ youtube(dot)com/watch?v=i9e76I8i9yI +

"~I wear a disguise; I'm just your average Jane~The super doesn't stand for model; But that doesn't mean I'm plain~"

She carried herself with a serious, focused look, the balance between bass and voice difficult to maintain. Aang cheered out for her as she sung her own name.

"~If all you see is how I look, you miss the super chick within~And I christen you Titanic: underestimate and swim~"

"Wooow, I didn't know she could sing!" Ty-Lee cooed.

"~I've got the rifle; gonna be myself~"

"Woooo~!" Aang rooted them on.

"~I've got the rifle; gonna be myself~"

There was some clapping and foot pounding from the small crowd right next to the stage.

"~I've got the rifle; gonna be myself~"

Jane's eyes sunk closed as she leaned into the mic, relaxing her state of mind.

"~I've got the rifle; gonna be myself~"

She tossed her head as they kicked off into the chorus, Toph casually blaring out chords and joining in as a third singer.

"~And I'll be everything that I wanna be; I am confidence in insecurity~"

Jane's raspy voice wasn't entirely on key for every note, but she was certainly doing her damndest.

"~I am a voice yet waiting to be heard; I'll shoot the shot -bang!- that you hear round the world~"

"Holy cow, man," Aang burst out to Sokka. "I didn't know Jane was singing tonight! Did you know?"

"~And I'm a one girl revolution; I'm a one girl revolution; I'm a one girl revolution~"

"Dude, I had no idea," Sokka admitted, gawking at the way Jane's fingers plucked at the thick bass strings.

"~Some people see the revolution but most only the see girl~"

Sokka couldn't help but stare at Jane's face as she sung.

"~I can lose my hard earned freedom if my fear defines my world~"

Pretty cute, seeing her taking herself so seriously.

"~I declare my independence from the critics and their stones~"

The way she'd slide her eyelids half closed while she sang? Dayum.

"~I can find my revolution; I can learn to stand alone...~"

Aw, dang, and the way Suki was just pounding at those drums like a beast?

"~And I'll be everything that I want to be~"

So much hotness.

"~I am confidence in insecurity; I am a voice yet waiting to be heard~"

"Gawwwdd they are so good!" squeaked Ty-Lee.

"~I'll shoot the shot -bang!- that you hear round the world...~"

Lookit that ginger, goin' to town on that bass.

"~And I'm a one girl revolution~"

And that crazy beautiful drum execution?

"~I'm a one girl revolution~"

And...erm...well, Ty-Lee sure is nice to look at, anyway.

"~I'm a one girl revolution~"

Jane's hands flicked wildly at her bass as she went solo.

"~And I'm a one girl revolution~"

She received some cat calls, whistles, and the like from some of the young men in the crowd, and her attempts at looking sultry withered into flattery.

"~I'm a one girl revolution~"

Sweet Zombie Jesus, is it hot in here?

Sokka's male sensibilities were getting overloaded from all of the lovely feminine talents he was observing.

"~And I'm a one girl revolution~"

Jane's bass riffs transitioned into a brief reference to the James Bond theme, and the crowd erupted with some laughs and cheers as she went to town, the others adjusting their instrumentation complete the bit.

That goes out to you, Johnny.

The girls hit the chorus once more.

"~And I'll be everything that I wanna be; I am confidence and in insecurity~"

Katara was grinning wide, beaming with pride at her friend's performance.

"~I am a voice yet waiting to be heard; I'll shoot the shot -bang!- that you hear round the world~"

Look how far you've come, Jane. You're not the girl you used to be.

"~Everything that I want to be; I am confidence and in insecurity~"

I'm so proud of you.

"~I am a voice yet waiting to be heard; I'll shoot the shot -bang!- that you hear round the world~"

The girl's dorm, an hour later.

Acoustic guitar, notes trickling out like a relaxed stream.

"~And I'm a one girl revolution~"

Toph's smooth voice sang out the words while she played, Jane accompanying her on another guitar.

"~I'm a one girl revolution~"

The two went at it a few times, Jane joining in and singing with Toph as they closed out the song.

Their reward for this impromptu encore was some mild clapping.

"I like that version better," Mai decided from her spot on Katara's bed.

"You girls were so. Amazing," Ty-Lee insisted, continuing to dole out praise.

"Yea, we were pretty fuckin' rad," Toph agreed bluntly, plinking at her strings.

"Ohhlll-roity then!" Sokka chimed out, turning up the dial on his sister's external speakers. "Now that you're done with your little guitar nonsense-" Toph's nose wrinkled at this remark. "-time to blast up the Irish music!"

Katara knowingly closed the door to their incredibly crowded dorm room. It was about nine o'clock now, which meant they had about an hour before "quiet hours" began. Sokka's insistence on having a "proper" St. Patrick's Day party meant that the group was going to listen to Gaelic music and partake in booze-drinking.

\+ youtube(dot)com/watch?v=ZP0yauSagzA +

As Sokka began to do a jig in place by Katara's desk, loud music filled the room, and Zuko and Mai both squirmed with discomfort. Raised his brow at her, and she instantly recognized his 'can we leave now?' look. She smirked, straightened the collar on his green, corduroy vest, and led him up off the bed.

"Hey, Katara?" Mai called out through the music. "Zuko's pretty beat, so...we're gonna head out."

"All right!" Katara spoke back, forcing her words through the racket they were engulfed in. "Thanks, guys. Tonight's been fun!"

"Are you coming?" Mai asked Ty-Lee, who was dancing alongside Sokka and Aang.

"I'm gonna hang out with these guys for a while!" Ty-Lee belted out as Sokka's jig transformed into poorly choreographed air drums. Mai sighed, her unenthused eyes rolling in their sockets.

Of course you'd want to keep hanging out, with all the attention you're getting...

"'Kay. See you back at the room!"

"Byeeee~"

A chorus of farewells sent the two off into the night.

After the song had finished playing and Sokka, Ty-Lee, and Aang were all gasping for breath, Sokka wiped some beads of sweat from his forehead and took a deep sigh.

"Nice dancing, there," Suki tossed a compliment his way from her relaxed state on Toph's desk chair.

"Well!" Sokka puffed out."Now that Mr. President and Princess Frowny-Face are gone...-" He snuck over to his backpack, which was nestled beneath Katara's bed, and pulled out a grocery bag. Bottles clinked together as he removed it, treating it with the same care as an infant. "-...who's ready to actually celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Huh?"

Katara sighed, leaning against her door. She locked it closed, trying to restrain herself from scolding anyone. It was a special occasion, and at least Sokka had indicated his plans ahead of time. If they got caught, it could be some serious trouble, but Katara had a feeling this wouldn't be a problem. Their floor's resident adviser had openly stated that she, herself, was going out for drinks that night and had invited all of-age students to tag along, meaning that one of the other RA's from another floor would have to show up for any trouble. And besides, everyone was legal except for Toph and Aang, and Aang wasn't having any drinks tonight, so...even then...Agh. Whatever. Katara knew it was futile to try and convince her brother otherwise, and Toph had been quite insistent on things happening in their room, with the RA situation and also the fact that Katara and Toph were well-known for playing loud music right up until quiet hours.

"Hey, Suki, didn't you wanna listen to something?"

"Oh! Right..." Suki hopped from Toph's desk to Katara's and began running a search on YouTube for theme music to set the mood.

As Sokka began mixing liquors and juices, he felt his insides bubbling with glee while cheerful Gaelic music swept over them. Ty-Lee was sitting at his side, their hips touching.

"Hey, Shamrocks," Sokka called, lifting up a shotglass toward her. "Your honor, today."

"Heh..." Jane got up from her place on the floor beside Toph, setting her borrowed guitar inside Katara's closet and crouching down on Sokka's other side. They were all huddled together on the floor in front of Katara's bed, while Katara went over to Toph's bed, where Aang had settled down. Jane sucked down her shot with a devilish smile and handed the glass, which appropriately had a four-leaf clover on it, to Sokka.

"'Atta girl."

Sokka distributed shots to Ty-Lee and Suki after giving Jane a second round, and as Toph begrudgingly found her way to where they were - she had lazily crawled the short distance, nearly groping Jane in the process - Sokka gave her one as well. Sokka raised his own glass toward his freckled friend.

"To the Fitz - Janey-Jane, JayBee, Freckles...Our Shamrock Shake, our beloved Ginger, our gradually-good-looking red-headed compatriot...-" Sokka stared her right in the olive eyes and flashed her a grin, and she snorted a laugh, bobbing her head bashfully. "-...our dear friend, Jane Fitzpatrick. The luck o' the Irish is always with us, so long as we have you around."

"Here, here!" Katara was the first to commend Sokka's toast, raising her fist. She made eye contact with Jane, who was even more red-faced now that she was the focus of everyone's eyes. Toph punched her in the shoulder and Sokka ruffled at her hair as as cheers rang out and shot glasses tapped each other in merriment.

\+ youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Yt6osXyGJwI +

Some time passed, and as it did, the volume of the room decreased to a much more tolerable level, with sudden bursts of loud laughter every now and again - typical antics for a room full of college students.

Aang and Katara whiled away the time snuggled together, having shifted over to Katara's own bed. In the process of making the move, Sokka had managed to convince Katara to consume a single shot (her first ever), which had left her throat burning, and given her a brief bout of light-headed-ness that everyone had found amusing.

Ty-Lee seemed to be making physical contact with Sokka at every opportunity, which had somehow culminated in his trying to show her how to tie a string into a convoluted bow-shaped knot - he kept referring to it as "special knowledge" that he was trying to impart on Ty-Lee, who had been complaining about how everyone treated her like she was an idiot. Even Jane had taken to vying for Sokka's attention, feeding off the brief glances she'd receive as he'd admire her new hairstyle. Suki had been playing as DJ, looking up names of songs as Sokka brought them up. Sokka was basically basking in his own personal harem or some shit. The entire situation was making Toph's blood silently boil, and she had taken to drowning her jealousy in whiskey shots and Cactus Juice wine cooler.

"Wooowwww, that's so amaaayyyzzzinggg...~" Ty-Lee was in hysterics, and slapping his leg playfully.

"Rite? Liek...gawwssh, friggun...-" Sokka , wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. And to think he had so recently been assuming women weren't interested in him. All they needed was alcohol and...haircuts. Or something. Then they'd just-...Wait. What? Where had he been going with that...? His mind was having trouble finishing thoughts, it was so inebriated.

"More Pogues!" Suki declared, making the song repeat itself.

"Moar pohgz!" Sokka agreed.

"Whoooo~"

"Heheh..."

The lot of them began rocking back and forth, giggling like children, while Aang and Katara appreciated the joyous atmosphere as a backdrop to light kissing.

["~I am goooooin'...I am going whichever way the wind might be blowing~"]

Toph rolled out of her bed, landing on her knees. Her palms incurred rug-burn as she caught herself. Her reality was a blur of retarded singing and stupid laughing and fucking Meat-Head ignoring her.

Ulgh. Stomach. Blechhh...

With a few sputtering coughs, Toph crawled across the bedroom floor, the happy drunkards hardly noticing her, and entered the cramped, private bathroom they shared with the neighboring room.

["~I am goooooin'...I am going where streams of whiskey are flowing~"]

Katara had noticed her roommate's disgruntled meandering, and was immediately concerned by it. She sat up in her bed, rubbing Aang's wrist with her thumb, and whispered to him, "I'll be back, I need to make sure she's OK..."

Upon entering the tiny restroom, she found Toph, sitting on her hip, hands warily pushing up the toilet seat. Her eyelids were half closed, white irises lurching up, each sclera bloodshot. Her eyebrows were curved with discomfort, and she lurched, eliciting a "Hullphh" sound and clutching at her gut as some trickles of brown liquid leaked out of her lips. She coughed, spitting them out at the toilet, her blind aim leaving some around the rim.

Katara's palm pressed hard against her face as she groaned with frustration.

"Toph...Ew..."

Katara knelt down and reached out a cautious hand to Toph's face, lifting up her loose-hanging bangs, which were thankfully vomit-free. She'd keep them that way. She held back her friend's ponytail and turned away as Toph spewed forth unpleasantries with ghastly burp-like sounds. This happened a second time, and Katara sat patiently through it again.

By now, Toph's eyes were leaking tears from the discomfort and embarrassment.

"...Fffffffuckk," she whimpered out, hacking up more remnants of her dinner.

"Toph...I can't believe this," Katara growled, rather cross. "Why did you drink so much?"

"...Mmm a fuggin' bitchh," Toph grumbled out woozily. "Gawdd...so stoopid. Hellll...Aghh. Shhhitt." Toph gasped for air as Katara started dabbing at her face with toilet paper to clean her up.

"Just...stop it," Katara huffed with dissatisfaction. This hadn't even been a bad day, and she was still cleaning up after Toph.

"Ahm sawrree," Toph winced out in a plea to Katara, sniffling as more tears started leaking out. "Overdihh...-" Another awkward burp that reeked so much Katara had to turn away again. "Overdid it," Toph concluded, her mind dazed. "Fuggin' sickuvv...evriwun tryin tuh...sokk cuckka kok."

"...What?" Katara snapped in bewildered aggravation. She snorted out her rage through her flared nostrils and rubbed Toph's back, trying to to get her to purge out...whatever it was she was trying to say.

"Ohhh, lawdeeduhh, ahm stoopitt bimbo, heehee~" Toph angrily mocked Ty-Lee. "Ahh gotz bewbeez...Nnn Sookeez sill furtin'? Whyyyz that? Fucckin. Brrroke. Upp. Evan lykke...guddamm Jaynn gettin' hiz tentchun. Liek, duhfuck? Evr'body pritty but mee? Dattit?"

"Uhhh...-?" As far as Katara could garner, Toph was...complaining? About the other girls, or something? That was the only thing that made sense, given Toph's slurred speech and tone. She was evidently jealous about Sokka's flirting with people? Nevermind, that actually didn't make sense. Why would Toph care what Sokka did? He was an idiot. Although it was probably kind of annoying to be the only girl in the room not being...hit on. Or kissed. Or complimented like that? Hm.

Since when did Toph really care about that sort of thing, though? For Jane, it was probably pleasant and surprising to have random guys cat-calling her on stage, to have Sokka being a little flirty with her, but...why did that make Toph upset? She had never given a damn about Sokka's jibes at Jane in the past...

While Katara continued to rub her drunken friend's back, in the bathroom, Jane was enjoying the sound of drunken singing. She had flipped open her wallet to cast her sight to a weathered photograph stored within.

St. Patrick's Day had always been significant to her, being a day that celebrated her own proud heritage - and in effect, the people she had been birthed from. Thinking back on the entire day, and all of the people in it...Jane had to conclude that this had probably been the best St. Patrick's Day she had ever had the pleasure of living through up until that point in her life. For once, she could stare at the photograph of her deceased parents - Mary and Joel, two fiery-haired Irish folks that had loved their daughter despite her strange birth conditions - and feel gratitude about her life.

Sokka's words - about Jane being the group's infinite source of 'Irish luck' - had touched her in a deep place.

She slipped out the photo and stared at it intensely, a warm smile on her face. It was a picture of her - six years old - with her parents. They were all smiling, wearing lepracaun hats. A trio of merry, freckled fools.

She read the chicken scratch on the back of the photo - writing she had put there herself in her parents' stead. Her eyes welled up as she tried - struggled, so hard - to remember the few fleeting moments she could recall in which her parents had been alive.

{Ár ádh mór ort}

'Our good luck to you.'

Your luck is with me, Mom and Dad. It took me a long time to figure out where it was...

She rubbed traces of tears from her eyes as she felt Aang's hand tousle her hair from behind. She smiled up at him, his glance offering sympathy as she tucked the photo back in her wallet. Sokka was still singing like a crazy fool, and Katara came back into the room, easing a dizzy Toph to her bed. As they passed by, Katara gave her friend an affection pat on the shoulder.

...but I finally found it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'One Girl Revolution' by Superchick.  
> Streams of Whiskey by The Pogues.


	78. Perfect

\- Friday, March 18th, 2011 -

" _Ullgghhhhh..._ "

"I _told_ you to drink some water last night before bed," Katara snipped with a cranky down, rubbing sand from her eyes.

Toph, splattered across her bed, clamped her palms against her temples and rolled onto her side, her sheets in tangles.

"I don't... _remember_ that," she confessed in a whimper.

Katara began to brush her damp mane, still in her bathrobe.

"I stuck a bottle of water _right in your hands_ ," Katara sighed, her tone sharp. "I _told_ you. I said, 'Toph, if you don't have some water, you're going to be hung _over_ tomorrow,' and you said you weren't thirsty and ignored me..."

"Oh..."

Toph felt her heart sink an inch deeper into the mud of regret. Katara was disappointed, clearly, and Toph was feeling the same way.

"Why did you _drink_ so much last night?"

"Mm-mm," Toph ho-hummed. "Dunno...Just, like...heat of the moment, I guess."

Katara frowned at her own reflection, stroking her brush along.

"You were complaining about how Sokka was flirting with everyone," she observed, lifting a brow as she cast a sideways glance at her forlorn companion, who was glad to have her face half-buried in a pillow as it began to burn up. "It was...really weird."

"Heh, y-yea, I...-" Toph grunted as her stomach twisted with discomfort. She couldn't tell if it was the hangover or her fear of being found out about Sokka, "It sounded like he was having a good time...surrounded by a bunch of pretty girls. I mean...for fuck's sake, it sounds like...he even thinks _Freckle-Face_ is cute now, all of a sudden..."

Katara's arm finished off its brushing, and she flicked her semi-tamed mass of hair as things clicked. Jane had gotten a lot of attention the night prior - even Aang and Sokka had made remarks on her appearance - and likewise, Sokka had gotten his fill of flirtatious comments. And, erm...reciprocated, fairly profusely. Ugh. **Oogies,** indeed.

"Yea, well...Jane really tried to look her best yesterday," Katara pointed out. "I mean...If you really want to try to look nicer, or something...I could help." Katara made the offer out of courtesy, but it was one she had made numerous times in the past, and very rarely had Toph expressed interest.

"It's OK," Toph dully replied, as expected. "One of the good things about being blind is that I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances." Her rigid apathy deteriorated with each word that came out of her mouth. "I don't _care_ what I look like," she grumbled, brusquely shoving gunk from her sagging eyes as she sat up, still clutching at her head. "I'm not looking for anyone's _approval._ I know who I am..." _I'll never be able to understand this shit, anyway. I wish it just...didn't_ matter.

Katara sat down beside her and rubbed a gentle hand across Toph's bare shoulder. Whatever had ruffled Toph's feathers last night, Katara could tell it boiled down to the truth behind the lie Toph has just told herself - that she didn't look for anyone's approval. Always hearing about Jane being such a tomboy, and then suddenly hearing guys cat-calling her, and even friends admiring her a bit...It wasn't a surprise that it made Toph a little subconscious. She was a bit jealous of the attention Jane had suddenly been getting from boys - that was the issue. It made enough sense.

Maybe some encouraging words would help alleviate that.

"That's what I really admire about you, Toph. You're so strong and confident, and self-assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but...you're _really_ pretty." The last bit had an extra dollop of sugar on top, but Toph could detect the authenticity of her friends' words.

"...I am?" she muttered before an eye squinted shut and she yawned like a lion.

"Yea," Katara chuckled, pushing some of Toph's bedhead out of the girl's face to observe her pale, round cheeks. "You _are_."

Katara delighted at the smile that formed across that porcelain skin, and smirked when the girl crawled up out of bed, scratching her rear-end lazily.

"I'd return the compliment, but...-" Toph fussed around with her sweatpants as she waddled to the dresser, still in a daze. "I have no idea what you look like. Thanks, Sister-Face."

Katara got up from Toph's bed and stretched as she waited to have her turn at getting clothes for the day.

"You're welcome...Mud-Slug."

As Toph whirled around, a T-shirt and jeans stuffed under an armpit, she slowly stuck out her arm in the direction her friend's had come from, and her knuckles softly squished against Katara's stomach.

"Pulling those affectionate punches, huh?"

Toph cackled, tossing her head back as she began to wind her porcupine-like hair into a ponytail.

"I got tired of hearing you cry like a baby when I hit ya too hard. Heh."

Katara was a bit startled that Toph was ironically so up-and-at-'em today. Based on her movements and occasional groaning, the girl was still a bit ill-stricken from her heavy drinking, and yet she was forcing herself to wake up earlier than necessary.

"Sooo...How come _you're_ waking up already?" Katara wondered, zipping up her pair of slacks. She was feeling in a 'formal' mood of dress today.

"I don't...even _know_ ," growled Toph groggily. "Slept like _shit_ , and...I'm _sooo_ hungry right now..."

"Mmmmaybe that's...-" Katara's face expression turned drab as she fitted herself into a blouse. "-...because you _hurled up_ your dinner last night?"

"...Ohhhh yea," Toph sighed, rubbing her abdomen underneath her shirt.

"I had to...clean your _yuck_ off the edges of the toilet," Katara jabbed with a hint of irritation.

"Heh..." Toph picked some dry wax out from the rim of her ear as she fought back a twitch of shame. "S-sorry about that. I was... _pretty_ damn stupid last night."

"Yea..." Katara sighed briskly through her nostril.

"Thanks for...lookin' after me," mumbled Toph warily, working herself into her jeans. "Like you always do," she squeezed in, her attempt at gratitude. Katara observed the gesture and smiled as she searched for a good pair of flat-top shoes.

"I hereby give you permission to _strip me_ of any and all alcohol the next time I'm in a bad mood and try to get drunk..."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Katara keenly agreed.

"Good, 'cuz I'm gonna be a stubborn bitch and you just gotta be _more_ stubborn back."

" _I_ think I can manage that when I have a mind to."

"Glad to know you've learned _somethin'_ from me after all this time..."

"You teach me how to be stubborn, I teach you how to act your age."

" _Hardy har._ "

"You coming to get breakfast?"

"Said I was hungry, didn't I?"

* * *

"Sure, but I didn't realize you were _that_ hungry," Aang murmured with shock, staring at Sokka's empty plate.

"Not hungry no _more_ , at any rate," Sokka grunted, leaning back in his seat and massaging his belly, which felt to bursting. "Aahhhh...I like banana pancakes," he muttered.

"Heh. Yea, they...uh...sure are good..." Aang stared at his plate, having only consumed one of his trio of delicious breakfast confections. He was staring at his roommate cautiously. Sokka was starting to nod off in his chair. "Sokka."

"Hmmzz?"

"You're falling asleep."

"Tsssshhh..." Sokka waved out his arm lazily, his head still bobbed, eyes still closed. "Just resting my eyes..."

"Uhhh... _huh_." Aang continued to stare at his motionless friend before sighing to himself and shaking his head. He was conflicted about the night prior. It was good to see Sokka, who he knew was still stressed about a number of things, loosening up and relaxing - even being social with people. But the way he acted around Ty-Lee still rubbed Aang the wrong way. Logically, Aang knew there was no reason for him to feel this way, and it wasn't his right to complain now that Sokka was single, but...somehow it still bugged him. Watching the girls fawn over him - even Jane was, in her own way - made Aang uncomfortable. It had seemed to make Toph irritated, too, based on how she'd kept to herself on the edge of the room, only being social just long enough to get a refill on booze. Aang wondered...

Bah, it didn't matter. Aang had learned to keep all this to himself. He worried that Sokka might lead someone on and someone would get let down, but...it hadn't looked like that had happened yet.

" _Sokka._ It's almost time for class."

In the meantime, though, the idiot needed someone pressuring him along to go to class.

A sharp inhalation later and Sokka was rubbing fiercely at his face, stumbling up from his chair.

"You are _not_ going to survive class without me," Aang picked before chomping down half of his second pancake.

"Got _that_ right," Sokka confessed, streaking his head across his head drearily. It was slicked back, taught tight into his 'wolftail.'

"Sooo...Sokka."

"Yyyisss?"

"Katara's birthday is coming up..."

"Psh, it's like...three more weeks, man."

"W-well, yea, but-...That's _kinda_ soon. Anyway, like...I was thinking-"  
"Ohhhh, no. Nnnnope. Nupper. No, no. Uh-uh." Sokka was vehemently twitching out negative gestures. "I am _not_ getting involved in your **oogies** , no Sir."

Aang's brows furrowed at Sokka's continuing trend of immaturity in regards to the topic.

"I didn't even _finish_ ," he spat defensively, stuffing the second half of pancake number two into his face.

"Heh...That was the _point_ ," Sokka joked. But he realized he's touched a nerve at the way Aang's jaws bitterly assaulted his meal. "Erm...But...Nah, go ahead."

Aang swallowed hard, cutting up his final piece of food with the side of his fork.

"No, _no,_ wouldn't wanna make you _uncomfortable_ or anything, because I actually take my relationships _seriously_ while you're content to just lead women on while they're intoxicated."

So much for keeping it to himself.

"Whoa..." Sokka frowned, shocked at his friend's burst of hostility. "Geez, dude, I...I didn't think it was that big a deal. Just had some harmless fun."

Aang's shoulders spiked up in a shrug and he ate some more, noting the time. Sokka attempted to protect his dignity.

"You don't _honestly_ think I was...-?"

One of Aang's downward brows arced up at him.

"O-OK, I admit it: it was nice to be surrounded by girls last night." A sheepish laugh with upward palms. "But it was all in good _fun_ , Aang. Nothing serious. That was the point."

Aang licked his chops, deciding he was done with breakfast now and got up from his seat, mostly empty tray in tow.

"And you're _sure_ no one took last night seriously? _No one_ got upset?" _Not even the girl who got_ sick _from drinking too much while sh_ e got ignored?

"No way!" Sokka insisted coolly, following Aang's actions. As they weaved through the mostly vacant cafeteria, his brain rattled around what he could remember from last night. Giggles, touches, glances, blushing, drinking...that intense moment when he and Ty-Lee had stared at each other for, like, five seconds straight. Oh, _damn,_ good thing he was wearing a stiff pair of jeans today, or people would be able to see...-

"OK, fine," Aang let the matter drop. "All I'm saying is that I'm getting really sick of you being such a _baby_ about me and Katara."

"You and my _sister,_ " Sokka pointedly corrected.

"Me and _Katara_ ," Aang specified his particular phrasing. "She's not just your _sister,_ ya know. She's her own person, and she shouldn't- _we..._ shouldn't...have to feel _guilty_ about... _us_...just because it makes you a little uncomfortable some times. The **oogie** stuff? It was funny at first. Now it's just... _annoying_...Especially when you're so hypocritical."

"Whhh-?" Air wheezed out of Sokka's lips, but he caught himself. The guy was right. "Uhh..."

"Anyway, I've gotta get to class," Aang puffed out impatiently, before Sokka could react. "Later."

* * *

Bolin cautiously stared at the steaming disc of dough, meat, and vegetables that lay before him. As an employee at the local Pizza Hut in Wayward, he seemed to take his job to be a fine art of some kind, which Korra found humorous. Mako's work Korra knew much less about - only that it involved the press in some capacity. He didn't talk about it much and she wasn't inclined to ask, especially with the way he seemed quite nonchalant to her presence since she'd moved in, as if she were a burden to the household.

Bolin had decided that with Korra working at a restaurant, it was his duty to instill in her the skills of bending pizza to her will in the same way he could.

As a result, this was the second meal in a row in which Korra had prepared pizza for dinner. She had a day off after the strenuous St. Patty's shift, and had dedicated the afternoon to Bolin's tutelage. Bolin had been frank with her the night prior, advising that her sauce lacked pizazz and that the pizza had been a bit undercooked. Thriving from the constructive criticism and eager to impress her roommates, Korra had gotten right to work making a more earnest effort this time.

As she cooked, her mind wandered to that old man's words from earlier.

_"Pizza is like a team. You need to make sure you use ingredients that work well together if you want everyone to be satisfied."_

It hadn't sunk in at first when the bearded old coot had said this to her, but it had sunken into her head over time, and this practice was only serving to remind her about it.

Bolin slapped her arm with the back of his wrist with approval, leaning over the warm dish while Mako stood idly by, leaning against the fridge behind them. His ever-looming presence with an air of apathy was wearing thin with her patience. Then again, Bolin's boundless enthusiasm in her could have an equal but opposite effect...

Bolin's chunky arm picked up a slice of the freshly-cut pizza and he lifted it in his fat hands with tender care, keenly observing its aesthetic and nodding with approval to Korra. He took a bite, his eyes brightened, and he smiled.

"Wow!" he complimented. "Nice _adjustment_! You're a _natural_ at this..." He went on to consume the rest of his slice, an intricate blend of meat and veggies tickling his senses. It was much better than he'd expected for Korra's second try. For someone who had very little cooking experience, she had been getting the hang of it quite quickly.

Eager to wipe the disinterest from Mako's face, Korra slapped a piece of her culinary concoction onto a plate from the table's stack and delivered it to Mako, who begrudgingly accepted. After his first bite, she could _see_ it in his face - he liked it. But his voice rang hollow.

"...Not bad," he conceded.

Korra's temper sizzled at the indignity.

"What's it take to impress this guy?" she demanded to his younger brother as she snapped her wrist irritably in Mako's direction. Bolin's expression jerked with awkward tension while he struggled to come up with a neutral reply.

Ever since Mako tried to be social with the girl that day at the gym, he'd been a bit overwhelmed by her desire to get to know him and his brother. Bolin, expectedly, was enthralled by this prospect, while Mako simply didn't understand the pressing need for comradery. He had just been trying to be nice and now it was like she was down his throat like they were supposed to be bosom buddies all of a sudden. Just because Bolin was going to dode on her didn't mean he was.

" _What_?" Mako sighed as he dropped the piece onto the plastic plate in his hand, still hunched against the refrigerator door. "I said ' _not bad_ ," he defended himself.

As he was met with Korra's deadpan glare that judged him as loudly as a silent look could, he choked on a chuckle, shaking his head as he let the matter drop, setting his barely-touched food on the countertop.

"You know what?" he pacified the situation with a hint of impatience. "I'm not really hungry right now. I think I'm going to settle down and watch something. You kids have fun," he patronized casually, weaving past them. He wasn't in the mood for this weird passive-aggressive stuff. Korra seemed hypocritical, complaining about her friends having college social drama while she herself manufactured it within the household, throwing off the careful balance he had worked to maintain with his brother.

No sooner had he left the kitchen had Korra rolled her eyes and puffed out her irate frustration, collapsing at the table and staring at her night's work.

"Your brother's a _real_ piece of work," she snarled with disdain.

" _Yea,_ sorry about that," Bolin shrugged off the whole thing. "My brother just gets real...eh... _focused_...sometimes."

"Focused on _what_?" Korra instantly retaliated, whipping her arms toward the living room, from which a sportscast could be faintly heard.

"Ehhh...-" Bolin's eyes squinted from the bottom as he fished for some sort of excuse for his sibling. "Juh...Just kind of in _general,_ you know?"

"Right," huffed Korra with empty resolve, tearing into a slice of her food. Oh, wow. _Damn,_ that was pretty good. _She_ made that? Shit, this was...delicious. Now she just had to start doing this at work.

Korra pulled her phone out of her jean pocket and studied its contents while she ate. She'd by and large ignored the device all day.

[From: JB]  
[so i was wondrin..those assholes been givin you any trouble aftr ya beat the shit outta em?]  
[Sent: 3:46pm]

[Reply]  
[To: JB]  
[No way, Shamrox. Havent seen em since! ;D Taught 'em a lesson, eh?]  
[Sent: 7:21pm]

[From: Aang]  
[sry about last night i dont know what happened. thx for helping. plz dont tell katara i dont want her worried.]  
[Sent: 4:14pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Aang]  
[No prob, Guy. My pleasure to put that jerk in his place. Stay outta trouble!]  
[Sent: 7:22pm]

[From: Kitty Kat]  
[Hey, Jane seems really worried about you today for some reason. Did something happen last night?]  
[Sent: 5:42pm]

Korra sighed at her cousin's concern. Ever since Korra had moved down to Wayward, Katara seemed intent on trying to watch over her from a distance, always worried. Ah, well. At least she wasn't being a control freak like she used to be back in high school.

[Reply]  
[To: Kitty Kat]  
[LOL no, it's all good Kat. I think it was just about those old farts I kicked to the curb before, but they haven't come around since. ;] ]  
[Sent: 7:23pm]

"Somethin' up?"

"Huh?" Korra looked up from her phone to Bolin across the table. "Ha." She set the device back down. "Nuh-uh, just catching up with people."

"Making sure no one _else_ got into any accidents?"

"What...?"

"Like your one friend. The scrawny guy. Out in the parking lot?"

" _Oh._ Heh. Nah, everyone seems fine."

"Ah." Nodded slowly, and they both chewed on pizza for a moment before a coy grin came over Bolin. "Well, you're here with _us,_ and not with them, which definitely means they're safer right now."

Korra stared at him, and her eyebrow lifted as she tried to piece together what that meant.

"B-because...-" Bolin pointed half-hearted at her. "It's, like, because you're dangerous. A joke?" Nope, she was still glaring. "I'm just picking on how people always get hurt when you're aroun- _I mean_ , no-no, that came out wrong!" By now Korra was just maintaining her dagger eyes to get a rile out of him, entertained by the result. "Th-that's a sensitive topic for you these days, right?" Bolin acknowledged warily, speaking in a slight panic. "Just a joke. Humor. Light-hearted humor. Trying to...change the mood. Change the topic. Changing the topic's a good idea, right? Changing the topic, riiiiight... _now._ _"_

Bolin's green eyes pleaded with her, his body language during the exchange endearing. Unlike other guys, Bolin wasn't _scared_ of her, she could tell. It was more that he wanted to stay on her good side, but...not out of fear or intimidation. She appreciated that, and consequently, snorted out into a small fit of laughter, and Bolin sighed with relief.

"Just fuckin' with ya, _damn_ ," she wheezed out, reaching her arm across the table and shoving him in the pectoral. _Pfft, kind of a squishy chest muscle, there, Bowly-Poly._ _Might wanna follow Big Bro's lead and hit the gym a bit more, eh?_

"I knew that!" Bolin squawked, practically mocking himself as he dusted off his shirt. "You say it like I didn't know that."

"You almost shit your pants," Korra teased, eyes sly at him.

"You're _mean_."

For the next hour or two, they opened up a bit to each other, exchanging embarrassing or bizarre work stories, their upbringing, and slowly working their way through the pizza Korra had crafted.

Mako finally made his way back into the kitchen, looking a bit sleepy despite the somewhat early hour. As he opened the fridge and took out a carton of milk, he glanced at the two of them, who were thumb-wrestling like children. Korra was finishing off a slice of crust with her free hand, eyes burning with competition.

Mako rolled his eyes at them. Just what he needed - another infant in an adult body to encourage Bolin's rowdiness. He poured himself a cup of milk and stuck it in the microwave to heat it.

" _Woooo!_ " Korra squealed, pumping her fists up.

" _Maaan,_ you're stronger than you look!"

"Maybe 'cuz I _work out_ ," Korra jabbed sneakily, flicking the strain from her hand.

"I do, _too_..." Bolin whimpered in weak defense. "It's just...been a while."

"Maybe all this _pizza_ isn't helping?" cackled Korra as she grabbed the last slice - her spoils for her thumb-war victory.

"You're _still_ eating dinner?" Mako deadpanned at their delight.

Korra swiveled her head around and cast unsavory eyes of wrath at him.

"You're still being a _dick?_ " she retaliated.

"Oh- _hoo_ o, snap!" Bolin chortled, palm to his mouth. "Ouch..."

Mako and Korra's eyes remained locked for a moment, each trying to read the other's issue. Korra found herself momentarily distracted by the odd arc of Mako's eyebrows - it looked plain unnatural - and teared her gaze away.

[ **BEEEEP~** ]

Mako huffed through his nostrils in tired amusement and removed his cup, taking a sip of the thick, warm liquid.

"Good night, _kids_ ," he grumbled as he stalked off unceremoniously.

When he'd reached the living room, there was a " _Yar-yar-yarp!_ "

" _Quiet_ ," Mako firmly scolded as he passed by. Naga let out a small whine.

The puppy's footsteps padded into the kitchen, and Korra smirked at her dejected pet. Bolin gave her some cutesy-wutesy speech.

" _Ohhhh, did nasty Big Brother yell at you? He did, didn't he_?"

"Stop doing that," Korra snickered, a snort coming out of her nose unintentionally, which only led to more giggles, and she had to grab her chest to try and settle her breathing. The panting breaths of her adorable animal continued, regardless. And Korra couldn't help but give into those precious, bright blue eyes - like her own.

"Naga," she commanded, "Sit, girl." The puppy obediently did as she was told. Korra leaned down, sticking her hand out. "Pawww..." Naga's fat doggy hand lifted up and landed in Korra's strong fingers. She grinned. "Good girl," she encouraged in a hushed tone, lowering the last half of her pizza slice and letting the pup ravage it.

"Dude, think you could teach me how to get my ferret to do tricks?"

"I guess I owe you from these pizza lessons, huh?"

* * *

\- Saturday, March 19th, 2011 -

"Yuh-huh..." Toph's tone was empty as Jane rambled on, her raspy voice caught up in a small swell of embarrassed enthusiasm. The two of them had been hanging out, practicing a bit of guitar together, when a passer-by remarked to Jane - in a sheepish manner - how well she had done at their recent performance. It was spurred Jane to spill out her repressed glee on the matter, and Toph had to get submerged in it. Bleh.

"This _one_ guy in the crowd, like, up in the front? Man, he was...kinda cute, but...Jeez, he just kept _staring_ at me, like...like some fuckin' _creeper_." A giggle escape Jane's lips. Ugh. Ew. Jane? Giggling like that? Yuck. No. C'mon, be better than that, JayBee...Giggling over that crap...Ech.

"Ah..." Toph was sprawled out against a tree stump, sitting in the cool grass.

"It was just...all so damned _weird,_ ya know? I-I don't think it was just my haircut or whatever, though."

"Mm...?" Jane seemed so fucking wrapped up in self-serving that all Toph had to do was mutter a bit and she'd just keep rattling on.

"Nah, like...-" Jane nodded to herself, not even looking at the girl wedged against the tree behind her as she analyzed the situation. "Katara said it was 'cuz I was all, like, 'self-esteemed' or...or some shit. Like I was _acting_ a way that made me seem...-" Jane couldn't seem to get the word to come out. It just didn't feel right to _say,_ out loud, that people had found her 'attractive' or 'hot.' The vocabulary felt wrong for her to say herself _about_ herself. "I mean, it's what _you_ do all the time."

"Yuh-huh..."

"All proud and confident and crap, right? Don't give a fuck what people think, all that stuff. It was _that_. I was doing that, doncha think?"

"Yup..."

"It's been so fuckin' _weird,_ though! Seriously! Even _Sokka_ was eyein' me up," she said in a hushed, baffled tone as she sat down against the trunk beside her friend. "Like he thought I was a different person or somethin'. Ya know, I _still_ remember, one of the first things he told me when we were startin' to be friends, was to stop sellin' myself short. I _finally_ think I get what he meant."

"Mm- _hm_ ," Toph grunted, her nose wrinkling at the subject.

"Suki told me she wasn't surprised, said she knew I'd get more attention if I just stopped pissin' in the corner. _Ha_. Guess I never thought I had that kinda shit in me, ya know?"

"Uh-huh..."

Jane rested her head against the bark peacefully and breathed out deeply, relaxed. She let her eyelids slide closed as she absorbed the gentle spring breezes blowing past them. She had her hair tucked behind her ears today, and the sensation of air whiffing past the sides of her head tickled in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.

"It's nice out today," she observed bluntly, letting Toph's unresponsive nature roll off her back. She is in too good a mood to let anyone else's apathy bring her down.

Toph bit at dry, dead skin from her bottom lip as she bottled up her irritation. Freckle-Face was supposed to be grumpy loner-chick who people thought was a dude, who sat in the corner, kept to herself, and didn't draw attention away from other, _better musicians_ than her. Hmph. Toph was _not_ liking acting-all-girly-and-stupid-Jane. Not today.

" _Fuck_!" Jane giggled, slapping her palm to her forehead giddily. "I don't even _get it_ , like...Why the shit am I so _happy_ today?"

Well, she was still swearing like a sailor, so Toph figured at least not all hope for Jane was lost.

"I dunno," Toph sighed, reaching to her side to scoop up her guitar from its case.

_Music. Damnit. Music. I need **music** right now. My drug. My sedative, antidepressant, and stimulant all rolled into one._

She strummed at her comforting wooden device and tried to make herself think she was experiencing a euphoric rush a she did so.

"So what's up with you today?" Jane wondered, working in the precision of her tone to ensure she asked in a neutral way that Toph wouldn't construe incorrectly.

"Nothin'."

"You seem...I dunno. Quieter than usual."

"Meh."

"Am I...annoying you, or...-?"

" _No, Chr-_...You're fine," Toph caught herself, picking away to create part of the melody she had played a couple of nights ago. After she played through the loop once, Jane sang out the mellow lyrics in her gravely voice.

"~And I'm a one girl revolution...~"

_Urgh, what the fuck? My music! Mine! Get out, stop singing, guhhh-you-can't-sing-for-shit-I'm-better-than-you-arghhh-_

"~And I'm a one girl revolution...~" Jane repeated her singing, pleasantly rocking her head back and forth. The guitar playing cut to a stop, and Jane smiled to herself, enjoying the moment. She cast a sideways glance at Toph, noticing the girl looked livid beneath floppy bangs.

Jane contained a sigh - she knew full well if she let it slip, Toph would hear and freak out about... _whatever_ her deal was. Jane was trying to be above that baby stuff.

_Too happy. Haven't felt this good in a long time. Don't get Toph's problem. Not going to let...what was the name again...-? Oh, yeah. Not gonna let **Madame Fussybritches** bring me down. Heh._

They sat in side-by-side for a few moments while Toph stewed in her own insecurities.

_Rrrrmmmm._

Jane checked her pocket, whipped out her phone, and checked it: nope.

_Rrrrmmmm._

"Hey, Toph, I think you're-"  
" _What?_ " Toph snapped into her phone, having no clue who was calling and not caring much.

["...So you _do_ answer your phone once in a great while."]

Toph's heart sunk into the pit of her stomach. Jane was freaked by the way Toph's expression drained in an instant from irritation to shock and fear.

["...Toph?"]  
["Did she hang up on you, Dear?"]  
["No, she's still th-... _Toph?_ Can you hear me?"]

Toph managed to regain her bearings and forced out a cough.

"Duh... _Dad_?"

["Yes, that's right."] Ugh, he didn't sound very happy, either. ["I've been meaning to get to the bottom of this."]

"Bottom of _what_?" Toph growled, instantly nonplussed. The few calls she'd actually answered over the past few months had been nonsensical attempts at her folks trying to convince her to come home, quit school, and 'relax,' stop trying to 'force her way' into the music industry, and drivel like that.

Jane grimaced, sliding around the tree's trunk a few feet to give her friend some space, but feeling like it'd be weird and awkward to get up and leave the girl alone. Toph hadn't brought her walking cane eager to hang out (back when she was in a better mood), so Jane was pretty much Toph's means of getting back home, whether either of them liked it or not.

["Toph, if you're going to insist on this ignorant fool's dream of becoming a musician and go against _everything_ your mother and I have done for you, the least you could do is leave your poor cousin alone."]

"...What?" Suddenly Toph's tone lost its blunt force.

["Your _cousin,_ Toph. Your poor cousin that you've been mistreating."]

Meng? What did Meng have to do with this?

"Meng? I haven't even... _talked_ with her lately!"

["After what happened with her father last year...-!"] A disappointed sigh. That all-too-familiar sound. ["You _know_ full well how much Meng looked up to you, and to leave the family in the same manner that-"]  
"This is _totally different!_ " Toph snapped, her patience today having been whittled down to a thin twig that just broke. "Don't _even_ fucking compare me to him! _Argh,_ that's just...so much _shit._ And you know it!"

["This isn't _about_ us, Toph. This is about _Meng._ "]

"Where'd you even _hear_ about this, huh? What the fuck did I do?"

["From what Wu has been telling us, it sounds like you've been causing her a lot of grief."]

"We haven't been _talking_..."

["My understanding is that you offended her."]

"Well...You're... _not_ Meng. Or me. So...stay out of this. I'm not your little helpless _freak_ of a daughter anymore, so just-"  
["Your Aunt Wu _asked us_ to make you see reason, to see how much you're hurting her."]

"Not my problem!" Toph hissed at her father. She instantly wished she could take that back, and rephrase it, but...whatever. "I didn't _do_ anything," Toph clarified. Her face was burning, her eyes stung with the beginnings of tears, but the floodgates did not open.

["It's one thing to abandon the Bei Fong family the way you've brazenly done so, but it's another to mistreat your poor cousin like-"]  
"Stop _calling her that!_ She isn't a fucking _baby,_ she's practically done with high school!"

["It just shows how inconsiderate you are toward us - your own _family_ \- everything we've done for you. You'd rather run off with that no-name boy and-"]  
"We broke up," came Toph's stern correction.

["I see. Well, that's the first good decision you've made in some time, but it far from excuses the way you treat this family when-"]  
"I'm not _part_ of this fucking _family_ anymore! OK? I'm... _not._ "

["If that's truly how you feel, there's no reason to bring down Meng with-"]  
"I'm done talking about this! We are _done_ now. I _don't care._ "

["We shall make sure to pass that along to your cousin, then, To-"]  
 _Click._

Jane swallowed some saliva, incredibly uncomfortable with the one-sided shouting she'd just heard.

"Uhh..."

" _Don't_ ," Toph knee-jerked pre-emptively. "Just...don't. OK?"

"Y-yea," Jane rapidly conceded, scratching her brow with concern as she stared at Toph's face, a dark blend of different fruits of negativity.

Toph dropped her phone into the grass and blew out an ' _rrrrrghhh_ ' like steam from a kettle before fussing to get her guitar into its case with great impatience. In her haste, she dinged it against the trunk she was leaned up against. She twitched with fright at the impact, a sharp inhalation of breath swinging in. Frozen in place for a second, she felt her hand along the wooden treasure for any signs of damage. Whew. No dents or anything.

_I'm sorry, Grandma._

A tear slid down Toph's cheek, her anguish having finally flowed over top the floodgates. She choked on her pride and coughed it up, causing the other eye to drop its load.

"Whoa..." Jane's hand was suddenly on her shoulder, pressing down against the hoodie she was draped in. Her muscles tensed at the initial contact, but she let them loosen. "Geez, Dead-Eyes, you-...I don't know what to...-"

"So just _don't_ ," Toph whimpered in a growl, sloppily rubbing her face in her sleeve. She didn't know where it was coming from - but what the fuck _else_ was new, right? "Let's just...go back," she huffed, wedging her guitar into the case and snapping it shut. Jane slung the guitar she had once again borrowed from Suki - for practice - over her back and stuck out her bee-striped elbow for Toph to latch onto. Perhaps today was the right time to make due on what she had been practicing...

* * *

Side by side on Katara's bed, the two of them stared up at the ceiling in relaxation, fingers intertwined over Aang's waist. It was a pleasant quiet for a couple of minutes as their heartrates slowed down and once-tense muscles settled down.

"That was...good?" Aang muttered, seeking approval. "Right?"

"Heh." Katara smirked, scratching her nose lazily. "That was good," she administered a dose of esteem to her partner.

Aang coughed once, cleared his throat, then sighed, letting his head sink into Katara's pillow.

"I'm sorry about...-" He gestured to his abdomen. "-...the _pants_...thing..." He grimaced in spite of his own seemingly childish neuroticism. He was shirtless, but still in a pair of jeans, Katara like-wise. Katara could tell he'd been specifically avoiding letting his glance fall below her face.

"Aang, it's OK," Katara warmly assured, slipping her hand out of his own and sliding it across his bare stomach. "One step at a time. Seriously. It's _fine._ "

"But...-" Aang sighed in frustration. "But I know you...want... _more_. Right now."

Katara breathed out slowly, the air passing through her nostrils and against Aang's neck.

"What I want and what _we **need**_ are not the same thing," she concluded with a properness in her voice.

"I just...-" Aang was interrupted by the tingling of Katara's lips on his shoulder, and his eyes closed as she kissed a second time.

"'You just' what?" she asked, rolling onto her stomach and twisting her head to face him. He flopped onto his side and they enjoyed each other's eyes for a moment.

"I just...want this to be _perfect_ ," Aang confessed. "I mean, you're the _one,_ Katara. I just know you are. We can only do this once, I don't want to mess it up like...-"

"Aang," Katara laughed with some bewildered amusement. "The ' _one_?' I think it's a little early to decide _that_ , don't you think?"

Aang rolled his eyes, a stupid grin crawling across his face. He squirmed a few inches over and kissed her forehead.

"If you're going to _demote_ yourself like that, then...can I at least say that you're _special_?"

"You can say _that_ as many times as you like, my Penguin, in as many ways as...-"  
Aang had stolen a kiss on the lips, and she surely didn't mind this. It was slow, but a single movement, and he pulled back after, smiling at the way her eyes were still closed, her lips grasping out for seconds.

 _Since when did you become a teasing little_ _jerk?_ thought Katara with humor in reaction to Aang's mannerism.

"See?" Aang pointed to his chest. "That was me, practicing being _proactive_."

"A- _pfff!_ Nicely done, Aang," she patronized, lifting her brow with endearment.

"I never want you to think I'm not interested," he explained himself with a touch of solemnity. "Even if...-" His hand wriggled in a circular motion over his body. "... _this_...seems like it's not cooperating..." He stared at her with all due serious. "I want what we have to be _perfect_ ," he reiterated. "Because that's what you deserve." Katara's cheeks flushed at the dire importance he had put into his words, the piercing gaze he'd delivered. She didn't know how else to react other than to bury her face into his chest. Her lips jerked up as she felt him studiously readjust her bra strap, which had come loose a bit in this motion.

"Nothing in this world's perfect," she noted, resting into the solitude of his form. "We just make the best wh-"  
The clicking and rattling of the doorknob by the foot of Katara's bed startled them from their tranquility, and was rapidly followed up by brisk triple-knock.

"Juhhhhst a sec~" Katara sheepishly sang out. Aang was already on his feet, popping his shirt back on. Well, there was one benefit to his shyness, at least - for the time being she didn't have to worry about them being caught with their pants down, heh. Aang walked to the door and hovered by the knob, waiting for Katara to work her way into a shirt that had a small penguin woven by the hip. She nodded to him and he unlocked the door.

An impatient, obviously foul-tempered Toph rammed right into him, her face colliding with his shoulder. Wide-eyed, he stumbled backward. Katara knew better - to get out of the way when she opened the door. Poor Aang was not accustomed to this detail. Toph lashed out her palms, pushing Aang another step back.

"The _hell,_ Sugar-Qwoo...-?" As soon as those hands had contacted the familiar chest, in that instant she understood. "Aang?" It was a guy, for sure, so who else could it be?

"H-hiya..." Aang swooped backward, retreating to Katara's side, sitting cross-legged on her bed.

"Oh, wassup, man?" Jane greeted, still in the doorway.

"Hi, Jane," said Katara calmly. Aang nodded and waved his hand to Jane as Toph kicked her sandals off, whipping them into their shared dresser's base before dropping her guitar case to the floor and collapsing into her bed.

"Hey, Toph, what's going...-?" Katara began, but Jane had quickly stormed in, waving an arm out in front of her. In an instant, Katara saw Jane's face, teeth grit with doubt and eyes open with concern. She was slicing her other hand across her neck rapidly, shaking her head in almost a vibration.

Toph was curled up, her back toward them. She didn't reply.

"Uhhhh, hey, Katara, Toph seems...tired," Aang politely acknowledged. "Why don't we...give her quiet, and, er...go back to Aero, play some Mario Kart?"

Katara winced at the prospect of leaving her upset roommate, but Aang tugged at her wrist. Jane slapped her arm and offered a quick, concise glance that communicated, _'I got this_.' Katara honestly wasn't in the mood for damage control and at once was very keen on seeing Jane being so...initiative.

"Yea, that sounds...good," she muttered. "I'll be back later, Toph," she called out.

"I'll be.. _here_ ," Toph growled back.

A moment after the door closed behind the couple, Toph snorted out steam.

"Looks like they're off to go make out somewhere _else_..."

Jane held back another irate sigh and spun Toph's chair around, sitting in it backwards, facing her distraught friend. She didn't say a word, but simply waited...and listened. A few moments later, and words came out from Toph.

"Why are _you_ still here?"

"I was still in the mood to hang."

"Uhh...Yea? I'm _not_."

"You want me to leave, then?"

"...Erm..."

"'Cuz if you need space, or somethin'..."

"I don't need _space_ ," Toph snipped. 'Needing space' was something over-emotional girly girls did. Hmph.

"OK," Jane puffed out, entertained by Toph's oddness today.

"I...-"

"Yea?"

"I want things with my cousin to be better," admitted Toph begrudgingly. It was the only thing on her mind now - the idea that Meng was so upset and lonely that it was causing ripples in the family or something...It was bad enough to have her parents disappointed in her, but Meng, too?

"Mmm..." Jane had only heard Toph's end of the phone chatter, but things made a little bit more sense now.

"I mean, fuck, I...I _have_ been avoiding her," Toph sighed. Damnit. The tears were coming. In front of _Jane,_ even. Christ, Jane didn't want to see this...

"Meng?"

"Yea..."

"You feel bad about your parents?"

"Wh-? _Nooo,_ no way, I...-"

"You sound like ya _do_..."

"Mmm...I-I mean, _maybe_ a little..." _I_ _'ve really hurt them. I could hear it in Dad's voice. But...but they've really hurt_ me. "Ugh, it's like no matter what I do, _someone_ is pissed off at me. Or hurt. Or whatever the fuck. I mess everything up. It all turns to shit, everything I touch. _Argh,_ and even this crap! I stay _away_ from it, right? _Still_ gets fucked up. I'm _sick_ of feeling like I'm this big bitch, and everyone can't stand me..."

Jane smiled with sympathy.

"I know how _that_ goes..."

"My fuckin' _Dad,_ using...my cousin like that..."

"Huh?"

"Trying to guilt trip me. Just an excuse to talk down to me."

"Ah..."

"But...he's _right..._ I mean, Meng looks up to me, and...she's always been nice to me when everyone _else_ looks down on her and... _ugh._ I really let her down. She was doing all these nice things and I just...fuckin' acted like I _deserved_ it."

"Mm..." Jane was sure that much was true, but agreeing was probably not a good idea at the moment. She was practicing what both Sokka and Katara often did with her when _she_ was upset - this whole 'listening' thing, heh.

"I mean, I _get_ it," Toph coughed out, readjusting herself so she was sitting up against the head of her bed. In that movement, Jane could see Toph was indeed tearing up from all of the thoughts swirling about. "I'm a bitch. I let everyone down _all_ the time...You, Sokka...Katara...my cousin..." She sniffled in a shaky breath, her lower lip quivering. "...Aang. _You,_ too."

"Hey, shit happens," Jane tried to make light of it.

"Yea, it _does_ ," snarled Toph in self-loathing. "All the mother-fucking- _fuck_ time, _ugh._ " She pounded her fist into her pillow. "When _I'm_ around..."

Jane was having an increasingly more difficult time containing her sighs and eyerolls. She decided to give Toph a moment to herself.

"That's not true," she casually dismissed. "Hey, listen, I gotta hit the bathroom. Be back."

Jane slipped off to the restroom, and while she was there she sent a text message.

[To: John boy]  
[youd be proud im all trying to fix peoples probs n shit lol]  
[Sent: 6:10pm]

[From: John boy]

[  ]

[Sent: 611pm]

It was astonishing, the relief and confidence a single smiley face could instill. Jane pondered things. She could try again to explain to Toph where she was coming from, and how they related on different things...but Toph wasn't being receptive to words. It was the right time to bust out her trump card.

She popped back into the dorm room, wary of Toph's waterworks faucet being twisted off at her entrance.

"Hey. Back."

"I figured," came Toph's caustic reply.

Jane's eyes went dull with chagrin, but she pushed the reaction aside.

"So, uhhh...-" She glanced down at Toph's guitar case. "Mind if I borrow your guitar for a bit?"

Toph's pasty face boiled with scorn.

"Why?" she sharply spat, leaning forward, her head cocked sideways.

"I just...-" _Yeesh. I hit a nerve or something? It's not like I don't know how I use a guitar. Not gonna break it._ "-...figured I'd play somethin' for ya."

"...Huh?" Brows bent down, perplexed but intrigued. "I-I'm...not in the mood to practice that song again."

"No, no," Jane quickly corrected. "I meant, erm, a _different_ song."

"Which _one_?"

"One I've been putzin' with on my own."

"Oh..."

"I dunno, thought it might cheer ya up..."

 _The hell is up with this?_ Toph wondered. _I can't read Freckles at all today. She's not leavin' me alone but she's not jumping down my throat, either..._

"Um...-" Toph considered the prospect of letting Jane handle Granny-Gran's heirloom. It made her rather uncomfortable, and yet...something made her feel at peace about it. "Yea, all right," she gave in, keeping up her aloofness. "But...be _careful_ with it," she pleaded.

"No prob..." Jane gently unlatched the case and took out the instrument, surveying its contours, the worn nature of the wood, the taut strings...It was antiquated and yet clearly more loved than the one she'd been borrowing from Suki.

Toph leaned back against her headboard and wheezed out in mental exhaustion.

"I don't even _understand_ myself these days," she groaned, her face in her palm.

Toph's acoustic guitar in hand, Jane sat down on Toph's bed beside her. The blind girl's face was still red and damp from her recent self-pity party.

"Know what your problem is lately, Dead-Eyes?" said Jane with a smirk. Toph's head spun toward her friend's voice, pale eyes dripping. Jane plucked a string. "You're losin' all that self-confidence and shit that makes you so awesome," Jane decided, smiling with warmth. She knew Toph couldn't see it, but she hoped it could be felt.

"Hmph..." Toph's directionless eyes narrowed, her arms crossed stubbornly around her waist as she twisted her head away.

Jane sighed out peacefully, her smile remaining, and began to strum gently at the guitar. She sung, her raspy voice carrying its unique quality.

\+ http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Xj1u4vYjFRg +

**"~Made a wrong turn once or twice; Dug my way out - blood and fire; Bad decisions? That's all right~"**

Toph's brows tilted in confusion as she dabbed her wrist against her wet eye.

"Are you...-?" she mumbled, trailing off while Jane didn't skip a beat.  
 **"~Welcome to my silly life~"**

 **"~Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood; Miss 'no way it's all good'~"**  
Jane could feel her freckled cheeks turn red as her mind ignited with the troubled events of her past.  
 **"~It didn't slow me down~"**

 **"~Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated~"**  
Through the memories of hardships came the more recent thoughts of the friendships she'd forged this year, and she found herself smiling through it.  
 **"~Look, I'm still around~"**

 **"~Pretty, pretty please...don't you ever, ever feel~"**  
Jane turned her glance sideways while she played, her expression and singing filled with conviction, and she observed Toph's reaction, which was confused, startled...and appreciative.  
 **"~Like your less than fuckin' perfect~"**

 **"~Pretty, pretty please...If you ever, ever feel...~"**  
Toph's face was boiling with embarrassment as a feeble hand covered up one of her now watery eyes, a sheepish, toothy smile of gratitude overcoming her.  
 **"~...like you're nothing...You're fuckin' perfect to me~"**

Jane's heart burned with what she imagined Katara felt every time Jane had been in Toph's current position. _  
_

**"~You're so mean when you talk about yourself; You are wrong~"**

Toph sighed, flopping her head down and letting her ponytail fall over her shoulder. She felt pretty certain she was _right_ in being mean to herself...

**"~Change the voices in your head; Make them like you instead~"**

As Toph tugged at her own hair thoughtfully, Jane bumped her hip into Toph's as she continued to play.

**"~So complicated; Look how we all make it; Filled with so much hatred; Such a tired game~"**

_We've all been making things more complicated than they need to be._

**"~It's enough, I've done all I can think of~"**

_I'm sick of it, we should just... **stop it.**_

**"~Chased down all my demons, I'll see you do the same~"**

Jane's eyes were now trickling out a couple tears, her rough memories getting the best of her.

**"~Oh, pretty, pretty please...don't you ever, ever feel...like you're less than fuckin' perfect~"**

Toph's eyes closed and she just let Jane's encouragement wash over her.

**"~Pretty, pretty please...if you ever, ever feel...like you're nothing, you're fuckin' perfect to me~"**

_I'm so selfish. Trying to hog music to myself._ _She's_ giving _hers to me._

**"~The whole world stared so I swallowed the fear; The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer~"**

"I hear _that!_ " Toph cheered with a grin, wiping leftover droplets of tears from her face.

**"~So cool in line and we try, try, try; But we try too hard, 'n it's a waste of my time~"**

_I'm done wasting my time, Toph - trying to be someone I'm not._

**"~Done looking for the critics, 'cuz they're everywhere; They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair~"**

_You can never make everyone happy, Toph._

_The_ boys _seem to 'get' your hair now, Janey-Jane._

**"~We change ourselves and we do it all the time; Why do we do that? Why do I do that?~"**

"Why _do_ you do that?" Toph teased in the break between guitar strumming, thinking of Jane's haircut.  
" _I_ don't fuckin' know," Jane laughed before instantly jumping back into song.

**"~Yeah; Ohh, pretty, pretty please...~"**

The two were laughing again, and Jane's singing got choppy until she recovered.

**"~Pretty, pretty please...don't you ever, ever feel...~"**

Toph was brought back to the thoughts Jane was dunking her in.

**"~...like your less than fuckin' perfect~"**

She sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve.

**"~Pretty, pretty please...if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing...~"**

Settling her head on Jane's boney shoulder, she dipped her brain in Jane's music.

**"~...you're fuckin' perfect to me~"**

This wasn't how other's felt when _she_ sang...because it wasn't about _them._

**"~You're perfect, You're perfect~"**

_Perfect? Hardly. I've only been singing for_ myself.

**"~Pretty, pretty please...if you ever, ever feel...like you're nothing...~"**

_Maybe I should follow you, Janey-Jane._

**"~...you're fuckin' perfect to me~"**

_Say with music what I can't say with words: 'I'm sorry.'_

Having completed the song, Jane let loose a deep, relaxing sigh and plopped her head against Toph's, plucking out a few gentle concluding chords. This was...weird. Pleasant, but...weird. This was that "girly bonding time" that people like Katara were all about.

"Uhh...-" Jane coughed, lifting herself off of the gentle interaction that had lasted longer than she had felt comfortable with. "So...So _yeaaaa..._ That, uh...How was th- _hurrkk_." A punch to the stomach. Not _too_ hard, but it was unexpected.

"That was...fucking _perfect_ ," Toph said with a corny voice, spitting out her tongue. "Exactly what I needed today...Since when did _you_ get good at...'comforting' people?"

Jane smiled, bobbing her head left and right a she leaned over the bed's edge, setting Toph's guitar back in its case.

"Cheh...Right? Not exactly the norm for me. But...-" Jane's lips slid up with respect, warmth, and gratitude. "Kat's been a good teacher."

Despite not being able to see the particular expression on her friend's face, Toph's own matched it.

"I know whatcha mean..."

"Just figured I'd stop letting her carry all the shit, heh..."

"Yea? Well...Cool. Mm. It's-... _Thanks._ "

"You're welcome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Perfect' by P!nk.


	79. Sad Song

\- Sunday, March 20th, 2011 -

"Yea, it was-...We did fine," Toph mumbled with some uncertainty before sloppily rubbing at her nose with her wrist.

"You've been organizing stuff like that for Toph?" Sokka spat out, stupefied, his chicken sandwich gripped tight in his hands.

"Yea, I have," Suki replied with a hint of pride. "We've really been rocking it around a few places."

"That's...really nice of you," Sokka complimented her. Toph's nose wrinkled at his words as she groped her plate for another slimy slice of tomato.

"It's no problem," Suki humbled the task. "I just wanted to help Toph realize some of her potential." Toph received a slight punch on the shoulder from Suki's tiny hand and her blood curdled. That was _her_ way of showing affection, not Suki's...And the patronizing wasn't so great, either. Ugh.

"Yea, you've really got talent, Toph," Sokka agreed. Toph smiled weakly, her mouth full of watery, fleshy plant. Sokka's tone carried that same trace of pity that Suki's did. And 'Toph?' Not...'Dead-Eyes?' What was up with that? She didn't like it.

"At this rate, you'll probably get more popular on your own than the whole band is together," Suki further lathered on the oh-so-cheery compliments.

"...Thanks..."

"Hey, Toph," Katara piped in, just now settling down at their table. "Um...Why are you just eating, like...so many tomatoes?"

"Huh?"

" _Just_ tomatoes, I mean," Katara snickered, referring to the pile of tomato slices and cherry tomatoes that Suki had helped her pluck from the salad bar.

"I dunno," Toph limply replied. "Just...in the mood for it."

"Haha...I _see_ ," Katara let the matter rest, obviously confused but entertained.

"You told them yet?" Aang asked as he sat down between Sokka and Katara.

"Heheheheh," Sokka burst out in a maniacal laugh as his response between bites of sandwich. Toph's insides squirmed with satisfaction at his randomosity. Hm. 'Randomosity.' That was a good word for it.

"Heh, who put ketchup on _your_ tater tots?" she burst out, quite curious as to what he was laughing about.

"Whhhh...-?" was Sokka's reaction to what Toph had said. Fuck. She'd meant, like-... _Argh._

"I meant, like...What's got _you_ in such a good mood?" she sheepishly repeated her intonation but swapped language. Damnit. Her effort at wordplay had just...gone to shit and made her look like an idiot.

"Guess that means they don't know," Aang remarked with a grin, rubbing his hand gently across Katara's knee, out of sight under the table.

"Know what?" Suki wondered.

"Guess who's got an interview for that internship? An _in-person_ interview in San Francisco?" Sokka was practically bursting with pride as he propped up the fabric on his chest, puffing himself up. " **This guy!** "

"Whoa, cool!" Toph immediately exclaimed, squeezing her thumb and index finger over a ripe cherry tomato.  
"Wow, Sokka, that's great!" Katara congratulated.  
" _Somebody's_ been putting in some effort into their job search," Suki observed, giving him a keen glance.

"Well, hey, I'm trying," said Sokka casually. "I dunno, it just really sunk in that I'm, like... _graduating_...and _soon._ And...I found some motivation, I suppose..."

 _Ugh-blech-nnnnnn_ _!_ Toph lost breath, having accidentally swallowed her cherry tomato whole. Lodged in her throat, she slammed her own chest and coughed in reaction.

That tone he carried, the way his voice was cast clear over Toph and right at Suki, to her side. They were probably...fucking... _staring_ at each other, weren't they? _Rrrrrrr..._

Toph recalled quite keenly that Sokka had mentioned that Suki and he were 'taking a break' and that there was still a possibility of them getting back together if 'technicalities lined up right.'

"Whoa, you OK, there?" Sokka double checked, amused by Toph's mishap. His rough hand pounded at Toph's back while she recovered, forcing the round food down her throat. She gasped for relief when it had passed, her eyes damp from the pain as she wriggled her shoulder, warding off Sokka's touch.

"I'm good," she puffed out stubbornly, reaching for her cup.

"You're supposed to _chew_ before you swallow those, you know," Suki picked, sliding Toph's orange juice into her grasp.  
 _NOOOOO, really? Leave me alone, and stop fucking touching my stuff, I can get it myself!  
_

"You all right?" Katara's voice sweetly asked from a few seats over.

"Yea," Toph grunted out, shrinking with shame in her seat.

"So this is for that card company, right?" Suki inquired after a moment of silent eating.

"Yep!"

"That'd be really nice for you, Sokka," Suki encouraged. "Pursuing something you actually care about. Lucky."

"We'll see how the interview goes. Piandao's really put in a good word for me, so hopefully I don't mess it up like I did before...Yeesh..."

"You'll do _fine_."

"Thanks, Suki."

Toph was still flustered as she took another swig of juice. Bleh, her stomach wasn't feeling so great...A deep burp popped out of her mouth, and Suki leaned back in reaction to it.

"Miss Lady-Like strikes again," Suki chuckled, masking her discomfort with humor. _  
Miss Powderpuff..._ fails _...again. Argh..._

Yea, not so much with the sharp-tongued wit, today, even if she kept it in her head. That was a bad sign.

"Toph, you _do_ realize you're going to upset your stomach eating all that acidic stuff, right?" Katara sighed disparagingly.

"Whatever, just...-" She clamped her hands on her temples. She couldn't deal with this right now. Being wedged inbetween Sokka and Suki while they were probably...having fucking _sex with their eyes,_ for all she knew, right over her. _UGH._ And Katara's motherly bullshit was _not_ needed right now. She sighed and took another large gulp from her drink before getting up and fumbling to leave.

Aang hadn't been speaking much - he'd been too busy observing _whatever_ was going on with Toph. He knew her well enough to tell that _something_ weird was up. At least she wasn't exploding on everyone. That was at least a step up from days gone by.

"You leaving?" Sokka asked, baffled. "Done already?" he remarked on the mess of red still on her tray.

"I'm not feeling so hot," Toph gruffly replied, her cane already in hand, frustrated at the prospect of balancing the tray and finding her way to the dishwashing belt.

"H-hey, wait," Aang burst out with timid concern, standing right up. "You can leave that here, we'll take care of it."

Toph breathed out slowly, and gave in. She didn't like looking like a charity case, but she _desperately_ wanted to leave - and not just because of Sokka and Suki, but because she felt an unpleasant bathroom visit coming on.

"Thanks." She breathily cast out the word as Aang took the tray from her.

"Ummm...I-I'll see you back at the room," Katara assured awkwardly, confused. Toph did appreciate the comment in some way - it was Katara's way of saying, ' _I don't know what's wrong but I'm sorry and I'm here_ _.'_

"Yea, see ya later," Toph agreed with as much gratitude as she could sputter out in that moment.

She disappeared, fidgeting her cane around in the crowd of tables as various students aligned themselves out of her way.

"Ohhhh, boy," Sokka heaved out, rolling his eyes. "There's no understanding that girl, huh?"

"She... _can_ be pretty confusing," Suki mumbled with some regret as she scooted over, filling in the chair that Toph had once occupied.

"You eventually figure her out," Katara mumbled in defense of her friend, dipping her tea bag up and down in its mug.

"Yea," said Aang, lost in thought and suspicion as he watched Toph vanish down the stairwell with her cautious steps. "You do..."

* * *

"She's not _legal_ to drink, Sokka..."

"She's _twenty,_ Aang - yea, she _is._ "

"Wh-...?" Aang's eyes narrowed at him with repulsion at his ignorance. "Drinking age is twenty- _one_ , Sokka."

" _What?_ No, it's _nineteen_!"

"Yea, in _Canada!_ " Aang spat out, smacking his own forehead to mock his roommate.

"Well...Close _enough_ ," Sokka dejectedly mumbled, his vigor faded. Aang was miffed, seeing as they had reiterated this to Sokka multiple times now over the school year.

"No, _not_ close enough," Aang spat out. "During New Year's, we _were_ in Canada, and...and that was fine, but we're in the _US_ now, so it's _not_ fine..."

"I don't get what the big deal is! Everyone else was old enough, she was the only one who drank that wasn't."

"You don't _get it,_ do you?" huffed Aang, scraping his knuckles against his forehead, wrinkling the skin up and down. "You get in _big trouble_ if you're caught giving alcohol to a minor."

" _Aang,_ chill out, man..." Sokka sighed and shook his head slowly. "Everything was under control. I _plan_ crap before I do it. You know that."

"She got _sick_ ," Aang pointedly explained. "You didn't even _notice,_ you were so... _wasted._ "

"I...-" Sokka popped a shrug and rolled his eyes. "What do I look like, her _babysitter?_ Katara was looking out for her...As _planned._ "

"Yea, and _Katara_ had to clean _vomit_ up from the bathroom because _you_ kept giving Toph drinks until she threw up..."

"Well, _I_ didn't make her do that, she could've asked _me_ to if it was that big of a deal."

"Grrhh, you're missing the entire point."

"Which _is_...?"

"The whole _thing_ was irresponsible."

"So you're going to get on my case about it _now?_ Two days later?"

"Y- _yea_! Now that it's sunken in how much it... _bothers_ me..."

"Tsh." Sokka shook his head and closed his textbook shut. Wasn't like he was _reading_ it at this rate, anyway. "Sorry, Bud, but you just gotta get over it."

"Until someone gets _hurt_."

" _What_?" Sokka demanded in a sharp syllable.

Aang avoided his gaze for a moment. If his hunch was correct, he couldn't just spit it out. He had to redirect the topic but still stay on task. Hm...

"L-like Ty-Lee. Or...or Suki."

" _Again_ with this shit?" Sokka growled, tossing his arm up and letting it slap onto his knee.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who's been complaining about how much Ty-Lee's been _texting_ you this weekend..."

Sokka frowned with disdain. That _was_ true...Ever since St. Patty's Day, the girl had been hammering his phone with texts.

"And it's not like you've been _ignoring_ her," Aang went on. "I've seen you texting her back, Sokka, so I'm gonna guess that you've been encouraging it."

Sokka endured Aang's critical eyes, sparking with caution. He saw a bit of Katara in those eyes.

"OK, OK..." He sighed and gestured for Aang to calm down before leaning forward in his desk chair, elbows propped his legs. "We've kind of been in talks to hang out a bit more..."

"And what about _Suki_?"

"Whh...-?"

"You two are 'taking a break?' Doesn't that usually mean there's, like...some kind of plan to get back together?"

"Heh...Fff. I don't _know_ , Aan-"  
"And then what about _Jane,_ huh?"

"Listen!" Sokka clenched his fists, scraping his wrists along his pantlegs. "I'm just...playing this by ear."

"Then you should...probably tune your instruments better," Aang advised darkly as he started piling supplies into his art bag. "And stop trying to be a one-man band."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Sokka pointedly wondered.

As Aang slung his bag over his shoulder, he rolled his eyes, heading for the door.

"It means...-" He paused, and turned around, still the the doorway. "-...stop playing around before some girl gets heartbroken. Make up your mind and stick with it, instead of, like...keeping a few on the backburner. Saving women for a rainy day. You're _better_ than that, Sokka."

Sokka swallowed, looking up at Aang's harsh expression. There was some disappointment there in Aang's eyes. Now it was a little bit of...his _mother_...he was seeing.

"Am I making sense?" Aang exhaled, ruffled from the topic. He scratched at the back of his neck, almost a bit ashamed at his own temperament.

"Yea, Bud, you are," Sokka solemnly acknowledged with a heavy nod. "Thanks for giving me some perspective."

"Yea." Aang's return was a much lighter head bob, relieving himself of the tension. "Anyway, I'll catch you later."

"Peace out."

* * *

"Ehhhh..." Korra squinted at it with caution. She poked at the clump of meat with her gloved finger. Mm...A little squishy, yea. Just a _little_ too squishy...

"Mm?" Her blonde assistant poked his head in her direction.

"He wanted it _well-done_ ," Korra muttered in explanation. "Still needs a bit more cookin'..." She plopped the chunk back onto the grill and grinned with glee at the flickering flames as they licked at the beef.

"Ah..." The short young man shrugged off Korra's muttering and resumed his soup preparation, ladling some into a bowl and getting it ready to bring out.

Watching the grill's fire burn offered a certain kind of therapy to her, especially tonight with how busy things were with this 'Burger Joint' event. Korra was occasionally irked by the ideas the college came up with for these events, but...this job _was_ a lot better than her last one. Korra wiped a couple beads of sweat from her brow and grabbed the bottle of water she'd been gulping away at over the past fifteen minutes. It was near empty at this point, but still soothing to consume. She slapped together a pepperjack cheeseburger with some fried potato wedges and set it on a plate with a slice of dill pickle as the dark-haired woman helping out tonight slipped into the kitchen.

"Looks like ya have your hands full there, Coral," she observed dryly.

"It's Kor- _ah_ ," Korra huffed at the woman. She was appreciative that at least the school has sent one of its cooks to help take care of this social event but that didn't mean they had to get along.

" _Right_ ," June winced, as this had been her _third_ fuck up with the name. "Yea, sorry 'bout that..." The woman nodded slightly as she snapped gloves onto her hands. "Agh, _well,_ lemme take care o' that for ya. Take that burger out, then go have a quick break, huh?"

As June forced her way into Korra's position, Korra let herself wheeze out a tired breath. Technically, Korra was in charge here, but June _was_ older, and it was good advice.

"Thanks, June," said Korra with a wary smirk, scooping up the plate and heading out to the main floor, following the short blonde boy with the soup.

"Doug?" Huh? Korra knew that voice.

"Sm-!...Uh, h-hey, there, _Jane_ ," greeted back the boy as he placed the bowl of soup down at the small table while Korra passed by. "Here's your soup. Salad should be ready in a few minutes."

"Cool. Erm...Thanks."

"N-no problem!"

Korra was out of earshot of them when she reached the table by the entrance where the customer she'd been waiting on sat with stoic patience. He was a thick, big guy with a shaved head and a dark, clean-cut goatee that ran up to his ears. He was watching the TV that was hung up nearby over the bar counter, but immediately noticed when she arrived with his meal. His expression didn't change - Korra hadn't so much as seen him emote at all since he'd arrived, and he'd made his order without so much as a word, merely pointing to the platter he desired on the menu. He was an odd one, that was for sure, but the night was too crazy busy to be fussing over strange customers.

"Here's your food," Korra hurriedly announced, placing his plate down with care. He glared down at it then up at her, his dark brown eyes fierce and sharp with intimidation. Korra had been ignoring it as best she could, but in that moment she felt a chill sweep down her spine as it draw her attention: right on his forehead was tattooed some sort of Egyptian-looking...sideways _eyeball_...thing. It creeped Korra the hell out, but who was she to criticize? She had her own lifestyle choices that others no-doubt frowned upon, after all..."Sooo...You're welcome?" Korra eked out awkwardly, pulling her gaze away from his forehead tattoo. "Er, just let us know if...you need anything. We'll be closing in a half hour, though."

No reply. The man snorted air through his nose and grabbed his burger in one hand, oddly leaving the other in his lap as he had when she'd come earlier. Then again, his hands were so fucking _enormous_ a second set of fingers seemed unnecessary.

_Sheesh, not a man of many words, is he?_

When he'd pointed to the burger, she'd asked, "You want that well-done?" right off the bat, to which he had nodded. This whackjob had been one of the weirder ones, but Korra had seen plenty in her day, especially back in Toronto. But running a restaurant meant Korra had to put on a layer of... _courtesy_...yuck. Very different from bartending in that regard. Korra scuttled off, eager to take a cigarette break.

"Yo! Korra!" Jane flagged her as she was swooping past, causing Korra to grind to a halt.

"Oh! _Hey..._ Jane," she spat out. She wanted to chat it up with the girl, but at the same time, nicotine was calling her name.

"Wassup?" Jane asked before bending down to blow at her soup.

"Oh. _Ya_ know," Korra shrugged. "Keeping busy n' shit. Heh."

"I hear ya..." The red-head loudly slurped a hot spoonful into her mouth.

"Uhhh..." Korra scratched an itch on her knuckles impatiently. "So whatcha doin' here all by yourself? Where's the _gang_?"

"I dunno, just was in the mood to be by myself for dinner tonight," was Jane's cool reply. She seemed...peaceful. Her eyes weren't sunk low and tired-looking like they usually were.

"Ah. Well. That's cool."

"Yup."

"Mmmm _-hm._ " Those pesky loose strands of bangs on Korra's head were drooping over her eyes and she pushed up back into place.

The two exchanged expressions, Jane's calm and restful, Korra's exhausted and jittery.

"Christ, you look like shit," Jane blurted out with a laugh, letting her friend off the social hook. "Take it easy tonight, huh?"

"Oh, I will," Korra advised as she skittered away, confused from the interaction but glad to be off on her way.

Jane couldn't help but to steal a glance at her friend's tight-jeaned backside as she strode off. She sighed to herself and her own repressed urges and dug out her phone.

[From: John boy]  
[lol]  
[Sent: 9:28pm]

She grinned at her phone. She couldn't even remember what stupid thing she'd said last, just getting any kind of response from him was nice. And he only ever typed 'lol' if he really thought something was amusing. At least she was doing well these days. The little texts here and there and occasional awkward phone calls were enough to get by with all the good vibes she was running on. This new life she was living was much better than the last one with the Freedom Fighters. It was hard to think that less than a year ago she was with them. Seeing Douglas - 'The Duke' - working at this restaurant, in the same _building,_ but how everything was completely different...It was mentally jarring, but...in a _good_ way.

As Jane took in the busy restaurant around her - the smiles and the laughter, the different ages and walks of life - she grinned to herself.

It was a blissful harmony.

{United Republic} - that was what the sign on the place read. Jane had originally thought it was an idiotic name. But looking at this place, and the way the school was actively working to connect with the people of Wayward...it was a beautiful thing. A lovely meadow of flowers grown from the filth that had once populated this very place. She had even come to _like_ the new name, now that she was contemplating it Zuko and his political-minded self no-doubt brought the 'Republic' part to the name, overseeing its community events and enforcing strict policies of conduct to ensure a safe and welcoming environment. The 'United' part, then, was certainly what Aang had brought to the table, with his kind heart and efforts to strive for peace and together-ness.

And speak...er, _think_...of the devil. There was Mr. Kurosawa himself, sitting across the way on an adjacent booth, in some heated discussion with someone on his phone. Jane was half-tempted to go sit with him - suddenly she was feeling oddly social - but _damn_ if he didn't look pissed. She decided it'd be best to leave him to... _whatever_ was going on.

Zuko was fuming as he ate his dinner - fish fry with chips and the hottest salsa they had. He was scanning the freshly printed issue of The White Lotus with a darkly fearful look - one his sister, on the other line, could detect from his tone.

"That's a _an hour drive_ from here, Azula. And I've been researching the victims. There's a _pattern._ "

["I'm _well aware,_ Zuzu. I've already looking into it, myself. And I appreciate your concern. But I _assure_ you, I have nothing to do with it, nor do I have any knowledge of-"]  
" _Nothing_ at all, mm?" Zuko snapped with sharp doubt. "Nothing? _Really?_ "

["Whatever's happening, it's not within my power. _Believe_ me, Zuko. You _know_ how much I hate having even the slightest detail out of order."]

"Tch..." Zuko rolled his eyes, running his hand through his hair as he stared at his food, barely touched. Perhaps the newspaper should have waited until _after_ dinner. Now he was far too worried to eat.

["Stop pouting, Dum-Dum. This will work itself out. You know how Uncle is. He'll take care of it."]

"I really hope you're right," Zuko sighed. He forced himself to carve up a piece of fish. Meh. It was a bit overcooked for his liking.

["Now, then. Aside from _harassing_ your sister when you ought to know full well that she's capable of handling her own affairs...-"] There was a quick intake of breath before her thorny voice gave way to that creepy, manipulative stance she used all-too-often with him. ["-...was there anything _else_ my dear brother needed from me on this fine evening?"]

Zuko pondered while he chewed for a moment, humming into phone speaker to illustrate his irritation before swallowing. Azula _did_ lie. Pretty much... _always,_ it seemed like. But Zuko knew her well enough to tell when she was being honest, and she was tonight. It didn't change the grand scheme of things, but for right now, it was a waste of time to try and convince her to take any action. She was just going to leave this on Iroh's shoulders. Zuko didn't like it one bit, but there was no use with her.

"No," he snorted in bridled aggravation. "I guess we'll just handle it _without_ you."

["Oh, I'm counting on it, Brother."]

* * *

Toph quickly inhaled a deep breath through her nose, holding the air in her chest for a moment before letting it slowly pour out of her mouth. She rubbed her fingertips along the familiar nicks and scratches on the old guitar between her fingers.

"You doing OK?" Katara cooed, running a gentle hand over Toph's forehead, pushing floppy bangs aside.

"Yea," Toph decided with some confidence. "This will be fine. I have to do this."

"I understand," Katara assured, watching Toph's head bob down and the hair get back in her face. "Hey, why don't I put your bangs up?"

"Huh?"

"Up over your head - they're pretty long, they get in the way your face."

"O-oh, umm...Sure," Toph sputtered, not really caring one way or another. She detected Katara's presence whisk away to her dresser as she retrieved a head band. Toph sighed and let her friend lift up and rearrange her hair, tucking bangs up under the band. Her face felt... _naked_ without a layer of hair draped over it in some way. Her knee-jerk reaction was to be reminded of her parents and how they'd make her dress up. Yuck...

But she knew this was a good idea - people always said that when she played her songs it conveyed her emotion. She wanted this to be heard _and_ seen, even if she couldn't comprehend the latter.

" _There._ Looks nice," Katara offered Toph a compliment. Toph sniffed in air and scratched at her nose with impatience as Katara click-claked away at her keyboard. "I've got Meng up on Skype, so in a minute when the others are here, I'll bring up the video chat."

"'Kay."

"Here's your water."

Toph reached out her hand and let Katara place a half-full bottle into it. She lifted it to her lips, which puckered against the cap - pff, Katara must've put it back on. She twisted it off and dropped it on the bed beside her, then guzzled down the rest as she heard Katara open the door and invite Jane in. A minute or so later, the boys - who had just called not long ago - arrived, solemn and quiet. Toph had advised everyone by phone earlier that day that she wanted them all over so she could show them something important, so the mood didn't surprise her.

Awkward greetings were given and Toph could hear Sokka set himself down in Katara's desk chair with a grunt. Aang and Jane muttered to each other peacefully about their days for a brief moment while Katara dragged Toph's own chair beside her brother, setting her own laptop in her lap and initiating the video chat.

[Now calling... _fortuneteller114_ ]

There was an odd silence as they all waited for Toph's cousin to answer.

Dead air.

["Hello...?"]

"Hey, Meng," Katara greeted with a gentle peep.

["Hey, Katara. Oh, hi, guys - I see you back there."]

Jane nodded her head and Aang waved from the back, and Katara rotated the device to face Sokka, who glanced tiredly down and tipped his chin up in a begrudging acknowledgment. He didn't seem to happy to have been dragged out his room for this 'meeting.'

Toph's insides were quivering at the very sound of Meng's voice, which she felt projecting directly at her a moment later when Katara had rotated the laptop.

["Hey...Toph."]

No 'Tophie' today. Much too serious for that, apparently. But there was no animosity, only sorrow in Meng's word.

"Hi, Meng."

" _So_ ," Katara piped up, not unlike a schoolteacher "Toph wanted to play a song for us today."

"An 'important' song, evidently?" Sokka grumbled under his breath with a sigh - but Toph had heard him loud and clear, and her heart sank. She swallowed a lump in her throat as her hands began to shake.

She hadn't played this way before in front of _him._ Sure, in front of Jane, maybe, when they practiced together, or maybe Katara when she was in her room, and of course Aang, when they had been dating...Even Meng she'd performed for in this way. But never Sokka. It wasn't even really for him - it was more for Meng, for Aang, even...But his reaction was the one she was most deeply concerned about i n that precise moment.

["OK,"] Meng mumbled blankly, still perplexed by this situation. ["Uhhh...So what song is it?"]

"Umm...It's, uh-...A _heh,_ just a... _song._ That I heard a while back. A-and it...reminded me of, like... _myself_ , I...I guess...and so...-" _Agh, damnit. My fingers are shaking. My stomach's in a knot. My heart is pounding. My head is throbbing, my knees tingle, my arm pits are getting all sweaty, my-  
_ "You can go ahead and play it, Hun," Katara interjected. It was as if Katara understood - words weren't how Toph could express this properly.

Lyrics were. Music was.

She coughed, clearing her throat, and double checked the tuning on her guitar before playing, putting herself out in the open.

\+ www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?vKTqg5lAHBY +

She pricked at the strings, like clipping thorns from the rosebed of her mind.

Meng leaned forth, observing her cousin with solemn care.

**"~Today, I'm gonna write a sad song; Gonna make it really long~"**

The group fell silent. Jane smiled with sympathy.

**"~So that everyone can see; That I'm very unhappy~"**

Toph was speaking to them in her language.

**"~I wish I wasn't always wrong; I wish it wasn't always my fault~"**

_I know, guys. I know I've fucked up so much lately._

**"~The finger that you're pointing has knocked me on my knees~"**

_You guys all called me out on my mistakes.  
_

**"~And all you need to know is I'm so sorry~"**

_I didn't mean to mess everything up so much for you._

**"~It's not like me; It's maturity that I'm lacking~"**

_I don't want to be like that anymore._

**"~So don't, don't let me go~"**

_Please, Meng._

**"~Just let me know that growing up goes slow~"**

_I'm supposed to be setting an example for you, and I suck._

**"~I wonder what my mom and dad would say if I told them that I cry each day~"**

_Just because I'm pissed off at them doesn't make all this easy._

**"~It's hard enough to live so far away~"**

_I don't belong anywhere anymore._

**"~I wish I wasn't always cold; I wish I wasn't always alone~"**

_I've grown to hate those lonely practice sessions.  
_

**"~When the party is over, how will I get home?~"**

_When I graduate...what the hell am I going to do?_

**"~And all you need to know is I'm so sorry~"**

_I need you guys. All of you._

**"~It's not like me; It's maturity that I'm lacking~"**

_I get that now. I really get it.  
_

**"~So don't, don't let me go~"**

Toph's face was burning hot. Tears were suddenly spilling out.

**"~Just let me know that growing up goes slow~"**

She _let_ them spill today - but her voice remained strong.

**"~If all the rules are meant to bend~"**

_I hurt you so much. But even then..._

**"~And you swore you were my friend~"**

_'I'm still your friend, Toph. I'm_ always _going to be your friend.'_

**"~Now I have to start all over again~"**

_Fucking Christ. But...Aang. I miss you - our friendship._

**"~'Cause no one's going to take your place~"**

_Where_ is _it, then?_

**"~And I'm scared I'll never save all the pieces of the love we made~"**

_It fucking terrifies me; will I ever be able to love someone else like I loved you?  
_

**"~But I'm so sorry, it's not like me~"**

_And Meng. I want us to talk again. So bad.  
_

**"~It's maturity that I'm lacking~"**

_I don't even know why I want that, but...I'll be better this time, I promise._

**"~So don't, don't let me go~"**

_Please, give me another chance._

**"~Just let me know that I can slip and fall~"**

__'Guess us screwups just need a kick in the teeth once in a while...'_ _

**"~And you won't let me go~"**

_All of you guys._

**"~Just let me know that growing up goes slow~"**

_Thank you for forgiving me._

**"~And I'm so sorry, it's not like me~"**

_I'm learning, guys. I am._

**"~It's maturity that I'm lacking~"**

_I_ can't _carry my own weight..._

**"~So don't, don't let me go~"**

_...not all the time, always alone, like before._

**"~Just let me know that growing up goes slow~"**

As Toph let the last chord hum through the air, she drew in a slow, trembling breath that nearly gave way to a cough. As she sighed out shakily, she rubbed at her wet face, wiping some gunk from her nostrils onto her sweatshirt's sleeve. She could hear her cousin's sniffles from the computer speaker straight ahead of her.

Sokka was baffled. He had no idea what to make of this - all these feelings. It was a side of Toph he hadn't ever really seen before, at least not so... _publicly_. Whenever _he_ saw Toph emoting this powerfully, especially in front of the group it was anger and rage...So the Queen of the Cunts had a heart, after all. And it was _sorry_ for all of the shit she'd been stirring this semester. Fancy that.

Aang was projecting a small smile, a bit of pride for his friend in her ability to be pushing past so many issues he knew existed from their time together. Jane was likewise pleased, nearly ecstatic, for she knew this was inspired by her own gesture of support so recently.

Katara looked like she was holding back a couple tears, a hand over her mouth as she sucked in air through her nostrils. On the computer monitor in her lap, Meng was sniffling.

Sokka, noticing this, rolled his eyes at them. Jeez, girls and their... _existing._

["Oh, Tophie..."] Meng puffed out at last. ["That was so sweet..."]

Toph, setting her guitar down at her side, squirmed a bit, leaning forward from the edge of her bed, eager for feedback from her cousin.

"Soooo...You, uhh...forgive me...? And stuff?" she prodded for a solid reaction with trepidation.

["Do I-...? _Of course_ I...-! Agh, _someone_ give Tophie a hug. Give that girl a hug,"] Meng insisted emphatically, laughing out in spite of her own emotional reaction.

Katara, giggling as her own watery eyes cleared up, got up and placed the laptop down in the chair, then eased Toph up onto her feet for a hug. Aang quickly found his way over, and Jane shrugged with a "What the hell?" and found her way into the group hug. Sokka begrudgingly complied, and the four of them circled Toph in a sloppy, tight hug.

["Awwww~"]

"We love you, Toph," Katara reminded quietly, her hand on the back of Toph's head.

The warmth of their bodies, the fortitude of their spirits, the interlocking limbs joined together to form a solid barrier of flesh that encircled her...

Toph acknowledged to herself, grinning like a fool, her face positively glowing red, that this was a wall around her that she really did need from time to time. A wall she could get used to.

For the first time in _quite_ a while, Toph felt... _safe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Sad Song' by Christina Perri.


	80. Into The Inferno

\- Monday, March 21st, 2011 -

"Seriously! Can you _believe_ this bullshit?" Korra grunted out to Mako, slamming the crinkled issue of {The Wayward Chronicle} onto the kitchen table in a huff.

Mako glared at the paper with ice-cold eyes. It was quite...wrinkled. He hadn't had a chance to read it yet. Mako did not like trying to read wrinkled things, and the newspaper was a very consistent part of his morning routine - being one of its writers, and all. Korra's rant continued.

"How could people even _think_ that? The United Republic is...the coolest thing _ever_!"

"You... _do_ realize that I have no idea what you're talking about...right?"

Korra blinked at him, wide-eyed. The coffee maker gurgled and sputtered in the background during their awkward, silent moment.

"It's...some _idiots_ ," she huffed, rolling her eyes. " _I_ don't know!"

Mako sighed at Korra's hot temper and slid the unfortunately mistreated Monday paper along the table to his eyesight, gandering at the text while Korra attempted to articulate her concern.

"Saying shit like how the United Republic is a waste of money, and how they don't like feeling like the college is... _invading_ their space, or...-" She wriggled a disinterested wrist around and trailed off. Mako rubbed sand from his eye as he skimmed while Korra drearily retrieved a mug for herself and poured some steaming, dark coffee into it.

Mako noticed this act, and requested, "Oh, would you mind pouring me some, too?"

Korra snorted a laugh through her nose.

" _Yeee_ ah, I think you're a big boy, you can make it yourself," she discounted him with a teasingly sarcastic smirk, eyes squinted half shut as she sipped her black coffee right in front of him. He stared at her in this moment of childishness, finding himself both irritated yet charmed by her bold rudeness. She scratched at the side of her head, her hair pushed up into a messy bun. As she poked her head outside the kitchen window above the sink, Mako's eyes found themselves wandering down to her waist - she was wearing a pair of sweatpants, but when she leaned to look out the window, her shirt hiked up slightly, revealed a patch of sweaty lower back muscles and hips that arced out pleasantly.

Korra then lazily scratched at her butt cheek and yawned loudly as she went to sit back down, sniffing in a sharp breath of air.

How on earth such a well-built young woman could be so...immature...was beyond Mako.

"I'll...get right on that, then," he muttered tiredly, in response to her dismissal, getting up and preparing himself a drink. "So...About the restaurant...by 'some idiots' you actually meant...Mayor Kuei. Right?"

"Say what, now?" Korra mumbled, tilting her head to the side.

"The Mayor? Of Wayward?" Mako reiterated, his head twisting slightly in expectation.

Korra raised a brow, totally clueless, to which Mako sighed once again.

"The _Mayor_ is the one in that newspaper article who's saying that he thinks the place you work at is a waste."

"Fuckin' _politics_ ," Korra growled, setting her mug down.

"Ya know, I hate to say it, but...he's got a good _point_ ," Mako confessed, dropping just a bit of coffee creamer into his mug.

"What?" Korra whined. "No way, Mako, don't tell me you're falling for that bull."

"Maybe if you actually _read_ the paper instead of...-" Mako's fiercely formed eyebrow twitched. "-...crumpled it, you'd know what you were talking about."

"What's there to _talk_ about?" Korra disagreed, tossing up her hand and letting it bump onto the table's surface. The gesture shook her own mug, nearly causing it to spill.  
 _Grr, stupid woman...We don't need coffee stains..._

"Korra," said Mako sternly, staring her right in the eyes as he sat down across from her. "I don't know if you've _noticed -_ I mean, maybe things are better up the Great White North - but the economy's been pretty rough these days. Saint Roku University's been on a financial decline for the past few years. Less students enroll each year, and it's a pretty small, private college. They can't exactly afford to go spending money on frivolous things."

"Uh, _OK_ ," Korra spat out impatiently. "And your point _is?_ "

"My point _is,_ the United Republic maybe stands for some flowery ideals and everything, but it cost the school a lot of money to start up _and_ it's taking away business from what few local places exist around here."

"We're...we're bringing the people from Wayward and the college community _together,_ though," Korra insisted, not much interested in talks of finances.

"That's a nice assumption to make, Korra," Mako said with an unimpressed look, "But from what I've been hearing, a lot of things the school's been up to lately have been pushing it _away_ from the town."

"Like... _what_?" Korra inquired, her stomach gurgling loudly from a mixture of hunger and doubt.

"Like the way all of that business with that shootout was handled back in the winter, and-"  
"Shootout?"

"Ugh, yea, the two gangs and everything? Didn't you hear about that?"

" _Oh,_ right," Korra mumbled. "The gang that...used to spend time in...the building I'm working at..."

" _Yea,_ that would be the one," Mako advised. "Korra, something about that whole situation didn't seem right to me. I mean, some of the people involved walked away scot-free."

"Pff, yea, that's what happens when you let the lame-ass _police_ around here deal with shit..."

"The point _is_ , something about that...-"  
 _Grriiiihhhhgggle._  
"Jesus, _Korra,_ would you... _eat_ something?"

"Oh..." Korra rubbed at her abdomen sheepishly before gulping down more coffee and getting a bagel into the toaster.

 _This girl's an odd one. I don't get what Bolin sees in her beyond her looks. But, then again...this_ is _Bolin we're talking about..._

"Anyway," Mako went back to his discussion while Korra waited for her breakfast to toast. "Between how that gang violence got silenced so quick, and how the college seems to be coming up with private funding from who _knows_ where, it just...Well, the school just makes me - er, makes people all _around_ here, in town - think that something suspicious is going on."

Korra sucked in a deep breath through her nose and huffed out hot air.

"Mako, you can...think whatever you want. Honestly? I don't give a flying fuck. They pulled me down here outta my shit job working for a shit manager living in a shit apartment with no life. Like you _said,_ economical...politics...problem. Thing. Whatever."

Mako's half-closed amber eyes washed his deadpan amusement over her and she slung her head back in aggravation.

" _Whatever!_ " she repeated. "It's hard to hold a job, much less a _decent_ one, so I'm not gonna be rockin' the boat, and I sure as hell don't like seeing...bear-o-cratic whatever-the-fucks who sit in comfy chairs all day-" She pounded her palm against her chest, leaning forth indignantly. "-telling people that **_my job_** is a waste!"

Mako looked down from his housemate and took a moment to drink in caffeine as he considered her perspective.

_'Bear-o-cratic?' Ugh...Korra, Korra, Korra...You really are a bit of a blockhead, aren't you?_

"And I mean, _damn,_ the school? That school is what's keeping my _family_ sane, OK? Sokka? Katara? My cousins? Their mom is _gone,_ and that tore them up for _years_. My little cousin, she had, like, _no friends_ in high school. That _school_ is what gives her some kind of fucking anchor in the shit storm of life, so...I don't want to ever hear you sayin' bullcrap like that around me. Just...Keep it your self."

Korra snorted out a shaky sigh through her nose like steam from a kettle and began to angrily butter her bagel.

 _Wow. That...really pressed a button I didn't know was there. I thought Korra didn't really_ like _her cousins that much...or colleges in general, for that matter._

"I...see your point," Mako conceded calmly. "I didn't...mean to...offend you."

Korra did a double take, rotating her head around, half a bagel in her hand. She took a bite out of it and stared at Mako's regretful frown.

"Yea?" she muttered, eyebrows furrowed as she maintained intimidation. "Well... _Good._ You didn't... _offend_ me," she huffed in denial, rolling her eyes. "But...let's keep things that way."

* * *

"No, I'm-..." Zuko paused himself, breath in briskly, and sighed out his impatience before continuing. "Uncle," he slowly reiterated. "The _names._ Look at the _names_."

Iroh gaped at his forlorn nephew for a moment before lifting his pair of reading glasses over his eyes and surveying the highlighted, circled names from the articles Zuko had brought to his attention.

Hm. They did seem familiar.

"Mmm..." Iroh's stony fingers stroked his thinning beard. The ornate pendulum clock in his living room ticked back and forth, serving as the solitary noise they heard for a few moments as Iroh analyzed. "I think you may be right, Zuko," Iroh sighed, handing the folder of scanned pages back over. Zuko gawked at Iroh as the man leaned back on the couch, scratching his stomach thoughtfully. Dinner had been quite filling.

"That...That's _it_?" Zuko growled, his eyes sparking with concern as he whipped the manilla folder onto the coffee table before them. "Uncle, are you taking this seriously? What are we going to _do_ about this?"

Iroh grimaced at Zuko's stress. Always getting so worked up about everything...The poor young man needed a vacation. Good thing spring break was coming up soon.

"Zuko, we can look into this tomorrow. But I must ask you: what is it that you expect _me_ to do?"

Zuko's mouth opened, but he couldn't figure out to reply. This was an unexpected answer from Iroh. Uncle Iroh not knowing what to do? It was a foreign concept.

"I-...We need...to...do _something_ ," Zuko groaned, rubbing his tired eyes. "Azula's not _any_ help in any of this. Didn't I tell you? I _told_ you this would happen with her..."

"It _is_ true that your sister seems to have lost her way, Nephew. But do not forget that you, too, have made your own mistakes and eventually overcame them."

"But what makes you _so_ sure Azula is going to do the same?" Zuko sighed doubtfully.

"Nothing is certain," Iroh replied innocently, shrugging his shoulders as he gawked up at his own living room ceiling. The wavy textures running along its surface were soothing when matched with the gentle ticking his large clock's pendulum. "I merely have faith that - if anything - _you,_ Zuko, will help her see the error of her ways. But, for that matter, what makes _you_ so certain that this is even something we should be worried about?"

Zuko crouched over, dropping his elbows onto his knees, his hands sliding across the sides of his dry scalp.

"Something about this isn't right, Iroh," he breathed out. His teeth ground together beneath closed lips. His head twisted to his right to stare at his seemingly relaxed uncle. "Is there anything you aren't telling me?"

Iroh's gaze lost its air of ignorant serenity as the two Kurosawas exchanged their doubts without a word for a brief moment.

"I admit...-" Iroh began, a moan escaping him as he leaned forth, pushing his elderly frame to get up. Zuko immediately put out his arm, aiding the man's effort to rise to his feet. "-...it _does_ seem highly suspect...But, in my experience...-" Iroh rotated his shoulder and it crackled stiffly as he sighed. "-...it is not wise to go chasing hurricanes - one is better off preparing for the storm than running headlong into it..."

As Iroh meandered down the hallway and toward his bedroom, he waved back to Zuko.

"I must retire for the evening, Nephew. I trust you will handle the meeting in my stead."

Zuko shook his head to himself and easily caught up to Iroh, clamping a hand on his shoulder.

" _Uncle_...Why are you ignoring this?" Zuko firmly demanded, his insides churning with doubt. "Why are you putting this on _me?_ "

Iroh contemplated his reply for a moment. Zuko loved that - the way Iroh _thought_ before he spoke. It was perhaps something he would do well to work on himself, _especially_ if he had any hope of winning Azula over in all of this.

Iroh lifted his creaky, sturdy arm up and dropped it on the back of Zuko's wrist.

"Because, Zuko...I know you are _ready_. _Someone_ has to make these things right." Iroh's head bobbed down as a confident smile overcame him. He patted Zuko's hand twice before slipping off toward his bedroom door. "That someone is _you_."

* * *

\- Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011 -

{ _2/23/2011_ _\- Hakoda_ }  
 _{Today I was reminded of how much I deeply miss my family. And though Katara and Sokka may not be here with me, they are looking out for each other, and very soon, they will have their cousin Korra to keep an eye on them. I had forgotten about our family's name, so today, I re-learned something: the name 'Kesuk' means 'water & sky,' so now I like to think that, like those things, even while we are far apart we're still all true blue and connected as one vast whole.}_

A long, thoughtful breeze of breath slid out from Katara's nostrils as she stared at the curves of her father's orderly handwriting in the journal she'd been holding onto. She gazed at the blank page to the right, as if staring would somehow make more words appear. She'd read through his handful of entries three times now since receiving the bound book from her brother. She lamented the fact that neither of them had added to their father's thoughts yet. The way Hakoda had written such simple, brief entries made Katara wary - she knew she'd want to just ramble on pointlessly. If she was going to write something in, she wanted it to be concise.

After a quick glance around the ACC, which was gradually becoming more active as lunchtime drew closer, Katara's eyes found themselves locking onto a single word in the entire section.

_{Korra}_

She found herself...a bit _angry_. Disgruntled. Why was that?

When was the last time Katara had made an effort to see Korra just for old time's sake? As family, as cousins...She couldn't even remember. Certainly _before_ Korra had moved down to PA. That nagging feeling - _no,_ no, it wasn't a _nag,_ it was a...desire, a passion - to reach out and connect yanked at Katara's heart. She retrieved her phone from her desk and sent out a quick text.

[To: Korra]  
[Hey, I was wondering if you had time to hang out tonight. Just you and me? I miss you.]  
[Sent: 10:51am]

A short distance away, Toph was sprawled on her back, bare feet wedged inbetween the cushions of the corner of the couch she was on. Her laptop rested on her stomach, one arm propped under her neck, the other dangling off the couch's edge.

"What?" An awkward giggle. "Nahhh. No. Nobody like that."

["Really? Mm. I guess it _is_ kinda soon...But, like...that spring dance is coming up, right?"]

After their musical make-up, Toph and Meng had rapidly slipped right back into consistent contact, only now Toph spent less time complaining and more time encouraging her younger cousin.

"What? Whhh-...There...there _is_...?"

Meng snorted out a laugh.

["Chyea, Tophie. How come _I_ know about this and you don't?"]

"How _come_ you know about this and I don't?" Toph chuckled, bemused.

["I heard about it from Aang - he sounded excited."]

"Ah...Well, Aang has someone to _go_ _with,_ sooo...Yea."

["There's _no one_ you want to go to a dance with? Not a _single guy_?"]

"Pff...No way," Toph coolly rejected the notion. Fuck Sokka, he was all...flaunting himself with other girls, and...rrrr. She was better for him than that stupid air-head ditz, or that tightwad, no-nonsense Suki. But _whatever._ Like _he_ was smart enough to notice...

["Huh. That's weird, coming from you, Tophie."]

"Eh?"

["Seems like there's _always_ some guy you've got on your mind."]

_Ffffffuuuck. She's right. Ughhhh, she's so right. Damnitall._

"Heh. Well...Not right now."

["Hm. I see. Hey, though - that dance is a few weeks away, right? Ya never _know-ohhh~_ "] Meng taunted with her tone in a suggestive singing manner.

"Yea, yea, _OK,_ all right," Toph sighed, a smirk on her face.

["I can see you're _bluh-shing_ ~"] Meng continued her jibing assault.

" _What?_ " Toph squeaked, slapping her hand on her cheek. It didn't _feel_ warm...ugh, but it was getting there..."

["Well, you are _now_ , mwahaha..."]

"You're a little piss-ant," Toph growled with an embarrassed, toothy grin.

["Looks like you taught me well, Cousin!"]

Katara snickered at the two girls prodding each other verbally across the way before noticing she'd received a reply.

[From: Korra]  
[Yea that sounds good, actually. Could use some chick time after living with these "men"]  
[Sent: 10:53am]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[LOL I see. Sounds good. When and where?]  
[Sent: 10:53am]

[From: Korra]  
[I gotta close shop tonight so how about a lil before 10?]  
[Sent: 10:54am]

[Reply]  
[To: Korra]  
[Cool! I'll come by UR at like 9:45.]  
[Sent: 10:54am]

[To: Sokka]  
[Hey, I need to use the car tonight.]  
[Sent: 10:55am]

[From: Sokka]  
[What for? Me and Aang were wanting to go out w/people tonight.]  
[Sent: 10:57am]

[Reply]  
[To: Sokka]  
[I want to see Korra for a bit.]  
[Sent: 10:58]

[From: Sokka]  
[Fine, fine. We'll figure something out later. We'll be there in a sec for lunch.]  
[Sent: 10:59am]

* * *

"Sorry, girl..." Korra scratched her nails along the base of Naga's ears, holding her over-eager body in place. "Mama's gotta go to work." A rough double-pat to Naga's side.

" _Yarp! Yar-yarp!_ "

"I know, I know!" Korra chuckled. "Naga needs her walk. Don't worry." Korra stood up and cast her gaze to Bolin, who was tying his shoelaces. She continued to speak to her pup while observing Bolin's stocky body rise up. "Bolin here's gonna take care of you, so you be nice to him, all right?"

"Heh." Bolin grinned at Korra, standing with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out. The woman sure knew how to carry herself. "She'll be in good hands," he assured, smiling at the cheerfully panting puppy.

"I bet she will," Korra muttered, zipping up her hoodie. It was a bit cold tonight, so she was going to leave her obviously stylish but admittedly not-so-warm leather jacket at home. She paused, considering the evening that waited for her.

"What's up?" Bolin wondered, clipping Naga's leash onto her collar.

"Ehhh," Korra shook her head and whipped down her wrist. "Nothin', I just...am kinda nervous."

"Nervous? About what?"

"My cousin..."

"Errmmm..." Bolin scratched at his ear tentatively. "Why?"

"It's been a long time since we've hung out together - just us girls, ya know? I think I-... _pfff._ Just wondering if we can even get along on our own, is all."

"Ah..." Bolin nodded slowly. "It'll be good, you shouldn't worry so much."

Korra kicked the heel of her shoe against the archway of the living room entrance. She looked up at his encouraging green eyes and he grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

"If _I_ can see how awesome you are, I'm sure your cousin's _well_ aware of it."

Korra offered up a weak smile of gratitude, her arms crossed pensively.

"Thanks, Bolin. You're right." She smirked, her eyes flickering with sass. "I _am_ pretty damned awesome, aren't I?"

Bolin took a couple steps toward her and jabbed a meaty finger just below her left collarbone.

"You, my friend, are one bad-ass motherfucker," he credited her, barely keeping a straight face. They both crumbled into snickers.

"Took you _that_ long to figure it out, eh?"

"Ohhh, yes," Bolin facetiously explained, putting on a melodramatic tone. "Your luscious lips, feminine wiles, and deep, enchanting eyes have been luring me into a false sense of security all this time, but now I see your _true colors,_ you dirty animal."

"Shut _up,_ you dweeby Elvis imposter," Korra cackled, rustling his slicked back hair and pushing him away by his pectoral.

"A- _thank-yuh-verymuch_ ," said Bolin with his mocking impression, straightening his coat and readjusting his hair.

"Walk my _dog_ ," Korra commanded in an exhausted whine.

Bolin strolled over to the door, opening and gripping the leash as Naga dashed out and down the steps. He waved good-bye, and Korra swung her hand stiffly back, brow cocked at him. As soon as he set foot on the porch, he paused and shouted back through the doorway, pumping his fist into the air and wiggling his hips.

"Elvis has _left_ the building!"

"Wh-?" Korra squinted at his randomness with borderline irritation, doing her best to hide her entertainment. " _Walk my dog,_ dipshit!"

"Going now!" Bolin squawked, bounding down the stairs and out of harm's way.

* * *

"It's all good, Sis," Sokka insisted, pulling the car into the lot beside the United Republic as the only other car there, packed with a family of full stomachs, pulled out. "We'll just swing by somewhere in town and grab some ice cream or something, meet you back here in a bit."

"Sure..." Katara nodded, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder as she stepped out of the car. "That sounds good."

From the backseat, Aang practically pressed his face against the window, admiring her attire today. She was wearing that lovely dark blue sweatshirt he liked so much - the one with the low cut that showed off her elegant shoulders. She'd worn it just for him today, and it was almost tragic that now she was leaving. Yes, it was only going to be a little while, but...he was just in a very attached mood today.

 _Women shouldn't be allowed to have shoulders that beautiful_.

Katara noticed him admiring her from inside the car, a small spot of steam shrouding his face from the air seeping out of his nostrils. That's how close he was to the window.

" _You_ ," Katara teased, her voice carrying through the open car door as she pointed at her boyfriend, eyes aglow with affection. "Try not to _freak out_ while I'm gone, Sweetie. Hee."

Aang rolled up his eyes, lulling his tongue out, and clutched at his heart in mock pain.

"NoOoOoOoooo," he whimpered pathetically, clawing his fingers at the window, smearing the trace fog he'd created. "My Precioussss," he hissed in a joking rasp. "We _wantsss_ it, we _needsss_ it."

Katara gave him a deadpan look while Toph grunted, "Oh, _brother_ ," from Aang's left. As Jane popped out of the other side of the car, winding around to take Katara's place in the front passenger seat. Katara delivered a soft rub on the shoulder as she passed by, then looked back to Aang, who was still flailing with mock insanity.

"All right, _Gollum_ ," she called out, voice muffled by the car now that the front door was closed. "Roll down your window."

Aang perked right up and did as he was told. Katara eagerly leaned her head in and Aang immediately slammed a kiss into her lips. They made it a single, quick gesture before loudly unlocking mouths and nuzzling noses before she leaned back out.

"Maybe that can tide you over a while, you big _baby_ ," jeered Katara with a sly smile.

Sokka cleared his throat quite loudly from the driver's seat.

"Poor Mr. **Oogie** Boogie," Jane scoffed at him. "Hold onto your shit - you're a bigger baby than Fancy-Dancer back there is." Toph chuckled at Jane's somewhat forced but fitting use of nicknames.

"See you in a bit, Katara," Aang bid her farewell with a small wave. She nodded them off and turned around, heading into the restaurant's back door as she listened to the familiar hum of their car speed off. It was quite quiet, she realized, as she passed through the rec room. Aang's wall art of colored graffiti arrows still impressed her every single time she pass by. As she entered the dimly lit main area, she realized that the place was about dead, with a couple tables of dirty dishes left unchecked. She checked her phone: [9:58pm] Well, no wonder. They were about closed.

" _There_ you are, Kittie Kat!" Katara twitched from the shock of Korra's suddenly close voice, startling her. Where had she _come_ from? Maybe she had been poking around the bar counter...? In either case, she was right there, ready to give her cousin a hug.

"H-hey!" Katara greeted back, choking from the pressure of Korra's hug as she was lifted into the air. Her messenger bag slide off and clattered to the floor, much to her dismay. The second she was set back down, she scooped it right back up, checking to ensure that her cargo was undamaged.

"So how ya _been_?" Korra asked with enthusiasm, overriding Katara's distraction.

"Oh, I-..." Katara walked over to the counter and set her bag upon it, dropping herself into a stool. She took a breath, tilting her head up and down as she finally met Korra's gaze, letting relief pass over her. "Good. I'm good!"

"Sweet." Korra plunked her rear end with less-than-graceful nonchalance into the stool to Katara's right, propping her head up with an elbow on the counter.

There was an uncomfortable, drawn out silence in which neither woman could decide on how to continue conversation. Then, the scrawny, short blonde boy burst out from the kitchen's double doors.

"I'm punched out for the night, Korra," he sighed out, glad to be done with another long shift.

"Cool, Dougie. Peace out." Korra waved him off as he whisked on by. He and Katara swapped the briefest of curious glances - both knowing _of_ each other without genuine acquaintance - and he saw himself out, Korra locking the door behind him.

"So you're all closed up for the night?" Katara wondered as Korra sat back down.

"Meh, not quite," she huffed, chin in her palm with a grudge. "Waitin' for that weirdo who's been in the bathroom for, like, the past twenty fuckin' minutes. Must have some diarrhea or some shit." She paused, then her eyes squinted with stupid humor as she contained a laugh. " _Snrk. Some_ shit. More like _hella_..."

Katara grimaced at Korra's lowbrow remark, and she fished through her bag to pull out the journal, setting it on the counter.

"This is the family journal," she explained, sliding it over to Korra in an attempt to swap topics. "Did...did my dad tell you about it?"

Korra blinked at Katara's solemn face for a second before leafing through the paltry few pages worth of entries.

"Uhhh...Not much of a _journal_ yet, is it?" she mumbled with a laugh that sharply steered into shaky territory at Katara's dagger look. "I-I mean...-" She fumbled for this disconcerting seriousness that Katara wore. "It's...just a couple pages..."

"Because we're supposed to fill it in, too," Katara explained. "The _family._ Everyone in our family. That includes _you_."

Korra was baffled, her mouth hanging out as she eked out traces of syllables.

"What are you getting at, Kittie K-"  
" _Please_ don't call me that," groaned Katara, as if Korra were committing some horrible act for the tenth time.

"Whuh...-? What's the problem?"

"I don't _like_ that name, Korra. It brings back bad memories."

"Erm...O-OK, I'll...keep that in mind. _Heh_." Korra shrugged sheepishly.

"How's Dad doing?" Katara asked suddenly.

"Hakoda? Oh, he's...uhh...-"

"Not the best?"

"He's... _fine._ I mean, he's been _better,_ but...he's been a _lot_ worse, too, so..."

"Did you visit him before you left?"

"Uh...Well, sure, I needed some help getting things around, and-"  
"Ah. So you just used him to help you."

"Uhhh..."

"Like you used _Aang_ to get the job you have right now."

Katara's gaze remained fixed forward while she sniped shots at her cousin. Korra twisted her head to a forty-five degree angle, in-dignified by this talk.

"He spends _all_ of his time protecting people, and he gives you a _dog_ and helps you _move_ and you don't even give the poor man a _visit_ before you go and leave him _that_ much more alone?" Katara was now staring at Korra with disappointment. Her words stung, but not hot like flames - rather, they were dull and grinding, like pebbles against one another.

"I...didn't have _time_."

"You could've _made_ time for Hakoda...It's the least he deserves."

"I...guess you're right," Korra awkwardly conceded, unsure as to what kind of response her cousin was looking for.

Christ. At least Sokka was easier to pacify when he was in an odd mood, Korra could just give him-...Oh. Hey. "So...So, erh, Katara..." Korra shrugged her head to the wall before them. It contained a soda machine and a soft serve, but there was also a dispenser for on-tap booze that required a flash of ID when served. "You seem a bit down. You in the mood for a drink? 'Cuz I could hook you up and...-"

A dull silence. Katara's mood seemed to be deteriorating, which was very unnerving to Korra. Korra decided to take matters into her own hands and made a quick dash around the counter, making herself a cold mug of beer and pulling out a hard pear cider from the mini fridge below for her cousin. She cracked off the cap and slide it forth. Katara eyed it with her sudden dose of melancholy while her cousin came back to sit at her side. Korra raised up her mug, and Katara eyed it warily before giving in, grabbing her bottle and tapping it against Korra's.

_Clink._

They both took a swig.

"Nice night for an escape...isn't it?" Katara remarked dryly, predicting their descent into inebriation. "Seems like it's _always_ a nice night for one of those these days. If it's not Sokka, it's Toph. If it's not her, it's _you_..." Katara's nose wrinkled with some pent up frustration. "Everyone just _running away_ from their problems?" She took a second gulp, the sweet, sour, and bitter beverage easier to consume than in the past. "Why did you even _come_ here?"

"Eh?"

"Here. To Wayward. Why did you come? You know, at first I thought it was because of us. Me and Sokka..." Katara slurped from her bottle again, dropping it hard against the wood. "But you seem so possessed with your new life here. Being in charge. Being lusted after by those boys you live with..." _Whoa. Low blow, cuz. Low blow..._ "You hardly _know_ them..."

"Y-yea," Korra agreed, thrown off by Katara's gradual increase in attitude. "I wasn't-...I haven't...-"

"You just show up and flash your _muscles_ and throw some old bullies around - and crack Sokka in the head, _by the way_ \- and all of a sudden you're the big girl in town, and you're _oh-so-cool._ "

Korra coughed out an appalled laugh. Good thing she'd just swallowed beer right before.

"Whoa, _whoa,_ back up...You're _jealous?_ Feh!"

Katara dropped a brisk snort from her widened nostrils.

"I thought-... _We_ thought...that you came to Wayward to keep an eye out for me and Sokka. Pff. _I've_ been the one keeping an eye on _him_ this entire time. If it wasn't for me, he might...be expelled by now, or...something."

"Listen." Korra knocked her mug down harshly, slashing her hand downward in a sharp motion. "Katara, you're my family n' shit. We're all good, and tight, and stuff. But I came here for _myself._ I came here to find my own path, as an _adult._ I need to start a new life, on my _own._ "

"I know you do," Katara sighed. Oh, great, now she was going to show sympathy? "But it doesn't have to be _alone_ alone...Ya know, lately it feels like...-" Katara quenched her urge for cider with a chug. "-...our parents' time has passed. My mother, and... _so many_ of our relatives and...-" Her nostrils flared with embitterment. "-...people we once called 'friends'...are gone." Another sip. "Practically my entire generation is...is crushed with debts, the economy is _garbage_...It's time for us Kesuks - what's _left_ of this family - to take on the responsibility of covering each other's backs and getting through all this. Helping give each other peace and balance and... _sanity_...in this messed up world."

Korra stared intently at her oddly forlorn relative. She knew Katara had seen worse days, and when she thought on it, Korra was inspired by all the good Katara made out of it.

"And...-" She exhaled shakily, drum-rolling her fingernails on the bottle in her hands. "And I don't just mean me, and Sokka, and you. I mean...'this family,' and that includes everyone that's a part of it, not just the ones who share our name." Hmm. Katara had always been pretty insistent on that idea - that family was what you made of it. Korra wasn't as sold on that, but...either way, Katara _was_ her family.

"Kat...Are you _feeling_ OK?" Korra mumbled in frustration. What was with this? She wasn't supposed to be playing babysitter. "You're actin' really _weird_ on me."

Katara heaved out hot air before finishing off her cider.

"I'm sorry, Korra," she muttered, shaking her head. "I don't know, it's just been a long day, I've been thinking on...-" She circled the tip of her pinky around the bottleneck. "-...maybe some stuff I shouldn't be...I suppose I'm just scared of what's going to happen when this school year is over, what will happen when _Sokka's_ the one on his own. And then a year from now when _I'm_ finally done."

Korra pounded Katara's shoulder, eliciting a cough from the girl, letting her thick arm hang over the girl's bare shoulders.

"I hear ya, Katara. I've been there. But it gets better." Korra paused thoughtfully. "Eventually."

"Heh..."

"I'm sorry if I've been causing crap for you guys, and...you are _totally_ right, I really need to try making an effort to...be a part of this 'family.' I'm not secluded all by myself up in Toronto anymore. It's a whole new world out here, and it scares the _fuck_ outta me sometimes."

Katara smiled weakly and nodded with understanding, leaning over the gap between stools and embracing her cousin.

"I know it's tough, but you'll be a _great_ manager at this place."

"Damn straight." Korra grinned, squeezing Katara back.

"And...You're going to be a _great_ cousin, too. To me and Sokka, but...also to Aang, and Toph, and Jane. I know you'll have our backs if we ever need it. That's just how you are."

Korra felt her insides tighten. Emotions and _feelings_ and warm-fuzzies weren't her thing...She always figured Katara couldn't stand her approach to things. But this sounded like Katara in fact _appreciated_ her stiff presence for a change. And she had to confess that she _was_ feeling a little damp in the eyes. _Just_ for a second, though.

"Thank you," Korra gratefully expressed.

Korra finally broke away from the embrace of Katara's arms. A mere few feet away, the tall, oddball man who'd been in the bathroom was standing there, staring right at her with all _three_ of his eyes - that freak with the tatt on the face. The eyeballs that were real were just as cold and mechanical in their gaze as the fake one tattooed into his skull.

" _Christ_!" she spat out, grabbing at her chest, ensuring her skipping heart was still beating. Katara whirled around, only to gasp in surprise herself, then relax when she realized it was just that customer Korra had mentioned. "Jesus, man," Korra sighed out, shaking her head. "Scared the _fuck_ outta us." He stared at her, expression stoic and unmoving. "You just...creep around, scaring women for _kicks_ or some shit?" Korra once again grasped for some semblance of humor, but he didn't react.

Katara was baffled by the hulk of a man, with his shaved head, expressionless eyes, forehead tattoo, and...Oh, God. His hand. What was wrong with his hand? His right hand looked... _ulgh._ She couldn't even _tell._ But it didn't look right. Infected? Badly burned? She felt for the poor man, what pain he could be enduring that very moment. It didn't look pleasant, and it explained his controlled, stern look.

The awkward silence after Korra's remark was unbearable by now, and Katara's sympathy for this stranger rapidly gave rise to fear as his stone-cold demeanor carried himself to their immediate proximity. Korra's body tightened, and she rolled up her sleeves, hopping out of her seat with balled fists, ready to swing.

The man breathed in deeply through his nose, his alarming pectorals clearly showing through his tight, gray sweater.

"Listen, pal, I don't know what yo ** _oofff!_** "  
 _Whump!_

Korra's attempt at intimidation was cut short as the air was knocked from her by a knee to her abdomen. In the second it took for Katara to shriek with shock, Korra panted from the lack of air. Still hunched over, she managed to clamp her hands on the brute's shoulders while he grabbed her by the ponytail and yanked her head back. Another focused knee strike rose, slamming Korra in the breasts and leaving her stunned. Katara, who had by now leapt from her stool in fright and had her hands clamped on her temples, gazed onward in confusion. Her body was paralyzed on the spot, jaw agape.

Korra wasn't going down without a fight, though she now found herself pinned against the countertop, one leg caught underneath the stool's metal support, the other thrashing at the man's shin. He held down both her arms, even resorting to using his less-than-healthy-looking hand to keep Korra in place.

" **Get off her!** " Katara managed to screech, her words ignored entirely.

The stranger took his left hand - the stronger one - and took the chance of lifting it up, blocking Korra's attempt at a jab with his meaty elbow before crashing his fist against her face.

" **Stop it!** "

Even in this entire process, the man was a cold statue in motion, barely reacting to anything his body was doing. That itself was perhaps just as horrifying for Katara to watch as was the aggression he expelled as he lifted the dazed woman in his grasp by both shoulders and slammed her head against the counter with a sickening ' ** _bumff.'_** Next, he pushed her back toward the tables and heaved her onto one, her face coming down first. He carried this act out like a construction worker, indifferently tossing a sack of cement.

Katara flinched from the crash, which split the table in two, leaving Korra in a contorted pile, her eye black, nose bleeding, head bruised.

" **What are you _doing_ to her?**" Katara shrieked in hysterics. " **You're going to kill...-!** "

The man had turned around, that freezing glare of emptiness now aimed at Katara, who suddenly found herself unable to breath, her sentence ending prematurely. Shaking like a leaf in a tornado, Katara wobbled backward, finding support on the counter behind her as his menacing footsteps approached. In that instant, she realized he walked with a bit of a limp - it made his advance that much more barbaric.

Confused, petrified, and struggling to muster up what adrenaline she could, Katara noticed her empty cider, and swiftly scooped it up, waving it like a club above her shoulder, ready to strike. She bared her teeth, sapphire eyes aglow with fight-or-flight, and just as he came within range, she took a swipe at him.

" _Agh!_ " she grunted in pain at his retaliation.

He'd caught her wrist in mid-swing and twisted it aside, wrenching the bottle from her grasp. Before she had any time to react, her world went spinning when the bottle was shattered against the left side of her forehead. She met the floor in an instant, and while she writhed in pain, too dizzy to operate properly, her stomach was pounded by a shoe. Curled into a fetal position, her sight blurred and dim, her breath forced from her lungs, Katara was helpless to fight back as her skull was lifted by her hair and pounded into the wooden floor, turning her world black.

* * *

The car had screeched to a stop in the middle of the road as soon as they'd turned the corner. Sokka had to put his foot back on the pedal and get the car into the back corner of the lot, all the while dealing with hysterics from the other people in the car. Before he'd even come to a stop, Aang had unlocked and opened his door and bounded out, making a few dashing steps toward the horrific sight.

The United Republic was ablaze, billowing stacks of smoke and spewing flames from its rooftop. Some of its windows were shattered and puffing out clouds of black, while others glowing a fierce yellow and orange mix.

"Aang? What the _fuck_?" Toph growled with hostile irritation, clueless as to what in the hell everyone was getting so riled up about. She fumbled around with her door and managed to push her way out, feeling around the car's edge and rotating around its backside while Sokka and Jane piled out of the front seats.

"Shit-shit-shit," Jane was hissing to herself as she clambered out, eyes fixated on the fire. Could it have been _them?_ Could they be behind this?

Sokka was without words - without a clever remark or a curse or any kind of verbal indication that he was acknowledging what he was seeing as reality.

One faint-hearted thought was racing through his mind in that instant: _my family is in there._

"What the hell is that sound?" Toph growled, her voice raising an octave as the sudden weight of this unknown situation pressed on her. She pushed off of the car, hands stretched out as she searched for anyone to clasp onto.

" _Fuh-huhh-huhhhck_ ," Jane was whimpering in a panic. "What do we _do_? What do we _**do**?_ "

Toph groped toward the voice and found her arms on Jane's bony back. The girl jumped at the touch, her mind reeling, but she realized who it was and let Toph's elbow lock with her own.

"Could someone tell me what the _fuck is going on?_ " Toph cried out in pleading exasperation as she was pulled forward, the lot of them approaching the place.

Aang hadn't said a single word, but instead was pulling his black SRU hoodie up, its blue arrow cast down over his forehead.

" _Aang,_ where are you going?" Sokka swiftly demanded as soon as he saw this gesture and the way Aang was picking up speed. "Aang?"

The noise from the flickering flames grew louder as they drew close, and Toph suddenly found herself choking on traces of smoke, the distinct smell of burning wood suffocating her.

"Did something happen?" Toph moaned, the confusion sending her heart into a spiral of fear. Was Katara hurt? Or...or _dead,_ or something? What if Katara was dead? Hell in a handbasket, Sister-Face couldn't be _dead._ Not _her_ Sister-Face.

"It's a fire," Jane managed to mumbled out, gawking with horror. "Place is on fire..."

As a chunk of smoldering wood broke off from the top portion of the building and clattered to the ground not more than twenty feet away from them, the group paused.

"Whhh...-?" Sokka smacked himself in the head, whipping out his phone. "We need to call 911!" he immediately realized, dialing the number on his phone.

Standing about thirty or forty feet from the place, Jane was dumbstruck, her brain twisting down corridors of guilt and shame. This was her fault somehow. She'd somehow brought this down upon her friends. It had to be, like...the Rough Rhinos. Right? Of course it was. Seeking revenge on Korra's intolerable backlash? What else _could_ it have been? The waves of shame were so heavy that her body wasn't able to process movement when Toph tugged at her arm, swiftly losing her cool in the un-seeable face of this chaos.

Aang stared at the backdoor to the United Republic - the screen door was closed, but he noticed that the hard wooden door behind it was slightly ajar, dark clouds wisping out. Sokka barked into his phone, in the background, doing his best to remain calm. Sokka's words were blurred by the rumbling of flame, the crackling of burning wood, and the numbing fear buzzing through his mind. The dancing flames reflecting off of his eyes, which gradually narrowed as adrenaline began to course through him.

"Aang?" Toph cried out from behind him. She was stepping ahead of Jane, arms still linked, extending her hand out in the direction she'd heard his footsteps travel in. She shouted out with frightened anger. "What the fuck are you _doing_?"

Aang didn't reply, his eyes captured by the poster that hung on the barely open wooden door, its edges singed and curled from the heat. It was a poster for the college, depicting its four-colored logo motif, a blue arrow stretching downward from the 'R' in {SRU}.

Bumi's voice echoed in his mind.

_"The arrow that symbolizes this school represents the idea of not looking upward and outward, but **inward**. Inside yourself."_

"What?" Sokka roared into his phone with utter disbelief. "There could be _people_ in here, what if...-? _Why in God's name would it take...-?_ _Yes,_ geez, get them here ASAP!"

Toph clawed her hand into Jane's arm, squeezing it tightly, baffled and lost in all of this commotion. Jane's arm was tense, tight, and shaking, offering Toph little comfort.

"What's going on?" Jane managed to ask in a huff.

"The fire department's already _dealing_ with something!" Sokka growled out in a manic frustration as he punched keys on his phone with a twitching hand. "They said it's going to be a few minutes..." He pressed his palm into his forehead, completely at a loss, as he tried another number. The sound of a window shattering caused the lot of them to stumble back, startled, as glass sprinkled the gravel before them and fire flashed from within.

_Fwooohhhsh!_

"I don't think we _have_ a few minutes," Aang darkly observed, gears churning in his brain as he decided what to do with the situation.

The heat from the building was already a bit more tense than it had been when they'd arrive a mere couple minutes before.

Toph's pale eyes were wide, awe-struck from the sensation of warmth against her pale, round face, threatening to sting it.

" _Whoa_..." she whispered, lips hung open. "That's a _lot_ of fire...isn't it...?"

"Y-yea...It _is_ ," Jane muttered, three whole fingertips dinging into her eyebrow, flexing her skin up and down with fret. "Sokka," she called out, flicking up her wrist from her face. "Are Kat and Kor in there?"

"Yea," Aang darkly advised, turning his head back over his shoulder. "Katara would've called the second she left."

Jane bit her lip at this remark, because she knew it was accurate from experience.

"And she's not picking up," Sokka advised, his eyes watering up as he choked out having just tried dialing a third number. " _Neither_ of them are," he explained through grit teeth, his heart racing with doubt.

_Crreeeak._

Everyone's attention was redirected to the screen door Aang had just opened, his hand wormed into his hoodie's sleeve to stave off heat. Fabric was pulled up over his face to filter air as he shoved the wooden door open with his elbow.

" _Get the **fuck** back out here, Aang!_ " Toph shrieked, voice cracking. Her mind was at least keen enough to have detected Aang's motions, and she did _not_ approve. Jane was holding her back from shambling toward the unknown danger, but she thrashed and growled out in anguish. Clasping her arms around Toph's wriggling waist, Jane stared along with Sokka in complete bewilderment as their friend marched headlong into the inferno.

In her dazed confusion, Jane's grip slipped, and Toph stumbled forward, screaming Aang's name with a mixture of cursing. Jane and Sokka followed her, also beckoning through the smog.

" **AANG!** Fuck... **AAAAANG!** "  
" _Aaaaaaang!_ "  
"Get outta there, Aang!"

" **YOU MOTHERFUCKER, AANG! DON'T DO** **THI** _hffack! Keh-heff_...!"  
Toph slowed as she reached the door, coughing through the smoke she had walked into.

As a few pieces of smoldering roof panels clattered to the gravel on their left, Sokka heard a snapping sound from above, and looked up to see a chunk of the roof's gutter slipping. In an instinctive reaction, he lunged forth, pulling Toph back by the arm and tugging her away. Shielding her face with her forearms, Jane back-stepped as fiery rubble crashed down before them.

Having burst into tears from Aang's sudden decision, Toph regained her footing with Sokka's alignment and plunged her face into chest, painting his shirt with her tears. As she squeezed her arms around his waist like her life depending on it, she breathed hard and heavy, coughing from smoke and snot and dread. She was so useless right now. She couldn't do a damned thing to help the people she loved. It tore her apart from the inside out.

Sokka, fighting his own urge to blubber, stared at the building with disdain and rage, patting Toph's back in an attempt to get the hysterical woman to calm down. Toph was supposed to be the tough one with attitude, wasn't she? Even Jane seemed to be having more trouble coping with this than Sokka was. Was he supposed to be feeling more...fear? More worry? More grief? His heart somehow emptied from it all.

Sokka's brain was sucking his shallow well of hope dry, filling himself with every ounce of optimism and sense he could right now. They'd be OK. They'd get out, or the firemen would come save them, or... _something._

"That crazy _shit_ _head_!" Jane snapped, face in her palms as she paced in a circle, unable to process this act. "The fuck's he _thinking?_!"

Sokka watched as an inside wall buckled, collapsing in the hallway and blocking off the back exit.

"We should go around to the front," Sokka firmly explained, his voice as solid as a weathered brick. "Maybe they're getting out that way."

Aang, meanwhile, had thrown himself with determination into a precarious situation.

After shoving past the outer door, Aang made his way inward, squinting through the smoke. It was a small blessing - most of the fire was along the outside edges of the building, it seemed, making its way inward. Surveying it, Aang found it puzzling that the ceiling and walls seemed ablaze while the innermost portions of the floor were still in tact. He didn't have time to consider this. Faint cries from behind him faded into the rumble of flames as the walls behind snapped, and the way he came in was shut off. He was on his own now. Seeing the openings granted to him ahead, Aang pushed onward, eyes aching already from airborne ash. He wove his way around pool tables and chairs, scanning feverishly for any signs of life.

\+ http:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWH87dq-Kds +

**~I am so high, I can hear heaven~**

His eyes caught the colorful mural he'd worked so hard to create, melting away.

**~I am so high, I can hear heaven~**

The rainbow of colors lit aflame enraptured him for a brief moment of reflection.

**~Whoa, but heaven, no, heaven don't hear me~**

His parents murdering each other. His family crashing off a cliff. Even this place - Wayward - wasn't safe.

**~And they say that a hero could save us; **I'm not gonna stand here and wait~**  
**

He glowered with heartbreak at his flickering mural, but left it behind - just like the rest.

**~I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles; watch as we all fly away~**

Hacking out through his hoodie, he worked through the main area, in shambles.

**~Someone told me love would all save us~**

Tables were lit up, walls were searing, everything was falling apart.

So many good intentions and memories crumbling to soot.

**~But how can that be? Look what love gave us~**

Everything he built, everyone he touched...it all found a way to destroy itself, didn't it?

**~A world full of killing and blood spilling~**

Korra's body, groaning, wheezing, sloppily pushing itself up its knees.

**~That world never came~**

He wasn't going to let that destruction happen anymore.

**~And they say that a hero could save us; I'm not gonna stand here and wait~**

Aang's hand, lifting her to her feet, slinging her over his shoulder.

**~I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles; Watch as we all fly away~**

She wobbled alongside him as he led her to the sweltering hot front door.

He reached his hand out, crying in agony as his calloused fingers boiled beneath hoodie fabric at the touch of hot metal, unlocking the doors.

Blood dripping over her wrathful scowl, Korra raised her less damaged leg to kick open the sturdy wooden doors, and Aang wrapped his body around her as they pushed through the flames that swept outward at them toward the fresh air like a dragon's maw.

" _HaAgHhHh...?_ " Her voice, bellowing weakly from back inside.

**~Now that the world isn't ending, it's love that I'm sending to you~**

" ** _Katara_**!" he called to her, plunging right back through the conflagration.

_Snakk! Whubumff!_

**~It isn't the love of a hero, and that's why I fear it won't do~**

He suddenly found himself slammed to the ground, his back pinned by a supporting pillar that had given way.

" _Nnnghh...Aang...?_ "

"I'm... _gah..._ here!"

**~And they say that a hero could save us~**

A deep, searing pressure had punched through his clothing, scalding his back.

**~I'm not gonna stand here and wait~**

He screamed from the pain, pushing himself up. The heavy, hot object blazed deeper into his skin.

**~I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles; Watch as we all fly away~**

He managed to unwedge himself from underneath the smoldering wooden rubble, light-headed from the smoke.

**~And they're watching us (watching us)~  
**

He hastily crawled to Katara, her body sprawled before him, the two of them choking from the fumes.

**~They're watching us (watching us)~**

Aang tugged his hood back on, pulling thick cloth back over his mouth.

**~As we all fly away~**

His overexerted muscles found new strength in order to pick up Katara. **  
**

**~And they're watching us (watching us)~**

Aching, sputtering, stifling, bleeding... **  
**

**~They're watching us (watching us)~**

...he marched through the collapsing building to the entrance. **  
**

**~As we all fly away~**

He gripped Katara tight as he sprinted through the outer wall of fire and into the night. **  
**

**~And they're watching us (watching us)~**

A small collection of residents was gathering, panicked and confused. **  
**

**~They're watching us (watching us)~  
**

Aang's friends were a wreck, eagerly watching the smoke-ridden doorway.

**~As we all fly away...~**

Ashes fluttered through the sky all around him, embers flickering like fireflies from hell.

"...Aang?"  
"Did he... _gugh_...get her out?"  
"You're _shitting me!_ "  
" **AANG!** "

Aang's form appeared from the smoke, eyes flashing with adrenaline-fueled pride.

Gasps, shouts, relief.

\+ http:/destiny-smasher.deviantart.)com/art/SRU-A-Hero-Can-Save-Us-297213539 +

\+ http:/www(dot)youtube.com/watch?v=yWnuQK0q2A0 +

Katara, held in Aang's arms, lifted her bloodied head from his chest to gaze up at his cold, determined expression, ash smudged over his cheeks.

He trudged forward, the nerves on his back squealing with agony.

Jane immediately helped set Katara down on the sidewalk while Sokka ripped Aang's hoodie from him, snuffing its traces of flame out.

Korra, resting on the curb, dazed.

Jane, hands on her friend's bloodied, ashen face, sobbing.

Toph, screaming, flailing her hands around Aang's aching body, shrieking with horror when she felt the burned patch of skin on his back.

Sokka, wrapping his arms around the both of them and squeezing tight, nervously laughing away his doubts.

Aang, craning his hooded head to look back behind them at the building's sign, its edges aflame.

{- **tED REPU** b-}

The United Republic was lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Hero' by Nickelback.


	81. Bend

\- Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011 -

The lobby was desolate and depressingly quiet. The silence was unnerving to Toph as she squirmed in her uncomfortable seat in the corner. Her eyes hung heavy, and she'd nodded off a couple of times now. By this point she had no idea if it was midnight or 3am or...whatever. It was late, though, she could say that much - if she had the gall to cut through the heavy silence that hung over the trio. They hadn't stuck around to see what efforts the fire department had put into trying to salvage the building. From what Sokka had said on their way to the hospital, it was a lost cause, and from all of the sounds and smells she'd experienced - not to mention his dark tone when he'd said it - Toph was sure he was right.

They'd been assured by the doctor that their friends would be fine. The physician had seemed stunned that the injuries seemed relatively minor given the context, and had expressed that everyone involved was extremely lucky to be in the shape they were, coming out of such a situation. Away their friends were whisked, and they'd been waiting ever since. None of them really thought on _why_ they were all waiting until after one of Korra's roommates showed to pick her up and take her home. She had been quite stubborn and refused to stay at the hospital any longer than needed. With a bandage around her head and her arm in a sling, she'd eagerly retreated the facility as soon as she'd had the chance.

\+ http:/destiny-smasher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/SRU-Sketch-Jane-Smellerbee-Fitzpatrick-287780400 +

Jane was standing now, having spent a good deal of time letting her ass get rather uncomfortable from this damned hard seats. Leaning up against a wall in the pale, desolate lounge, she had drawn her hood up over her head from the chill she was feeling in this cold building. She had been exchanging text messages with Douglas earlier, after they'd first arrived, making sure he was all right. He had no idea of what had transpired, as apparently everything had been fine when he'd left. After Doug had gone off to sleep, Jane had then started swapping messages with Johnny, who had been surprisingly talkative tonight - as talkative as he ever got with texts, anyway.

She was missing him so fucking much tonight. She was practically staring at her phone in anticipation of each reply, because during the down times between texting exchanges...the self-doubt would creep in.

_You choked. You did nothing. Weren't you supposed to be the tough one? Katara was in danger, and you just stood there like a fucking bump on a log. Pretty damn sad.  
Could've done more. Could've...-_

[From: John boy]  
[You don't know that. Don't think like that.]  
[Sent: 1:06am]

His text tripped her up, bringing her back into that pool of remorse. _  
_

 _Fuck. Shit-ass-fuck-cunt-sucker. The Rhinos. Had to be them, right? Course it was._  
Which makes me involved. Makes this part my fault.  
Katara got a face full of glass and almost burned to death because of what me and Jet did.  
Korra got her head cracked a couple times because of the shit we used to stir with that gang.  
Aang got his back fried to hell saving their asses. Shoulda been my back. My head. My face.  
This whole fuckin' mess is because of me.

 _They're all in danger._  
Because. Of. **Me.**  


"Sokka...?"

Jane's attention was derailed, much to her relief, by Toph's sleepy groan from the corner of the room.

"Yea, Toph?" Sokka sighed out tiredly, lowering his PSP and rubbing his eyes as he glanced to the chaired immediately to his right. He'd pulled his gaming device out of his car when he realized just how long they were going to be waiting, and it was helping him keep his sleepy mind away from the negative thoughts threatening it.

"What time is it?" Toph wondered, her head hung low, her eyes closed.

"Uhh...-" Sokka checked the device in his hands, accessing up its clock. "A little past one."

"Rrmmm," Toph gurgled out with dissatisfaction, squirming in her seat. She yawned, sliding her drooped head to her left. It plopped onto Sokka's shoulder, and her throat tightened.

 _Is this OK? I'm tired. I'm pissed. Katara's OK, but Aang had to be so fucking stupid. Better than me, anyway. I'm a useless pile of shit who can't even walk in a straight line by myself. Rrgh.  
I'm selfish. All I want right now is to hold Sokka. Be close. Ugh. Damned hormonal bullshit. I should be more concerned about Katara and Aang.  
I _am _concerned, though. Super worried. Afraid. I'm sure they're fine, but...I'm still scared somehow. Can't stand it. I'm so_ useless _! Grr._  
Focusing on Meat-Head here makes all that...go away.

"Sleepy?" Sokka muttered to her, letting any discomfort from Toph's physical proximity slide from his conscience.

"Mmmfh," was Toph's grunt of a response.

Observing the oddly vulnerable look on Toph's face, Jane was left baffled. Toph had been acting kind of weird tonight, being clingy to Sokka. Why _?_ Sokka was all insensitive and uncaring with offering comfort and shit. Meh. Whatever. Jane would've figured that Toph would be more interested in her and not Food-For-Brains, but...whatever.

His shoulder now burdened with an undesired weight, Sokka bent his head down to look back at his device's screen. Guilt snuck up on him as he tried to focus on the game.

_Your family was in danger, and you stood on the sidelines. Coward. You make fun of Aang for not being manly...but when the time came, he was the real man. You were a child._   
_No, no. Running into a burning building is stupid and foolish. Aang is lucky._   
_He was also brave. And what about your sister? Since she was pulled out you've avoided her._   
_It's too hard to see her like that, she had blood all over her face, and...-_   
_But playing your video games here, that's just fine._   
_I took everyone here, to the hospital. Everything is going to be fine.  
If Aang hadn't been there, Katara and Korra would both be dead._

Sokka noticed the doctor that was looking after their was comrades approaching. She was a quaint enough looking lady with her brown hair tied back in a bun, but all night she'd had a very stressed demeanor to her. On her way toward the students waiting in the lounge, she was stopped by the stout woman working at the desk.

"Pema?"

The short, exhausted doctor slowed to a stop, a thickly stacked clipboard tucked in her arm.

"Yes?" she sighed out, running her hand along her temple.

"Your husband left a message for you - he just wanted you to know that he's been delayed by a day or two, but that he still expects to be here this weekend for Jinora's birthday."

The doctor's jaw seemed to slide with restrained irritation.

"Called _the office_ instead of my personal cell. Hmph. Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Pema sighed with a shake of her head, carrying on and letting her disappointment fade into the background of her mind.

"Doc?" Sokka stood up, much to Toph's dismay - she squeaked with shock, catching herself from falling as Sokka walked right to the doctor. "Are they all right?" he pressed before she'd even reached them. She nodded tiredly, adjusting her thin-rimmed glasses before taking another look at her documents.

"Surprisingly, yes," she brushed off his concern. "Your sister's forehead has been stitched up and should be fine soon enough. The other one, his back was burned pretty bad. It's going to scar, but he's going to be quite all right."

Sokka puffed out air with relief. In all of the commotion of getting them to the hospital and the blood he'd seen on them, he'd sworn it had been worse. Thank goodness he'd been wrong.

"Can I...see them?" he wondered, running his hand over his head.

Pema paused with some disgruntled exhaustion that she contained as best she could.

"It's...really quite late, and they both need their rest." When she saw his flicker of hope wither, she explained, "The two of them are passed out, they're dead tired. It'd be best to come see them in the morning."

Sokka nodded, running his hand along his scruffy jaw.

"Yea, OK," he conceded, recalling that Hakoda would be around by then, anyway.

"You all should get some sleep, as well," Pema advised. "They're in good hands, I promise. They'll be here waiting for you in the morning."

Sokka nodded to the physician and turned to his friends. Toph was slumped in her chair, eyes half open as she rubbed at her nose with her wrist. Jane tucked her cell phone into her hoodie's pocket, both hands wedged inside as she shrugged to him.

"We can come back tomorrow," Sokka explained with a heavy breath. He lazily pulled Toph up to her feet, catching her as she wobbled about. "I'll call you guys in the morning as soon as visiting hours are open."

"Yea," Jane mumbled with an agreeable nod.

"Mmkay," was Toph's barely audible answer. As Sokka tugged her along, she grasped her arms around his. His arm was comforting and secure, though her attachment was causing the opposite reaction from Sokka, who opted to ignore his discomfort for his friend's sake. She was shaken up by this whole situation, no doubt. They all were.

Not another word was spoken between the trio on the ride back to campus, aside from an exhausted set of 'Good night' grumbles.

Maybe things would look better in the morning.

* * *

Iroh sighed with grief, shaking his head to himself as he sipped at his morning coffee. Just that fact alone had Mai concerned - that Uncle Iroh was drinking _coffee_ instead of tea. Iroh practically never drank coffee, except when he was stressed. The news this morning was...deeply stressing.

"Why didn't you _call_ me?" Zuko grunted in frustration.

"Because it was...one in the morning and I thought you'd be _asleep_ ," Mai defended with a sharp shrug, hoping to get him off her back.

The fact was, she herself had been half-asleep at the time, exhausted from editing her work for a project due the next morning. She'd finished it, thankfully, but toward the tail end of it, Ty-Lee had started freaking out, citing that Sokka had just texted her about the entire ordeal that had transpired down town.

"You could've _tried_!" insisted Zuko, wiping his palm over his greased back hair. Mai felt stung by the way his amber eyes pierced through hers. She rubbed sand from her eyelids as a ploy to avoid his gaze.

"I'm... _sorry_ ," she muttered, doing her best to strip any spiteful tone from her voice. "It was late, and...I just figured it wouldn't do you any good to lose sleep over it."

"People were almost _killed_ and you're worried abou-?"  
Zuko's building rage was cut off by Iroh's solid hand clamping down upon him. Mai was grateful for the elderly man's presence.

The trio was huddled on a couch near the front end of the Avatar Campus Center, watching the morning news on the large, public flat screen TV propped up on the wall, as they sometimes did in the morning. Iroh had been tipped off by President Bumi not long after waking about the situation, which had led to arranging this particular plan for the morning - watching the news report on it and trying to stay calm.

"Zuko." Iroh waited for his nephew to drop his tense stance and relax in his seat before letting go. "There was nothing you could have done last night. Better that you are well-rested to deal with this situation."

"Hmph..." Zuko didn't like that answer, but at least he was conceding to some reasoning - a trait Zuko didn't always have when he got this worked up. His passion would get the better of him now and again - that same burning ambition and idealism that had worked its way into Mai's heart and pulled her out of her cocoon of indifference; however, it would, in increasingly rare circumstances, burn too hot, forcing her to retreat.

With Zuko apparently pacified for the moment, the lot of them were able to focus on the press conference being played. A stern woman in a gray police uniform stood at attention with hands folded behind her back. Wavy, pale hair matching her uniform's color, her rigid face accented by a sharp jawline and decisively icy eyes of green. She spoke into a collection of microphones, her voice firm, steady, even unpleasant.

["-received an eyewitness account by one of the battery victims - the manager of the establishment. She confirmed that this was, in fact, an attack, and the evidence we've dug up so far _does_ suggest that it _could_ be linked to the...-"] Her expression wrinkled ever-so-briefly with disdain. ["-...'Combustion Man,' as the media has taken to calling this menace."]

Cameras flashed, some commotion stirred, and then reporters began piping up.

["Chief Jia, with the Combustion Man loose in Wayward, what is your plan for keeping the citizens safe?"]

["I did not _say_ that this incident was connected with that case, but I will not deny the possibility. We are looking into it. Wayward is not a _bustling metropolis_ by any means,"] she pointed out with a hint of resentment, ["so if the culprit sticks around, we're sure to find him sooner rather than later."]

["Are there any leads? Any suspects?"]

["At this time, we have no clear suspects, but yes, we do have leads that we are already investigating. We'll be interviewing the victims of last night's incident thoroughly, I can assure you. If this is indeed a 'Combustion' case, then these may be the first survivors to have seen his face."]

["Chief, you said this was an 'attack'. Do you interpret this as an act of hostility against the college?"]

["We have no reason to believe it is. If this _is_ another 'Combustion' case, such a notion is highly unlikely, given the widespread and varied backgrounds of the victims and locations observed thus far."]

["So the Combustion Man is still out there."]

["Again, we cannot confirm _or_ deny if this is directly related to the recent fires occurring across the state, but-"]  
"Why are we _sitting here_ doing nothing?" Zuko burst out, his hand tightening around his coffee cup. Mai noticed this slight gesture and drew in a quick breath through her nose while Zuko fizzled out air through his own.

"Zuko, it's _OK_ ," Mai tried to assure him, carefully plucking the still-hot liquid from his grasp and setting it on the table before them - it _was_ a coffee table, after all. "Like Iroh said, there's nothing you could've-"  
"I _told you_ this would happen!" Zuko snapped, ignoring Mai's efforts and directing his rage at the old man. "This is on _our_ hands! We need to go downtown _right_ now, and tell Lin what we know about this."

"Uhh... _Lin_?" Mai poked in, hunching over in an attempt to redirect Zuko's rage. She'd rather he took it out on her instead of poor Uncle. She could barricade herself to his rage - it was part of her job, really, right? But Iroh was such a soft soul, she hated to see this. "Who's 'Lin?'" she wondered.

"Lin Jia," Zuko sighed, as if Mai were some child he was having to explain old-news to. " _Her_ , the Chief of Police," he grumbled dismissively, tossing his arm up to the television screen and the embittered officer still answered questions.

"You _know_ her?" Mai did a double-take.  
 _Why would Zuko know someone like that?_

"N-no," he quickly explained. " _I_ don't know her..."

"But I _do_ ," said Iroh tiredly, taking a long sip from his drink with a sniff. He scratched his wrinkled nose as he set his cup beside Zuko's. "However, I am not sure that would be such a good idea, Zuko..."

"Why _not?_ " Zuko snapped. His eyes flashed with rage before he sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, rolling his head back onto the couch's spine. "Why not?" he repeated with a hushed tone. "If we don't say something and _soon,_ who's to say it won't happen again?"

Mai's stomach was churning with doubt and fear. She had theorized that all of the hush-hush concerning the Kurosawa family had been something bad, but...some kind of serial killer? That couldn't be connected to Zuko. _Her_ Zuko. He was _hers,_ she _knew him_. He would never get himself involved in something this...this-...Ugh. He just _wouldn't,_ that was the entire reason he was here at the school, to _escape_ getting pulled into this kind of thing.

"Zuko, you need to calm down," came Iroh's words, like a brick dropped into his nephew's lap. "We should...-" Iroh's eyes wandered to Mai, who was still hunched over, her eyes trembling with doubt and confusion. "-...discuss this matter in private."

"No." The word came out calmly, without any hesitation.

The startled faces of Zuko and Iroh stared at Mai's icy resolve in a tense moment as her lips tightened.

"Zuko," Mai sighed, slipping her lanky fingers through his weathered palm. "I understand that your family has its skeletons hiding in...practically every closet in Los Angeles, but I'm getting really tired of ignoring them. Now, there's...some kind of _pyromaniac_ murdering people across the state, and it's sounding a _lot_ like you two know what this is about."

Zuko's jaw slid uncomfortably to the side, and he cast a hesitant gaze to Iroh, who snorted air dubiously.

" _Kind_ of," Zuko confessed sheepishly, his face twisted with worry. Mai continued.

"Fine. ' _Kind of_ ' enough to feel the need to be speaking with the authorities?" she spat out rhetorically. She shrugged and bit her lip expectantly. "Does this _kind of_ have to do with why your mother moved from LA to Connecticut when you were in high school?"

"N-no, this is-...That was different," Zuko shakily insisted with a flick of his head. Mai watched him swallow hard, and she couldn't quite determine if he was lying or honest - meaning it was some kind of area gray enough where it might as well be black.

When they'd met at the tail end of high school, Mai hadn't thought much of it when Zuko had told her that his parents had divorced. He'd said that life in California had been rough on them all, and that his mother wanted to move back to Connecticut, where she had been raised. While Mai couldn't deny that she was _eternally_ grateful for this move - she never would've met Zuko otherwise - the more she had garnered from passing conversations of Dear Old Daddy Kurosawa, the more she had begun to question the actual cause of the divorce. It had sounded less than pleasant.

When Ursa - Zuko and Azula's firm but nurturing mother - disappeared halfway through their college careers, it had caused quite a divide between Zuko and his sister, who had always been on less-than-stellar terms, anyway. The event practically tore them apart, as Azula had seen it as a time to return to Los Angeles, help their father cope with the loss, prepare to take the reigns of Kurosawa Industries...and Zuko let her talk him into this for a summer, in which he swiftly realized he was disinterested in associating with his father's company.

That summer had been rough and Mai and Zuko's relationship. They'd been a country apart, their long-distance talks always stressful and uncomfortable. Mai always _knew_ that Zuko was burdened with some heavy knowledge, but...some kind of assassin, or... _what_ _ever_ this guy was? That had never been something she'd considered _her_ Zuko to be connected with. For nearly two years, she'd been casting a blind eye to this familial conflict, telling herself that Zuko was leaving it behind, keeping it at bay, and now...this. People she _knew,_ personally, had gotten hurt because of this. It was the last straw for her.

"Of course," Mai pushed through Zuko's wall with dry, bitter sarcasm. "Your mother being _kidnapped_ and murdered is _totally_ unrelated to this serial killer you somehow _kind of_ know something about."

While Ursa's fate had never been officially discovered or documented her ex-husband, Ozai Kurosawa, had been imprisoned the prior autumn under allegations of fraud and violent activities. Zuko had already assumed that Ursa's disappearance was Ozai's fault, so his arrest only served as nails on the coffin. Ozai was dead to him, and he couldn't comprehend Azula's lingering sympathies for the man.

"Mai," Iroh pleaded with concern. "I can appreciate your suspicion, and I assure you that my nephew and I will explain this, but...-" he jerked his head over the back of the couch, to the slow trickle of early morning students heading upstairs for breakfast. "-...this is not the right place for such a discussion."

Mai, her eyes quivering on the verge of tears whose source she couldn't comprehend, clasped her palm over her mouth and hung her head down. She contained her jerk reaction to this ineffective conversation as best she could. She accepted that there _had_ to be a rational explanation, and that this _was_ an inappropriate time and place to talk about it. In an instant, she repressed these fears with the swiftness granted from years of doing so. She'd hidden every emotion under the sun during her upbringing, so this was practically instinctual. Logic insisted that everything would be OK.

"All right," she agreed with a slight nod. "But _promise_ me - Zuko, _promise_ -" Her fingers still locked over his, she squeezed. "-that you're not going to leave this hanging."

Zuko swallowed again, that big lumpy gulp Mai recognized, and he nodded.

"Of course. This week," came his hasty assurance. "Before the weekend's over. I promise. You, me, Iroh...we'll all talk this out." Zuko leaned over, his hand reaching around Mai's back, and pulled her into a kiss.

"OK," Mai acknowledged with some relief.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Zuko. And I'm worried."

"I know. It's not what it looks like, I swear."

Zuko's amber eyes stared at Mai's with hope and vulnerability, and she smiled weakly, scratching her fingers through his neatly combed hair. Her smile widened as she watched him fuss as he always did, flattening his hair back in order.

"I believe you," she told him quietly, as Iroh pushed himself up from the couch with his elder groan.

She _had_ to believe Zuko. They had to be telling the truth, that there was an explanation. Nothing else was acceptable.

* * *

["So are we just making ourselves dinner again tonight, or...-?"]

"I should be home by supper time, Jinora," Pema replied to her daughter. "I'll make something when I get there. But there's some leftover casserole in the fridge if you guys get peckish before then."

["Yea, all right..."] The girl on the other line sounded dissatisfied. With how the week was going, Pema wasn't surprised.

"And your father says he should be showing up tomorrow," she pointed out.

["Mm...That's what he said _yesterday._ And the day _before_ that..."]

"Yea...I know, Dear. I'm sorry. But he'll be here for your birthday this weekend."

["Mm..."]

"Uh, speaking of...I...got those books you asked for."

["Huh?"]

"For your birthday present."

["Oh."] A layer of confusion underneath Jinora's intrigued tone.

"They're, umm...tucked away in my closet - they're wrapped, should be easy to spot. You can open them today, if you want."

["Y-yea...OK, but...how come you're letting me open my present early?"]

"You're...almost sixteen, dear. And you've been really helping out lately, so...I just thought it'd be nice to treat you a bit early, I suppose."

["Mm-hm. OK. Well...thanks, Mom."] Some warmth and gratitude. It was becoming increasingly hard for Pema to extract that from her daughter, but she savored it every time.

"Just make sure your brother stays out of the fridge today, I can't-"  
[ _Brrrrrinnnng!_ ]  
["Oh, um...That's the bell, I should get to class now."]

"All right, Dear. I love you. Have a good day."

["Love you, too."]

Pema tucked her phone away, exiting her minivan and heading into the hospital. Within minutes, she was on the hospital floor, ready to get to work. She was quickly directed to her patients from the night before, and their room was full of guests - the three college kids from the night before. She was greeted by a middle-aged man with rough, dark hair and weary eyes. She could guess who he was immediately by his facial structure and skin tone, and she reached out her hand to him.

"Ah, you must be...-" She double-checked her clipboard with her other hand. "-...Mister 'Keh-suck?'"

The man laughed through his nose and shook her hand with his wrinkled, stony fingers.

"It's 'Kay-sook,' actually, but yes. I'm Katara's father."

"Nice to meet you, Sir," Pema clearly recited her routine. "I'm Dr. Rabten."

Hakoda was a bit surprised. The woman looked distinctly Caucasian for having such an eastern-sounding last name. Then again, he'd noticed that a _lot_ of this town, especially the college itself, seemed to be very eastern in its background. Kind of peculiar for some place in the middle of Pennsylvania, when he thought on it. In either case, the woman was quite likely married to someone from the area with a name like that. She was probably just as intrigued by his uncommon nationality as he was by her name, anyway.

"Thank you for looking after these two." Hakoda glanced through the open doorway to the awkwardly quiet red-head standing in his line of sight. She glanced up at him curiously. "I understand you stayed late to make sure everything was OK. I'm surprised you're here so early."

Pema shrugged with humility, shaking her head slightly.

"It's part of the job," she gently dismissed the praise. "I'm just relieved the injuries weren't as severe as they seemed at first."

"Would you mind running me through the details?"

"Of course." Pema lifted her clipboard up before elaborating on the situation.

"What's goin' on out there?" asked Sokka, calling Jane's attention away from the discussion just outside.

"Huh?" Jane twisted her head back to her friend, who was sitting in a chair inbetween Aang and Katara's hospital beds. "Oh, erm...The Doc's talkin' with your dad."

"That's really sweet of your old man," Toph pointed out from another chair by the window, beside Aang. "Coming all this way so fast? He's pretty awesome."

"Yea," Katara hoarsely groaned out, her face groggy. She had stitches tying together skin at the top left of her forehead, around her hairline. "Our dad is...really good like that..."

Sokka smiled and reached his hand up to Katara's side, squeezing her hand tenderly, taking care not to unalign the tube connected to her arm.

"He sure is," he agreed.

Katara sighed audibly with some relief as she lay on her back, eyes unfocused on the ceiling. She turned her head to the right to look over at Aang, but she couldn't get a look at him from her current angle.

"Is he-...? Is Aang...still OK?" she mumbled out sleepily.

"Mmfgh?" was the sound that escaped Aang's mouth. Jane, standing at the foot of his bed, watched Aang's eyebrows lift with curiosity, his eyes closed. He seemed pretty exhausted - no surprise. Aang wasn't wearing a shirt, bandages wrapped around his abdomen, his blanket pulled down to his waist to allow space for his body.

"He's fine, Kat," Jane assured her with a weak smile, trying to keep her raspy voice pleasant but her eyes locked on Aang. It was somehow easier to see Aang in this condition than it was Katara. Maybe because Aang had known what he was getting himself into, or...maybe because she didn't feel the same way about him...? Either way, it was just...easier. Besides, Sokka was giving Katara his attention.

"That's good," Katara breathed out, nodding to herself.

Hakoda walked inside, his hands in his jean pockets. He slowly worked his way to the left side of Katara's bed and leaned down, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"How's my girl doing?" he asked calmly, his eyes holding back tears. While it was difficult for Jane to see Katara with a wounded head in a hospital bed, the discomfort didn't compare to Hakoda's. It was a two-fold kind of pain: seeing his daughter in this situation, but the sight of her also fixating his mind on his wife the night she passed, years ago.

"Mm fine," Katara hummed, relaxed at the warmth of her father's hand against her cheek. She reached up and grasped at his palm.

Jane felt jealousy stirring in her insides as she witnessed this - Katara clasping her brother and father's hands both at once. She would never be able to have that. She squashed this envy, berating her own selfishness internally before casting her eye to Toph, who looked a bit bored and disinterested, herself. With her hands tucked in her back pockets awkwardly, Jane shuffled over to Toph, and leaned against the windowsill at her side.

"They're taking good care of you?" Hakoda asked Katara softly.

She smiled sleepily and nodded.

"Mmm..."

"You're comfortable? You're not in any pain, are you? Is there anything I can get you?"

Katara giggled weakly, her eyes half closed.

"Mm fine, Daddy. It's good. Mm OK..."

Hakoda face flashed with some mild embarrassment intertwined around relief.

"This'll be quite the entry for that journal, won't it?"

Katara's face quivered with some shame and she whimpered slightly.

"Nooo," came her gentle groan. "The...Dad, it was-...The journal got burned..."

"Oh..." Hakoda's lips curved down a smidgen. "That's too bad," he said simply.

Katara puffed out a sob, eyes squinted shut.

"I lost it...I _lost_ it...It's gone..."

Sokka and Hakoda exchanged sympathetic smirks, both amused by her reaction in the way one might be over a child crying over spilled milk.

"It's OK, Sis," Sokka insisted, rubbing his thumb over her wrist.

"We can replace that book," Hakoda agreed, bending his head over to look her straight in the eyes. "But _you_ can't be replaced."

Katara nodded, water build up at the bases of her eyes. She pulled her hand from her father's briefly in order to wipe the dampness onto her sleeve in a sluggish manner before accepting his grip again.

"Sooooo...How's your back?" Toph muttered to Aang.

" _Yea,_ man, is-...H-how bad is it?" Jane asked, recalling how nasty it had looked the night prior.

"They said it... _something_..." said Aang with a yawn. "Meh. 'S gonna scar or-...No. Yea, that was it."

"Ah," Jane replied, eyes wide at his relaxation about the topic.

"Damn," Toph mumbled. "Well, if it makes ya feel any better...You still look fine to _me_."

"Heh..." Aang lifted his eyelids enough to observe Toph's grin staring blankly through the air over him, and Jane's slightly entertained smirk.

Hakoda's presence had moved around the room and he now stood over Aang.

"You know, Aang, the police and staff here are speaking pretty highly of what you did last night."

"Oh..." Aang shrugged sheepishly. "That's...That's cool, I guess."

"Fucking _bad-ass_ , is what it is," Jane encouraged.

"The doctor told me that there's some people that have been trying to speak with you two," Hakoda explained. "Some press, the police...But she hasn't let them because, well...She wants to know if you two are OK with that."

"I don't...really _want_ to do that," Aang winced, a bit guilty at even turning down the prospect.

"No, I...I don't, either," Katara agreed. "We didn't-...Aang didn't even see anything, but...-"  
"Ha, anything but... _fire_ ," Aang chuckled to himself, his eyes opening as he spoke, but sliding back closed when he was done.  
"Hee. Right, exactly. And...Korra got a better look at the man that...attacked us." Katara swallowed the built saliva in her throat. "She already said last night she'd talk with people..."

"Mm," Hakoda nodded. "Yes, your cousin seemed _all_ too eager to talk to people on her way out, from what I heard. Hm. Anyway, that's fine. I understand your situation, and as much as I want to see whoever did this be brought to justice, I think Korra's help is enough. And I don't want to make you uncomfortable. _Either_ of you."

Aang laughed through his nose and pushed his eyes open when Hakoda's solid palm grasped around his bicep.

"By the way, I haven't given you a proper 'thank you' yet. Brave, foolish...I don't care what anyone calls it. You saved my daughter, _and_ my niece. That's all that matters to me. As far as I'm concerned, you're already a part of this family." He let go and gave a solid but easy pat before withdrawing his hand. "Don't forget that. I know I sure won't forget what you've done for us. So... _thank you._ "

Aang, his face bashfully flushed, bobbed his head down in acknowledgment.

"Yea, you were...fuckin' _incredible_ ," Jane added, in awe as she recalled his exit from the flames.

"You were the _man,_ Twinkle-Toes. Just...like...don't _ever_ do anything that crazy _ever_ _never ever_ again."

"I'm gonna...thank you with _sooooo_...many kisses," Katara announced, rubbing her eyes. "Once they let me outta this bed."

"Yea, just give me enough time to leave the _room_ before ya do that," Sokka chuckled, getting up and looking over Aang's head beside his father, whom he slapped on the back. "Seriously, Aang, like...I don't even...-" Sokka tossed his arms. "I'm not allowed to ever question your macho-ness, like... _ever._ I hereby grant you permission to hold me to that."

"Do we get to _hit you_ anytime you do?" Toph gleefully threw out a rule.

"Err... _Aang_ does," Sokka replied with a sneaky glare at the girl, who looked all too eager.

"Aw," Toph pouted with a small frown.

"But...No, for _real_ ," Sokka insisted more solemnly. "What you did was...awesome. You saved my sister."

" _And_ your cousin," Hakoda added.

" _Pff,_ don't remind me," Sokka joked, nudging Hakoda with his elbow. "Thanks, Aang. I'm in your debt, Brother." He stuck out his enclosed hand for a fist bump, which Aang lazily reciprocated. Sokka noogied Aang's head with the edges of his knuckles. During this gesture, there was a loud gurgling that erupted from the center of the room.

"What the hell was _that_?" Toph asked, surprised.

"Oh..." Hakoda rubbed his abdomen. "That was _me_ ," he explained.

"Sounds like we have a problem, and _bacon_ is the solution," Sokka proclaimed.

 _"_ Haha! You may be right," admitted Hakoda. "Katara, Aang...Do you mind if I take these guys out for breakfast? Give you both some time to rest?"

"Shhhuuurrre."  
"Mmm."

"All right, then. Let's head out."

"Ohhhh, Sokka, wait," Aang called out, before anyone had time to stir. "Can you, uhh-...Could you stop by the dorm and...get my DS?"

"Eh?" Sokka did a double take.

"My DS," Aang repeated. "With Mario Kart?"

" _Ohhhh_ ," Sokka nodded. "Yea, sure thing, Bud. I can bet it gets boring in here."

"Heh..." Aang shrugged.

"That-...Yea, that reminds me. Jane?"

As the group began to shuffle across the room, Jane gripping Toph's hand for guidance, they paused at the foot of Katara's bed.

"What's up?" Jane eagerly asked, happy to help.

"Would you mind...bringing me a book? Maybe two?"

"No problem. Which, uhh...ones?"

"Anything," Katara answered with a smile. "Anything from the shelf over my...-" She swallowed drearily. "-...over the desk. Just not a textbook. _Hee._ Obviously..."

"Ha. Obviously," Jane grinned, her heart warm at the moment in which they both smiled at each other from this exchange. It was replaced by guilt as Katara coughed before releasing a shaky sigh.

The Kesuk men headed out of the room.

"We'll be back soon!"  
"See you in a bit, guys!"

"Umm...Can...Can _I_ do anything for you guys?" Toph wondered, scratching her earlobe.

"Mm-mm," Aang peacefully shook his head.

"I think we're OK, Toph."

"Right. 'Kay." Toph felt her arm tugged forward, slightly unnaturally, by Jane's seeming eagerness to leave. "Whhhheee'll catch ya guys later, then!" Toph called out as she was whisked away.

"Byeeeee."  
"Later..."

* * *

\- Thursday, March 24th, 2011 -

["May-May fone."]  
["Haha, no, Thomas, that's the computer."]  
["Ffffone talk. Hiiiii May-May! Hiiii!"]

"Heheh..." Mai chuckled at her young sibling's efforts to wave at the screen, his eyesight off due to his lack of understanding that the camera was up above the screen. " _Hi,_ Tom-Tom!" She looked directly at her own camera and waved brightly, widening her eyes in a manner unnatural for her.

Her brother gasped and giggled, batting himself in the face with amusement.

["May-May! _Silly! Silly!_ "]

Mai stuck her tongue out sideways and curved her eyeballs up with wrists wrenched up like a zombie. Another toddler snicker storm ensued.

[" _May-_ May!"]  
" _Tom-_ Tom!"

["All right, Buddy, you can talk with your sister in a minute. Mommy and Mai were still talking."]

["'Kayyyy..."]

Mai watched her sibling scamper off screen and start making monkey noises.

"Errr...Wow," she muttered dryly. "Sounds like he's a real handful today."

[" _Every_ day,"] her mother sighed. ["Now, then. Where were we?"]

"Oh, erm...-" Mai's inside squirmed and she held back a grimace - once again, that practice keeping expressions in check was to her benefit. "It was just, you know...the stuff with the restaurant burning down, and...-" Mai shrugged. She had originally intended to mention Zuko and Iroh's suspicious reactions, but...here in the moment, she was opting against that.

[" _Goodness,_ that's right,"] her mother interjected her concern. ["That friend of yours, you said he was sent to the hospital?"]

"Yea..." More upset stomach - Mai hadn't taken the time to go visit Aang and Katara yet. Should she? Or not...? Would it be awkward or...-?

["Is he all right?"]

"Oh, it was-...Yea, him and his girlfriend, they made it out OK, but...-"  
["Certainly not _OK_ OK, or else they wouldn't be in the hospital."]

"Uhh...Yea, that's true. I mean, the doctor says they'll be just fine, nothing serious."

["Gracious. That's a relief. That boy's such a sweet lad, it'd be a shame for anything to happen to him."]

Mai smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Her mother always seemed to feel so very involved despite her lack of knowledge on things. But it sure beat her father's stern, no-nonsense attitude. Mai's mother used to take on a similar tone, but once Mai had left for college and her mother had birthed another child, the stern attitude had seemed to melt away. Mai was a bit envious of Tom-Tom in that way: like he would get to grow up with Mom 2.0. Maybe he'd be a happier kid than she had been...

["And Zuko? How's that poor young man doing in all of this?"] Her mom knew full well of Zuko's dedication and involvement in the situation.

"Oh, he...isn't doing so well," Mai confessed. "But...he's got me around," she declared calmly with a dedicated nod. "We'll get by."

["You two always seem to."]

"Yea," she agreed. A rare spark of bright warmth flickered over her face as she thought on her history with Zuko, and all of the hardships they'd worked through together.

"Hey, Mai?" Ty-Lee's voice intruded from behind. "Oh, ehhh...Sorry to interrupt," she said quickly and with a peppy shrug. "Just heading down to the snack desk. You want me to get you anything?"

"Hm. Um...H-hold up a sec, Mom."

["You're fine, Mai!"]  
[" _Eeeeek. Eeeek. Ook-ook-raawwwwrrr._ "]  
["That's not a monkey sound, Tom-Tom."]

Mai fished for a couple single dollar bills from her duct-tape wallet and passed them to her roommate.

"Would you mind picking me up-?"  
"An apple juice and a Mars Bar, right?"

"Heh..." Mai stared up at Ty-Lee's seemingly air-headed smile with some surprise.

"How'd you guess?" Mai didn't always get the same thing when they snacks at the desk.

" _Because,_ silly goof, you're stressed," Ty-Lee stated with ease. "You always get apple juice at mealtimes when you have bad days, and you always get Mars Bars for snacks after you've had a fight with Zuko."

That gradually turning knot in Mai's insides was rotated a full 360 degrees, her eyes snapping open wide with embarrassment as her lips hung slightly open. She hadn't told Ty-Lee about her little spat with Zuko earlier that day, as he hadn't been answering his phone or spending any time with her since the morning before when they'd watched the newscast and had breakfast together. How did Ty-Lee know about that?

"Me and Zuko didn't have a fight, though," Mai lied through her teeth to Ty-Lee with a simple shrug. Ty-Lee raised an eyebrow at her roommate, glanced at the computer on her desk, and nodded simply. In that exchange, it was communicated without a word that Ty-Lee's suspicion of an argument was confirmed, and Mai's desire to keep this unknown to her mother was understood.

"Oh," Ty innocently spoke out. "Sorry, I just assumed, from...-"

"No, it's fine. Here." Mai stuck out her handful of money, and Ty-Lee accepted it.

"'Kay. Be back in a jiffy."

"Yea, all right." Mai took a deep, stiff breath as her friend left.

["What was that about?"]

"Just...Ty-Lee being... _her_ , heh." Mai shook her head and flicked her fingers. "You know how she can get kind of weird some times. Zuko and I haven't been talking like usual - he's so busy doing damage control with this whole mess, you know? - and she probably just figured it was because we were fighting, but...we're fine."

["Oh, good. Well, at least she _does_ seem to know what's up _some_ times."]

"Wait...Huh?"

["The way she knew about your eating habits."]

"Uh...Oh."

["I remember when you were all in high school and they'd come to visit she'd always remind me when I'd go to make dinner what kinds of food Azula was allergic to, or...-"] She shrugged. ["Just lots of little silly things like that."]

"Mm." Mai shrugged. "Yea, she...sure is odd like that."

[" _Ook ook ook. **May-May I monssirrr**_ **RARRR!** "] Mai's brother had invaded the camera space, flashing a snotty nose close to the screen with angry eyes and a mouth still sticky with peanut peanut butter.

Mai spit a laugh through her teeth, covering her face with her hand.

[" _Nooo!_ "] Tom-Tom growled with irritation. ["Monssirr, May-May! Skehwee! MONSSIIRR!"]

"Oh, er, _oh, no!_ Watch out, Mommy! It's a _monster!_ "

Down the hall, Ty-Lee was flicking through her smartphone.

[From: Godzula]  
[I just don't understand why he insists on blaming me. I've told him in as many ways as I can fathom possible that this had nothing to do with me. He is utterly infuriating.]  
[Sent: 8:24pm]

Ty-Lee still wasn't aware of the details concerning what Azula was talking about. Azula had been venting today, but...very indirectly, avoiding any actual explanations. Ty-Lee had figured out from Mai that Zuko was upset over the UR and that he somehow felt Azula was connected - the specifics, however, were still shrouded, which was really concerning. Ty-Lee's imagination wanted to run rampant with crazy conspiracy theories.

[Reply]  
[To: Godzula]  
[gosh zula that stinx.  sorry. hughughug. zukos really tired n scared u no? this stuff w/UR must be makin him freak out. omg it freaks ME OUT too! but i believe u.]  
[Sent: 8:25pm]

When she approached the snack desk, she noticed it was oddly devoid of its cashier. Figured that they were on a restroom break, Ty-Lee continued to exchange texts.

[From: Godzula]  
[At least someone can see how reasonable I'm being here. I'm investigating this on my end and keeping things from getting too out of hand. What more does he expect from me? Nothing is good enough for him. Like mother, like son.]  
[Sent: 8:26pm]

_Grrrr, what are you investigating, Azula? What's going on? You never tell me what's really going on, like I'm some stupid baby._

[Reply]  
[To: Godzula]  
[ya but..like no offense zula but nothings ever good enuugh for u either. must run in ur family. just saying.]  
[Sent: 8:26]

[From: Godzula]  
[I suppose you're right, Tylee. Perhaps it'd be prudent to try and show him my perspective on this.]  
[Sent: 8:27]

[Reply]  
[To: Godzula]  
[no um. zula. i think its bettr to just leave him alone 4 now he is rlly grouchy lately.]  
[Sent: 8:27pm]

[From: Godzula]  
[Really? This has him THAT bent out of shape? How pathetic. How typical. Always dissenting over that which he can't control. Perhaps if he was here doing his family duty like I am we wouldn't be in this mess.]  
[Sent: 8:27pm]

_What mess? What are you talking about? You never explain things to me!_

Ty-Lee sighed at her phone, groaning "A _zul_ aaaa," to herself in frustration. She scratched her head with contemplation as the student employee at the main lobby desk of the dorm showed up, apologizing for her brief absence. After purchasing her snacks, Ty-Lee continued the conversation, lingering in the empty lounge area for a few minutes. She tried to think of what to say. Azula had been telling her about the situation, but not really the details. It seemed like whatever it was, it was likely just some kind of misunderstanding between the two. That kind of thing had been an issue in the past.

[Reply]  
[To: Godzula]  
[i dunno zula. from wut you told me sounds liek its not your fault or his. no blaming. blaming = bad. bad bad. i no. u should go out for nce. trt urself nice. go to a club. bet w/ur $$ its easy peasy to find some hot guys. lololol. but srsly im here for ya. anything i can do?]  
[Sent: 8:29pm]

[From: Smexy sokka]  
[Thanks for asking! It went OK. They're doing a lot better today. Doc says they should be out really soon. Maybe even tomorrow. You should come with us when they get out! We could all go out and relax together!]  
[Sent: 8:30pm]

Ty-Lee grinned wide at her phone, running her hand across her cheek bashfully as she pondered how to reply. The last time Sokka had used that phrase with her - 'relax together' - it had lead to a pleasantly flirtastic evening on St. Patty's Day, full of drinking and hips touching and playful pushes and-...mweheheh.

[From: Godzula]  
[Oh, please, Tylee. You know that nonsense sickens me. No, there's nothing you can do right now. It's all a futile effort when it comes to my brother.]  
[Sent: 8:32pm]

Ugh, but Azula had to be such a stick in the mud. Why couldn't she lighten up a little? For being so apparently smart she could be totally clueless some times.

[Reply]  
[To: Godzula]  
[kk. i can always listen or talk if u need to talk. i dunno all what goes on but u can trust me. srsly tho u should just chill tonite.]  
[Sent: 8:33pm]

[Reply]  
[To: Smexy sokka]  
[thats like SO AWESOME that their ok. srsly. i was worried. thx for lettin me no! and YES YES YES we tly shuld get togethr! gimme deets man!]  
[Sent: 8:33pm]

If Mai and Zuko were going to have their weirdness and Azula was going to keep her at a distance than she'd just find attention elsewhere.

[From: Godzula]  
[Very well. You're right, I should relax. I'll simply retire to my study for the evening. Zuko can pacify himself with delusions of my masterminded, evil conspiracy plot. Good night.]  
[Sent: 8:33pm]

By the time Ty-Lee had returned to their bedroom, Mai was wrapping up her video chat. Good-byes were exchanged, and Ty-Lee gave Mai her juice, candy bar, and two quarters change before opening her bottled water and breaking into the granola bar she'd just acquired before plopping herself down on her bed, adjusting her long, braided ponytail and yawning up at her N' Sync poster - the one Zuko often chastised her for owning, to which she would counter by citing his childhood interest in Pokemon.

Ty-Lee found that thinking about 90's pop-culture was much less depressing than thinking about Azula, or Mai, or Zuko, and all of the drama clouding up what had once been a group of friends.

"How did you know that Zuko and I had a fight?" Mai asked after a few moments of quiet had passed. She carefully twisted off the cap to her bottle with a loud ' _Pop!_ '

Ty-Lee perked her shoulders up, pushing down the edges of her tight T-shirt as she squirmed in her bed, half a granola bar hanging from her lips.

"Mmm-mm," she 'I-dunno'd'. When she caught sight of her roommate's stone-dry stare, Ty-Lee rolled her eyes, biting off a second chunk of bar and swallowing as she sat up in her bed. "I could just tell, Mai. You've been acting weird, and you two didn't talk on the phone last night, _or_ today, and you complained about how busy he was, and-...It just made sense."

"Ah." Mai nodded simply, clicking her fingernail against the glass container in her hands.

"I could tell you were lying when I said it, though."

"Oh, sure," Mai sarcastically dismissed.

"No, really, I _could._ You were pretty good, I admit, but it was like you were _too_ steady. If you were being natural, your face would've done _something_ but it was like a statue."

"Hmph," Mai snorted, amused by this. Ty-Lee and her face-reading was a trend that wasn't going away.

"Besides, your eyes weren't quite focused, and you...-" Ty-Lee let her face-analysis drop. "Is everything OK?" She wondered sternly, eyes narrowed with doubt. "You can talk to me when stuff is wrong. I'm, like...your best friend. Right?"

"Uh, well...yea," Mai agreed, somewhat uneasy by Ty-Lee's tone. "It's...just that - honestly? I don't _know_ what's going on, Ty. I really don't. That's the whole point. Something about what happened at the UR has Zuko pissing himself, and...I can't do anything about it."

Ty-Lee's lips curved down.

"Yea, that...really stinks, Mai. Can... _I_ do anything?"

Mai shook her head and sipped some juice.

"No. Thanks, though. Zuko just needs to let me in. You know what I mean?"

Ty-Lee nodded begrudgingly, checking her cell phone - no new messages. She stared with some regret at the photo background, a picture of her and Sokka from the party a week back that she'd sloppily snapped herself. It had previously been a shot of her and Azula and Mai on one of the forest trails near campus. Azula had even been _smiling_ that sexy smile of hers. But looking at the picture was too difficult lately with how divided everyone was.

"Yea," Ty-Lee acknowledged Mai's statement after her moment of distraction, dropping her phone onto her stomach as she laid back down. "I think all those rules about keeping secrets is, like...a totally retarded thing with their whole family."

"Uh...What?"

"The Kurosawas, I mean. I'm beginning to think maybe it's time to start bending some of those rules, if people are gonna get hurt because of it."

Mai ran her fingers up her sideburn, pushing some hair strands over her ear carefully.

"Yea. I think you're right, Ty-Lee," she said with dark, serious tone.

"Wow, _really?_ " Ty-Lee squealed with excitement, clasping her hands up to her chest. "You said that all _cool_ and stuff, like I just had some, like...deep moment. Was that it? Like, like, like a...' _That's DEEP, man_ ' moment?"

Mai's solemn expression flat-lined into perplexation.

"...Y...Yea, Ty. That's-...Yea. Sure."

" _Sweeeeeeet~_ "

* * *

\- Friday, March 25th, 2011 -

"Um...Well, it was nice of Chong and Lily to come visit," Katara offered up a change of topic.

"Yea, it was," Aang agreed with an awkward nod. "Those two are... _different_ ," he laughed. "But it was good to see them."

"You think they miss you?" asked Katara.

"Nah," said Aang with a shrug. "Those two are free spirits, they just go with the flow, not much really gets to them, I don't think."

"Hm." Katara nodded. That was fair enough.

"Ha, I just remembered," said Aang with a smirk. "At least you won't have to worry about that essay for a little while longer.

"Ha! Yea, _right,_ Pakku's going to chew me out _so_ much," Katara sighed with humored apprehension. "'Oh, you almost _died?_ '" she mocked. "'So what? Where's that essay that was due today?' Pff."

"I'm pretty sure that as long as you have the right papers from the hospital about staying here, he has to cut you some slack," Aang pointed out, still sprawled on his bandaged up back. Katara was sitting in the chair beside him. She was pretty much prepared to go, it was just a matter of waiting for her brother to arrive to pick them up from the hospital this morning. She was planning on going to class, but Aang was going to take it easy until Monday at her stern insistence.

"I know," she conceded. "He's just so... _annoying_ sometimes."

"Well...Yea, I mean, he's getting ready to leave the school and everything, so maybe he's just decided it's easier to stop caring? I don't know..."

Katara did a double take at Aang's theory.

"Wait...What do you mean?"

"Huh?"

"About Pakku leaving."

"Oh, you know - retiring. I mean, he's old enough to retire now, and the school might need to make, like, budget cuts or something soon. If he retires then that's less trouble for everybody."

"How do you know about th-...Oh, was it Zuko?"

"Yea, I hear about things once in a while..."

"Mm." Katara nodded, pondering the situation. "So you heard Pakku's leaving for sure?"

"Yea, that's what I heard."

"Well...Where's he going to go?"

"I dunno. I'm sure he's got _some_ place in mind. Why?"

"No reason, it's just... _weird_ to think about him leaving work and...spending time with his family, or something. If he even has one...Heh. It's weird to think that he has a family in the first place, I guess."

"Ah..." Aang shrugged off the matter. He could appreciate Katara's humor, but the way she'd put it had hit close to home. She'd meant nothing by it, of course, so he would just let it slide here. Besides, he didn't really care one way or another - Pakku sounded like a tightwad, so all the power to him. He could retire and relax, and that was one less grumpy teacher Aang had to worry about potentially needing to deal with.

There was a bit of silence as Katara checked the clock on the wall. Almost 9am. Sokka would be here soon. Katara scanned the room for something to pass the time, and her eyes fell on Aang's Nintendo DS, sitting by the remnants of his breakfast on the small, wheeled table beside his bed. She scooped it up and stared at its white, scuffed up surface.

"Hey, Hun...Why don't you play more Mario Kart while we're waiting for Sokka?"

"Huh?" Aang pushed himself up with his elbows, carefully sitting up straight. Katara leaned over, kissing his forehead cautiously before handing the device to him.

"I liked watching you play it yesterday. You're really good."

"Pff." Aang raised his brow at her. "It's just Mario Kart..."

" _Just Mario Kart,_ he says..." Katara smirked, running her finger over Aang's earlobe.

"Why don't... _you_ play?" Aang meekly suggested, passing the handheld back to her. He wasn't up for playing it, she noticed, but Mario Kart had become like an odd, endearing activity for them. "Give you more practice, haha." Aang's sly look sold her, and she booted the device up.

"Me? Needing practice? No way," she facetiously replied as she waited for the game to start itself up. From his position on the bed, Aang reached his hands around her waist. She had been able to change into shorts and a t-shirt that Sokka had dropped off the night prior, though Aang was still garbed in a patient gown. With a snug grip around her stomach, he rested his head on her shoulder and watched her play.

\+ http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=VDBpQVhCMb8 +

"Love you," he said quietly, pressing his cheek into her shoulder.

"Love you, too," she replied, shrugging her shoulder up and touching his head with her own.

**~You be my Princess, and I'll be your Toad; I'll follow behind you on Rainbow Road~**

Aang rubbed his palms against the skin underneath her shirt.

**~Protect you from red shells wherever we go, I promise~**

Even though she was here, and safe...he was still a bit shaken. He couldn't lose her. **  
**

**~No one will touch us if we pick up a star~**

The sensation of their locked lips.

**~And if you spin out, you can ride in my kart~**

Discouragement relieved by comfort.

**~When we slide together, we generate sparks~**

Fingers laced together...

**~In our wheels and our hearts~**

...forming a fabric of safety.

**~And the finish line~**

[ **1st** ]

**~Is just around the bend~**

"Hey, good job."

**~I'll pause this game~**

"Thanks. I've been getting better, huh?"

**~So our love will never end; Let's go again~**

Between races, Katara twisted her head around to kiss Aang's forehead.

**~The blue shell is coming, so I'll go ahead~**

Running through flames to rescue her.

**~If you hang behind, it will hit me instead~**

Flaming wood puncturing his head.

**~But never look back, 'cause I'm down but not dead; I'll catch up to you~**

Pushing it off. Picking her up. Carrying her safety.

**~Don't worry about Bowser or DK~**

Katara fusses about her stitches.

**~Just eat this glowing mushroom, and they'll all fade away~**

Aang assures her of her beauty, regardless. He kisses her head in return.

**~And the finish line is just around the bend~**

"You need to start playing as Mario now instead of Toad."

"What? Why?"

**~I'll pause this game so our love will never end~**

"Ha. Isn't it obvious?"

Katara paused the game, administering a kiss to Aang's cheek.

**~The finish line is just around the bend~**

"You're not just my Penguin anymore, Aang."

**~I'll pause this game so our love will never end~**

"You're my _hero_ now, too."

**~Let's go again~**

Aang's face went red.

**~To the Mushroom Cup~**

Kind words over the past year.

**~And the Flower Cup~**

Tender gestures shared over that time.

**~And the Star Cup~**

Aang kissing her off-guard that night.

**~And the Reverse Cup~**

Katara finally reciprocating the kiss.

And now, in this hospital, Katara's game becomes gradually distracted more and more by Aang's warm presence.

She eventually sets the device down, spinning round and hugging him gently, careful not to hurt his back.

**~Walu-walu-walu-walu-wah~**

Eskimo kiss.

**~Walu-walu-walu-walu-Waluigi~**

"Freakin' **oogie**!"

They both flinched at Sokka's voice, skulls bumping together. A short giggle fit ensued, to which Sokka rolled his eyes, dropping a pair of jeans and a T-shirt at the foot of Aang's bed.

"OK, OK, you two. C'mon, now," he sighed to them with embellishment. "Get some pants on, Aang, we're checkin' you two outta here. Doc's already cleared you and all that, right?"

"Yea. Did you bring my hat?" Katara wondered.

"It's in the car," Sokka nodded. "But, uh...-" He gawked at the stitches along her hairline. "-...I-I don't think you should wear it for a little while..."

"What? But...it's the hat _you_ got for me, wouldn't you...-?"

"Kat, aren't stitches supposed to be left exposed to the air? Dry? And stuff?"

Katara frowned and her bottom lip pouted out. She crossed her arms stubbornly and glared at Sokka with puppy eyes while Aang pulled off his patient's robe and got into normal clothes.

"I'm not _stoppin'_ ya," Sokka defended. "I'm just saying...It's not good for you."

"And walking around with...with a _gash_ in my head _is?_ " She jutted an irritable index finger to her forehead.

" _Stoppit,_ " Sokka flatly scolded her. "You look _fine,_ don't be a drama queen."

"I look like Frankenstein," Katara whimpered, carefully touching the uneven formation of skin that had been tied together.

Her brother's dull eyes stared at her with a dry lack of sympathy.

"You're _alive_ ," he pointed out as Aang, now fully dressed, snuck behind her with a hug.

"And you're beautiful," Aang insisted, kissing her neck.

"And _his_ opinion is the only one you should care about," Sokka matter-of-factly dismissed Katara's self-conscious doubt, jabbing his finger at Aang with a nod.

Katara smiled half-heartedly, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of Aang's lips pecking her neck another few times.

" _Uhhh_ kay-yea-all-right-that's-enough," spat out Sokka frantically, looking away. "Time to take that PDA elsewhere."

The three of them packed up and filed out, heading for the desk to finalize their check-out.

"So, um...-" Katara started, twirling a finger through her hair as she grinned stupidly. "I know I already gave you all those kisses, and all, like I said...-"  
"We can stop with the kissing and the talking about kissing," Sokka interrupted, a few steps ahead. He was ignored.  
"-...but I haven't actually _said_ it yet."

"Huh? Said what?"

Katara's eyes flickered with joy, half closed and complimented by her grateful smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Hero." She clamped her hand around his, swinging his arm to and fro a bit. Aang shrugged wildly at the passionate spark in her eyes and he squinted his own eyes in embarrassment. "I always knew you had a lot of courage in there," she poured out her admiration, sliding her index. "I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for you."

Aang nodded, letting his eyes open - nope, she was still staring at him with that burning desire, and his nether were starting to tighten. He jammed a hand in his pocket and made a few awkward steps to align himself.

"I just...I, uh...-"  
"You just, you _uhhhh_ -" Katara spurt out in mischief. "-...are _amazing,_ that's what."

"You are, too, Katara."

"Well, I've got no excuse _not_ to be if I'm going to keep you happy, right?"

"Yea, yea," grunted Sokka, wriggling his wrist behind him. "You love each other. I get it."

"Also a big fan of the ' _being alive_ ' part, Sokka," Katara added with some enthusiastic snark. "Which you won't be, if you rain on my PDA parade."

Leaning against the desk, waiting for the woman behind to get things in order, Sokka rotated around, facing his two friends. Katara and Aang looked groggy and tired, but their eyes sparked with electricity. They had almost _died_ , Aang's back had been ripped open, as had Katara's head. Yet they rolled onward and upward, hands latched together, seemingly unfazed. Like they could take on the world together.

Sokka scratched at his goatee and nodded contemplatively.

"Carry on, then, sister. Let the... _PDA parade_ mosey along."


	82. Both

\- Saturday, March 26th, 2011 -

_Schllrrrppp._

_Ssfffffffhh._

_Schllrrrppp._

_rrrRRRRRRRrrrmmmm..._

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. The three of them were lined up, side by side, on the wide stone steps of the concrete porch. Some empty cans and bottles rested behind them, with a few cigarette butts stamped out at the base of the stairs.

Bolin took another sip of his beer.

Mako took another drag of his cigarette.

Korra, only able to work through one or the other at a time, finished off her third beer with her right arm - her left was still in a sling, having had its shoulder dislocated earlier that week. Being thrown through a table could've broken something, so she considered herself not lucky but too tough to have had it worse.

Another car drifted by, which they all watched with eyes glazed over.

Korra skillfully pulled her box of cigarettes from her leather jacket's interior pocket, slipped one between her lips, and put the box back. She spit the nicotine-filled stick to her right side.

"Wanna gimme another light, Mako?"

Without a word, her level-headed roommate retrieved his lighter and ignited it onto her cigarette. Korra sucked it a deep puff and held it briefly before slowly letting the toxic vapor seep out of her nostrils.

"So, uhh...Korra," Bolin piped up, tapping his fingers with boredom against his silver Sapporo can. "How much longer 'til your appointment?"

Korra sighed out the remnant of smoke and shrugged up her right shoulder.

"I don't know," she replied grumpily. "An hour or so. It's at four."

"Ah. Yea..." Bolin double checked his cell phone. "Yup. 'Bout an hour, then. What are you going in for?"

"Eh." Frowning, Korra set her cigarette on top of an empty can and reached her hand up to her head, scratching an itch behind her ear. Her hair was hung down loose and tangled, since she was too lazy to bother with its upkeep these past few days. She was beginning to feel a little self-conscious about it, living with two guys who kept their hair styled all of the time. "The doctor wants to check to make sure the shoulder's healing, and she's been worried I might have a concussion or something, soooo...lookin' at my head, too, I _guess._ "

"So, when are you thinkin' you'll need a ride back?" Mako wondered. Bolin had work in the evening, leaving it to Mako to come scoop Korra up from the hospital.

"Uh, I'm not totally sure," confessed Korra, picking her cigarette back up and breathing it in. After puffing gray wisps out of her mouth, she clarified. "The freakin' cops keep bothering me about shit, and I promised my cousin I'd go in so she and her boyfriend wouldn't have to, and so...bleh. They're taking me in for a while after my hospital visit to interview me and shit."

A solemn "Huh" was Bolin's response to this. Mako sighed audibly and puffed out his own smoke.

"So, are you holdin' up all right?" Bolin asked.

"Wh-?" Korra felt a bit flustered by the concern in his voice. "O-of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be? Fff. You know me well enough by now to know I'm solid as a rock, right?"

"No, _yea,_ of course," came Bolin's hasty easing. "It's just, I meant, like...with your _job_ situation, and...umm...I-I was just...you know, _curious_ , is all...if you'd heard back on that."

" _Yeeaaaa_ ," Korra groaned out, bobbing her head down with discouragement. "Honestly, I, uh...have _no_ fuckin' idea what's gonna happen with that. President Bumi says they'll find a place for me, but...I-I dunno, Mako, weren't you saying the college is on the ropes with money lately?"

Mako shrugged half-heartedly, not giving a verbal response - because he knew the situation wasn't pretty and didn't want to get her discouraged.

"Nah, they'll... _they'll_ work something out," Bolin insisted, trying to collect confidence to bestow upon his friend. "No way they'd just leave you out to dry - I mean, after moving _all_ the way out here? They'll find a place for you. For sure."

"I just don't know why they would. Really, what makes _me_ worth holding onto. You really think they'll give me a new job?" Korra lamented, cocking her head to the side.

" _Yea,_ I do," assured Bolin, nudging up his can to her before slurping some beer down. He looked her straight in the eyes - those iced, sky blue eyes were looking...oddly vulnerable in that moment. "You've got grits, brawn, determination, _and_...-" _Beauty._ "-...they will... _totally_ find something. You watch."

"Thanks, Bo," Korra mumbled with a weak smile. "Yea, you're right," she reaffirmed - Bolin's delivery of confidence seemed to have arrived. "They _must_ think I'm an asset, right? Why else would they have had me move _all_ the way down here?"

"That's the spirit, Gal."

"You know, for now," Mako poked in, "I think it'd be a good idea to just relax, take care of your injuries..."

Korra smirked at him, raising an eyebrow.

" _Oh._ Is Mr. Cool all worried about me now?"

Mako's eyes dulled a bit at her assertion and he shrugged.

"I'm _worried_ about you not being able to _work_ and pay the bills, yea."

Bolin frowned at his brother's stern words, while Korra's eyes narrowed slyly at what she perceived to be concern for her well-being.

"I've already got April paid off," Korra smoothly reminded.

"I _know_ that, but if you don't start-"  
"And by the time April's over, May will be paid off."

Mako snorted out a small cloud.

"Yea, she'll be fine, Bro," insisted Bolin, giving Korra a pat the left side of her back.

"Shoulder, _shoulder_!" Korra winced, her body tightening.

"Sorry!" spat out Bolin sheepishly.

" _Anyway_ ," huffed Mako, dropping his burnt-out cigarette to the sidewalk at the stairs' base and crushing it beneath his shoe. "For now, I think you should deal with what's right in front of you - your injuries, and helping the police get to the bottom of this."

"Yes _Sir,_ Team Captain, _Sir_ ," Korra bellowed with a mocking two-finger salute.

_Skritcha-skritch-scratch._

_"Yarp! Yar-yarrp!"  
_

Korra craned her neck toward the house's entrance, from which her puppy was clawing at the door.

"Man, we've gotta get her a post or something so she can hang out on the lawn," Bolin mused, slowly rising to his feet. "Poor girl."

"Hm." Korra nodded. "I think you're right...Oh, uhhh...Thanks," she called to her friend, who entered the house and began getting the dog's collar ready.

"Anything for the lovely ladies of this house," Bolin called back, rubbing his palm all over Naga's face with a grin. _  
_

"When did _I_ become a 'lovely' lady?" Korra spurted out.

"Are you...Wait, are you serious?" Bolin gasped, flabbergasted as he walked Naga out. She pranced around, licking at Korra's arms and causing the injured woman to flinch, nudging her pet away for fear of her arm being puppy-tackled.

"Bo, take...-" Mako groaned as the panting young dog jumped over to him next. He stubbornly pushed Naga off of his lap by the snout. "-...take her out onto the lawn, already!"

"All right, all _right_ ," Bolin eased the dog down the steps and to the grass. "But Korra, come _on_ , are you kiddin' me? You are _totally_ lovely."

"Ha! I don't think so, pal." Amused, Korra lifted her eyebrow at Bolin's goofy smile of encouragement.

"Bo _lin_!" Mako scolded. "Watch the _dog_."

Bolin flinched with fright as he realized that Naga was trying to run off into the street, and he tugged on the leash, reigning her in.

The family ferret scurried outside, jumping right up onto Mako's shoulders and sniffing at his neck.

"Argh, you left the _door_ open," he sighed, running his hand along Pabu's back.

"Sorry 'bout that!"

Korra hummed out a laugh at the stout young man standing in the lawn, running circles around her puppy. This kind of behavior was stupid and childish when her cousin Sokka acted this way, but when Bolin did...well, it still _was_ those things, but also oddly attractive.

"Watch it!" Mako cried out as Pabu bounded into lap and dashed down into the lawn the play tag. While his eyes tracked the animal with some worry, Korra's remained fixed on his stern profile. Hm. Mr. Serious wasn't so bad, either.

Korra remembered a recent chat she'd had with said idiotic cousin, and how he was having trouble dealing with the hots for two different girls. Korra couldn't deny that she was having increasing trouble ignoring the same kind of issue she was developing, living with this two men.

* * *

"Woohoo! _Yeaaa_! Party-party!"

"Meelo, _no,_ you've had _quite_ enough!"

"But I'm _hungry,_ Dad!"

"I understand, and just as soon as your mother finishes work we're going to be going right to dinner."

"What's taking her so long? I don't get what's taking her long. She's late. Why is she late? We've been waiting here for like an **hour** it should not take this long to see one person why would it take this long I don't understand-"  
" _Ikki,_ it has has only been _five_ minutes…"

As Korra meandered around the crowd of mixed-race children, she was confused by their loud and irritable nature, feeling some sympathy for the father - a stern-faced, rigid-jawed man in his early 50's with a sharp chin beard. Having been told to wait here in the lounge area to be escorted by a police officer, Korra was doing her best to oblige. In the corner of the room sat a brunette teen, her hair hugging her cheeks. She kind of reminded Korra of Aang, in an odd way - her features, the way her focused gaze seemed to stare right through the pages of paper before her. It was plain from her looks that she was related to the other kids, and by proxy a daughter of the poor man trying to calm the younger two down. She had gentle but focused eyes, and a thin frame.

Korra was almost bewildered by how calm and unassuming the teenager was, drowning herself in a book in spite of the chaos before her. Korra eyeballed the cover - black background, white and red flower, a title reading { **new moon** }.

Korra recognized the title only based on what she'd heard of a movie series popular with the demographic this girl was squarely representing. Korra was about ready to shrug it off and sit a wall away when the book was lowered.

"Oh," came the girl in observation, looking up at Korra from her chair. "Is my mom done seeing you?"

"Err…Uh…" _What's she talking about?_

"The Doctor - she's my mom," the girl explained with a smirk, closing her book and setting it neatly in her lap. "She's told me about you - I read about what happened in the paper."

The paper? As in, _newspaper_? A teenage girl, in this day and age, who read the _newspaper_? Korra was baffled.

Oh, and now she was sticking out her _hand?_ Weird. Korra shook it, perplexed.

"I'm Jinora. Sorry about what happened," she said, tossing a glance to Korra's arm sling.

"Tsh. Nah, no problem," insisted Korra, squinting dismissively at her own injury. "I'll be fine. Especially with your mother looking after me."

"Yea, she's pretty good like that," Jinora declared with a grin.

"Uhh…" Korra nodded awkwardly. Was this conversation going somewhere, or…-?

"My mom said the others are all right, too."

"Oh. Er, y-yea. They're doing much better."

"That's good."

"Yup…"

"Jinora, Dear," bellowed the deep voice of the father. "We're getting ready to leave in a moment."

"All right, Father," the girl sighed, the light of curiosity in her eyes immediately dimming.

In looking up at the man, Korra suddenly noticed the swift approach of that nasty woman - the one she'd had spoken to the _last_ time she was here at the hospital. The father's voice glowed with formal praise at her.

" _Lin,_ you are looking radiant as usual."

Unfazed by his compliment, she blew right past him.

"Cut the bullshit, Tenzin. I didn't come here to see _you_."

Tenzin, stroking his pointed beard thoughtfully, watched her stomp by, a calm, knowing look on his face.

"Chh, that police lady said a _swear_ ," snorted out the youngest child, scratching his oddly lumpy head.

"That's _right_ , Meelo, she certainly _did_ ," Tenzin observed aloud to his son, projecting to ensure that Lin overheard.

"Heheh. You're _b_ _ullshit_!" the young boy whispered sneakily to his sister.

" _Daaa-_ aaad!" Ikki whined, her lips pouting at her sibling. "Meelo just said-"  
"I heard him," Tenzin darkly put her at ease, glaring down at his sheepish boy. "And he'd _better_ not say it again, or he'll be grounded to his room while we have a party for your sister."

Meelo swallowed audibly, his fingers fidgeting together while Ikki wore a boastful smirk, flaunting her victory. At his young age, the prospect of missing out on birthday cake might as well have been a death sentence to Meelo.

"Crazy family you've got, kid," Korra mumbled, avoiding the piercing eyes of the woman in uniform as she drew near.

"Tell me something I _don't_ know," Jinora puffed out, tucking her book under her arm pit and getting up to join her family as the doctor, now out of her white coat, joined them.

"Is your business finished up here?"

Korra flinched at the icy voice of Chief Lin Jia, who was glowering at her, arms folded behind her back, her body clad in a gray uniform. Korra's eyes wandered across the polished badge on the woman's chest before regaining her bearings and nodded in reply.

" _Good_ ," Lin hissed. "Because I haven't got all day."

_Great. Another interview with Miss Personality…Why did I agree to this shit, again?_

"So this is the girl?" came the deep voice of Tenzin from behind Lin. Korra was startled by his sudden approach, and a quick glance across the way revealed Dr. Rabten was tending to the children.

"This isn't of your concern, Tenzin," Lin muttered darkly out of the corner of her mouth.

"With all due respect, Lin, I think that-"  
" _Chief Jia._ "

Tenzin's head cocked back for a moment and he sucked in air through his defined nose before snorting out a quick burst of air.

"I'm sure you and your little clubhouse are quite interested in this mess," Lin snarled under her breath at him, humor in her tone. "But don't you forget that this is _my_ business. Not yours."

"Lin," Tenzin extended his hand to Korra, who was bewildered and embarrassed by whatever was going on here. "This young woman isn't _connected_ with the-"  
"I'm _aware_ , and I intend to keep it that way. We don't need any _more_ of that fuckery around here - I'll bet it's the cause of this whole mess."

Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"I'm just making sure you're aware that she's done nothing to deserve this," he insisted.

Korra swallowed a lump in her throat. It went down like a pebble. The man's defense on her behalf was reminding her of the fight she'd instigated - and ended - in the recent past.

Lin's eyes narrowed at him as her scowl somehow intensified.

" _I_ will be the judge of that. Now, don't you have a _family_ to attend to?"

Tenzin peeled away from the police officer's piercing gaze to look at the perplexed woman gawking at them, her arm in a sling.

"Miss Kesuk," he greeted her, extending his right arm - she shook it, still dazed by whatever these two old farts were yammering about. "I'm Congressman Rabten."

"Uh…" She was at a loss. First of all, how did he know her name? And why did he seem to care about her in the first place?

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Y-yea, same…" Congressman? Like, government stuff?

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear of what transpired this week."

"Erm, n-no, it's…fine, I'll live. Besides, not _your_ fault." She noticed the sympathetic doubt in his sharp eyes. "Seriously," she chuckled. "No need to worry about me. I'm just…tryin' to help the cops here…-" She cleared her throat, that lump coming back up. "-…uh…ya know…take care of the guy that did this."

"Then I won't delay you any longer," said Tenzin with a nod. Standing up tall, he glanced across the two of them. "Ladies…Good day." And with that, he mysteriously vanished back to where he'd come from - his family.

Before any kind of relief could settle into Korra's gut, Chief Jia's stone-cold stare was right up in her face.

"You're in a whole mess of trouble, young lady," she seethed into Korra's ear.

_Nice to see you again, too…_

* * *

"No!" Korra huffed. "I'm _telling_ you, I only saw the guy twice - a couple days before it happened, and then the night of."

The police chief inspected the sketch that had been put together from Korra's description. An eye tattooed on his forehead? Someone eccentric like this shouldn't be so hard to track down...

"So what was it, then?" Lin snapped, dropping the sketch onto the table. "What did you do to provoke him?"

Korra's jaw was clenched in aggravation, and she gripped the coffee mug she'd been given tightly. The interview room was well lit but cold and empty. Or maybe it was an interrogation room. That's what it _felt_ like, which was pissing Korra the hell off, since she had been the victim here, obviously.

"Prov-? I didn't do _anything_ to _provoke_ this creep! I served him fucking hamburgers and steak, all right?"

"Mm." Lin's lips tightened. "And I'm sure you didn't 'provoke' those scooter-head numbskulls when you publicly pummeled them?"

There was that hard-to-swallow lump again. Go figure, the cops had found out about that.

"That's right," Lin jabbed with a belittling tone. "I know _all about_ your history with violence, young lady, and I've researched your _less_ than stellar record up in Toronto. This isn't exactly your first run-in with the police, _is_ it?" Korra's only reply was a stubborn glare. "You're lucky those idiots _deserved_ a beating, because that's the only reason I let that one slide - those fools are on my shit list, too, I assure you." Lin had circled the table and was hovering over Korra's back now. The woman bent over and growled into Korra's ear. "Let me be perfectly clear: this town may not be anything worth writing home about, but right now, it is _my_ town. And I will _not_ tolerate stunts like that here, _especially_ during such a volatile time."

"Huh...?"

"Now tell me," Lin pressed on. "Did you see him speak with anyone? Anyone at all? Either time he was there?"

"Uh, n-no...I mean, I don't think-"  
"I didn't ask what you _thought_ , I asked what you _saw._ "

Korra's teeth were grinding together, and she forced herself to take a drink of coffee if only to force her jaws open. Lin came back around to her side, staring down at her.

"Didn't _see_ him talk with anyone," Korra firmly stated, her lower lip poking out grumpily. "Come to think of it, he didn't talk _at all_."

"Was he a _mute_?"

"I don't know," Korra tossed tossed her arm, her back tightening from the slight jostle she'd caused to the opposing shoulder. "Might as _well_ be...And-and his _arm_...-" She grimaced with disgust, remembering the unsightly flesh.

"What about it?" Lin demanded.

"It was...I-I'm not sure, his right arm was just...really messed up bad. Like, it looked infected, or... _burned,_ or _some_ shit. It was... _bad_."

"Hmm..." Lin's fingers ran along her jawline in contemplation. "So when he approached you, he just...attacked? Unprovoked?"

"I already _told_ you this," Korra groaned, recalling going through this on her way out of the hospital that night. "He was in the bathroom while I was closing up. After I did, he came out, just walked right up to us, and _hit_ me - no fucking reason."

"What had you said to him?"

"Psh! _I_ don't-...Just...something like 'What do you need?' or whatever."

"Hm...If he'd wanted you dead, I'm sure you _would_ be right now..."

"What? He left me to _burn_ in-"  
"He knocked you out and left you on the floor. He overpowered you, but he _left_ you."

"He didn't _overpower_ me," Korra snapped, her ego scratched. "He...got the jump on me."

"He walked right up _to_ you," Lin flatly reminded her.

"Y-yea? Well, he fought _dirty._ And he ran away like a...a coward."

"You imbecile - let me state the perfectly obvious: a psychotic serial killer isn't going to play by our rules. He's going to make up his...-" Lin's eyes popped open for a fleeting open, and she snapped her fingers in realization. "We're done here," she announced boldy, her expression withering straight back to disinterest. "Get out of my sight," she commanded, to which Korra immediately acted, stumbling her way out. This nasty woman made Korra feel inadequate, weak, feeble...she couldn't stand it.

"If you can be of any more use to this investigation, you'll be hearing from us."

"Can't fuckin' _wait_ ," Korra grumbled under her breath.

"And young lady?" Lin's tone spilled out.

Korra flinched, on her way out of the door. She turned around begrudgingly.

Lin raised a fist to her face, her pinky and index extending. She gestured the fingers to her eyes, then flicked them out at Korra.

"I've got my _eye_ on you," she reminded.

Korra's expression contorted indignantly at this - what was she, some fucking criminal _herself,_ now? Nostrils flared and eyes wide, Korra mocked the police chief by repeating the gesture back at her before stomping out of the room, leaving Lin with disgusted, baffled look on face.

* * *

\- Sunday, March 27th, 2011 -

Sokka came in to see his roommate, eyes still aglow, gawking over the blue, shiny device in his hands. Aang had placed a pre-order down on the thing a couple of months back, and had been diligently saving up for it from even further back. Today was the day it had finally come out, and despite his rough week of recovery - perhaps _because_ of it - Aang had insisted on picking up his new Nintendo 3DS today, its launch day. Bandages still wound around his back underneath his shirt, he was sitting in a beanbag chair on the floor of their bedroom, mesmerized by the optical trickery on display.

Sokka could hear relaxing elevator music pouring from the speakers on Aang's electronic toy, and as he peeked over his friend's shoulder, he saw a character flying around on a hang glider, maneuvering over an island resort.

"Hey, Sokka," Aang greeted to his back, eyes glued to the screen.

"Still playin' that thing, huh?" Sokka noted plainly, pulling off his Appa's uniform hat and hanging it in his small closet.

"Yea, it's... _really cool_ ," Aang murmured as the game chimed his completing a task. "I love this flying game. The 3D effect just works _awesome_ 'cuz it's...so relaxing and smooth, you know?"

"Mm-hm..."

Sokka pulled off his shirt with a groan and tossed it into the pile of dirty laundry at the bottom of his closet - he'd take care of that tomorrow.

"How's the back holding up?" Sokka asked, scratching at his bare, hairy stomach. He frowned at it for a moment, pinching at its somewhat flabby stature.

"I'm doing OK," Aang said with a nod, still transfixed on his virtual hang gliding. Everyone had kept asking him that question, every day. He was taking his medications - as much as he didn't like that idea, he understood the necessity - and he had gone back to have it looked at and all...so he didn't get why everyone kept babying him about it. He kept his irritation in check, though, and was keeping his mind off of his injury, his mural's destruction, the United Republic a pile of rubble, and everything else - that was part of what the stereoscopic display in front of him was there for.

"My Sis isn't still wearing that silly fedora around, is she?" Sokka wondered, grabbing a stick of deodorant and rubbing it under his furry armpits.

" _Ha,_ actually, she has been," Aang chuckled, finally pausing his game and closing the system into sleep mode. He looked up at his roommate with a grin. "That plaid hat actually looks _so cute_ on her, is the scary thing."

"Jesus," Sokka sighed facetiously, changing from a pair of jeans to shorts. "You _would_ find that weird-ass looking thing attractive, wouldn't you?"

Aang scratched his hand across his head sheepishly.

"She can wear it crooked - so it's not covering up her stitches - but still look, like...stylish. And stuff." Aang had initially needed to remind Katara that she couldn't hide her stitches because covering them up was unhealthy and wouldn't give them room to breathe and heal properly. Katara was frustrated with this prospect, but after a couple of days of constant encouragement from Aang, she eventually accepted the temporary change of appearance for what it was: temporary. Though Aang had hoped he had managed to convince her that even if it had been permanent, she was still beautiful and always would be.

"Heh, well, I honestly got it for her as kind of a joke, but _hey,_ if she actually wants to _wear_ it, I sure ain't stoppin' her..." This was a half lie from Sokka. He had secretly hoped she would wear it and had been a little disappointed since she hadn't been very much. Her tapping into an eccentric side made him feel like some of his silliness was rubbing off on his sister, and he liked that.

"Yea, she likes it," Aang insisted. "Said it's special because it came from you."

"She said that?"

"Yea."

"Heh." Sokka smiled, looking into the mirror that was perched atop their dresser and fussing with his hair. It was admittedly a bit of a mess, having been squished under a hat for the past few hours, but he didn't have time to do much with it.

Aang went back to playing his game for a couple of minutes while Sokka tidied up his 'wolf tail' and popped a couple Tic-Tac's. Before long, their dorm room door knocked.

"Come in," Sokka called from his chair.

Suki entered, dressed just as casually as Sokka was, wearing a jersey and baggy athletic shorts.

"You ready to put your rubber where your mouth is?" she taunted. Sokka's expression jolted into one of embarrassed shock, and Aang likewise did a double take. " _Errr_ -" Suki's face went pale as a ghost as she fumbled to clarify, her hands rubbing together nervously. "B-because we're playing _racquetball_! Racquetballs are made of rubber, and...-"

"The damage has already been done," Sokka smoothly picked on her, shaking his head slowly. "See, Aang? I told you, she's a pervert."

"I'm not a pervert," Suki grumbled with a slight pout, stuffing her hands into her pockets. " _You're_ a pervert..."

Aang stared at the two of them, raising a brow. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of their interaction.

"Uhhh..."

"We're just going to play some racquetball at the gym," Sokka assured him. "To settle a friendly bet," he added, casting an arrogant grin in Suki's direction.

"It won't be friendly by the time _I'm_ done," Suki teased with narrowed eyes and a toothy devil's grin.

"Challenge _accepted_ ," Sokka declared, rising up from his desk chair and dramatically pointing at him.

Before long, the two of them were clashing racquets to rubber, smacking a volatile blue ball across the walls of an enclosed court.

_Whap!_

"Ahhhh _hhhhhfff_ FFFFFF...-!" Sokka winced, clutching his arm, shooting a snarling expression at his opponent. "It's like you're _trying_ to hit me!" he suspiciously growled at her. This was the third time he'd been smacked by the racquetball. Suki wasn't playing nice, that was for sure.

"It _does_ seem that way, doesn't it?" Suki innocently agreed, playing dumb as she widened her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "You should wear your _goggles,_ Sokka, like I told you. Accidents _do_ happen..." She tapped her fingernail against the plastic goggles she was wearing.

"Rrrffmmfrzzlegrmmph." Sokka stomped over to the still rolling ball and plucked it from the ground. He bounced it angrily as he walked back, then handed it to Suki.

Sokka moved back as he let Suki prepare to serve. He found himself getting lured into gawking at her profile, something that was becoming more of a problem as the match went on.

"Fourteen to two," Suki announced the score before swiftly sending the ball into play. The rally lasted only three strikes, with Sokka barely cinching a win when he lucked out from hitting the ball into a corner, where it flat-lined and ended the play.

" _Yes_ ," he cheered, partially out of relief. "Finally, my turn..."

"That was _great_ , Sokka!" Suki complimented with encouragement, snagging the ball for him. "Good job!"

"Don't patronize me, woman!" Sokka seethed in jest, readying himself in the serving area. He bounced the ball a couple of times as Suki spun her racquet in her hand impatiently.

"Geez, Sokka, what's up with you today?" Suki chuckled as she stared at him grouchily bouncing the ball another couple times. "Lighten up, relax!"

"I _am_ relaxed!" Sokka huffed. "I am...so lightened up, I'm like...a light bulb."

Suki snorted out a laugh.

"Shut up!" Sokka whined.

"Stop being a sourpuss, then!" Suki eased him.

"I am _not_ being a sourpuss!" Sokka raged. "I am _calm,_ and _happy,_ and _joyful_!" He furiously whacked the rubber ball, which flew off at an angle, hitting a side wall, then the front wall, until colliding with his forehead. " _Ow!_ " he grunted, grasping his head in agony.

" _Pfff!_ " Suki had to smack her hand over her mouth to stop from laughing at his self-inflicted misfortune. She rushed to his side, and he immediately jabbed his index finger up at her.

"Sokka, are you all right? I _told_ you to-"  
"...Not...a _word_ ," he moaned, eyes squinted from pain.

Suki placed a hand on his shoulder and eased him to look up.

"Come on, stop being a baby. Let me see."

With a sigh, Sokka removed his fingers from his face and Suki carefully studied the red mark on his head.

"It's fine, you didn't hit yourself _too_ bad..."

"Ah, that's...good to know," Sokka mumbled. "I think I'm done, this game is stupid."

"Well, _sure,_ if you're _accident_ -prone," Suki picked, giving a slap on the back.

"Meh-meh- _meemeemee_ -mehhh," Sokka childishly mocked her intonation.

"Oh, _stop_ it," Suki giggled. "I didn't mean to hurt your _ego_ so much, tough-guy."

"Pheh." Sokka spit out air in a grump, stumbling over to the side wall and sitting himself down.

"You need me to kiss it and make it better?" Suki scoffed, rolling her eyes. Her expression flinched awkwardly when she'd realized the connotation of what she'd just said. "Er, I...-"

"Why, you _want_ to?" Sokka asked, unsure if he was intrigued, offended, or interested.

"Whhhh-..." Suki blinked down at him, her cheeks turning pink at his own slightly abashed puppy eyes of dejection. She cleared her throat, casting her gaze to the small window in the door to their enclosed court. "Uhh, m-maybe we should call it quits for today."

"Right," Sokka sighed. "You _would_ quit while you're ahead," he decided with irritable snark. Suki frowned at his remark, still avoiding his glare. "While I look like an idiot," Sokka added, to which Suki puffed in anger. "Without giving me a second chance," Sokka went on sharply. Suki rolled her eyes. A heavy pause. "I'm not talking about _racquetball,_ by the w-"  
" _Yea,_ I figured that one out, thanks!" Suki snapped at him, nearly tossing her racquet to the floor.

She took a deep breath, rolling her head back. She pressed her back to the wall beside Sokka and slid down next to him.

"Suki, what are we doing?" Sokka asked tiredly, staring at the floor. "Where is this? Where are we?"

"I...am _not_ sure," Suki admitted, gazing up at the ceiling.

"I just don't get what else you want from me," said Sokka. "I'm working hard on class, I'm picking up extra hours at work - that's where I just came _back_ from, by the way - I've send out _hella_ resumes to people, I've got that interview next month...And I'm even here trying to play _sports_ with you and stuff. I'm _trying_ here..."

"Yea, I know," Suki admitted. "I _have_ noticed, it's not like I haven't seen all that."

"Then what _gives_?" Sokka demanded, baffled. He shrugged up his arms at her and she shrugged back with uncertainty.

"I said I'm not _sure,_ Sokka," she insisted. "I mean...when I said we should take a break, I meant, like...a little longer than this..."

"But what's the point in dragging it out if things are better?"

"Sokka..." Suki bumped the back of her head against the wall. "I mean...I know we agreed that we'd leave it open to...try this again, but...it's too soon. We both need more time."

"So we _are_ still thinking about it, then."

" _Yes,_ that's what it _means_ when you say 'take a break,' instead of 'break _up_.'"

"OK, OK! Just...clarification. And all that. I guess I'm just confused, because lately, it seems like that...interest...is still there."

"Well...maybe because _yes,_ it is," Suki acknowledged. "I mean, we had a lot of fun on St. Patty's Day, and we've been hanging out again...And after what happened this week with...the fire...I guess it _did_ get me thinking that maybe I shouldn't be waiting around forever, because, well...you never know what could happen..."

"Y-yea..." Sokka swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry as crunching metal, shattering glass, and splashing blood washed over his mind. "You, uh...Yep." He coughed. "Ya never know."

"But for now, can we just...dial it back?" Suki requested. "Keep things... _normal?_ "

They both tried to mind-read each other through cautious glances.

"Yea, you're right," Sokka agreed. "Maybe we should stop trying to...spend time alone together for right now, then."

"Yea...That's...probably for the best. I don't think either of us are ready."

The two sat, side by side, in disgruntled silence. Sweaty skin and pheromones in the air weren't helping, which had them both questioning themselves as to whether or not emotions were actually talking, or hormones were.

"Well, ermm...I think it's safe to say you win," Sokka cut the silence.

"Huh? _Oh_! Ha..." Suki let her concerns drift off. "Of course, was there ever any question?"

"Miss Powderpuff Perfect." Sokka blew her a stubborn raspberry. "All right, well..." He grunted, pushing himself back up onto his feet. He tenderly touched his head, the red tint of skin fading back to its standard tone. "I owe _you_ a milkshake. _So._ " He watched Suki rise beside him. "How about you meet us all down at Appa's for dinner in a hour and I'll get you one? You haven't hung out much with the group lately."

"Sure, that sounds good."

Sheepish, uncertain smiles were traded.

"You uh...can take your goggles off, ya know," Sokka jibed. "You look pretty stupid."

Suki pushed the plastic gear up over her forehead, her eyebrows curved with amusement.

"You hit yourself in the face with a _ball_ and you're calling _me_ stupid?"

* * *

\- Monday, March 28th, 2011 -

" _Omigosh,_ totes! Like, _I_ do stuff like that, too!" Ty-Lee chirped with a merry giggle.

Jane found herself flinching at the vocabulary this air-head was using. 'Totes?' What did that even mean?

"Right? Isn't it so embarrassing?" Sokka sought acknowledgment from his peers.

"Sounds more like... _retarded_ to me," grunted Toph, to his right at the cafeteria table. She was practically glowering at her food with her empty eyes, stuffing forkfuls of spinach into her face. Aang, on her opposite side, was keen on how uncharacteristically quiet she was being, and was studying her mannerisms cautiously.

"Dead-Eyes has a point, Sokka," Jane chimed in from across the table, uncomfortable with her position between Katara and Ty-Lee. "Suki _told_ you to wear goggles. There's a fucking _sign_ -" She chuckled, raising up her hands. "-right on the doors, that reminds you to wear goggles. And you _still_ managed to hit yourself in the face."

"You'd think you'd at least be more _careful_ if you weren't going to wear them," Aang pointed out.

" _I_ think it's funny," Ty-Lee insisted, smiling at him brightly with a single giggle that made Toph want to hurl. Sokk shuffled a bit in his seat, smiling back as he dug into his leafy green meal of lettuce and vegetables.

"At least _someone_ finds him funny," Katara picked, eliciting a few light laughs - none from Jane, though. She just stared blankly down at her food while she finished it off. She'd be really quiet lately...And hadn't hung out with Katara - apart from the group - in some time. Katara knew something was off with her, but couldn't figure it out. She extended a hand to her friend's shoulder while Ty-Lee and Sokka continued rattling at each other. Jane froze up, giving a sideways glare. Katara retracted her touch, confused.

"You OK?" Katara asked in a hushed tone. Jane's eyes wandered to the still-healing stitches near Katara's hairline, something she'd told herself she'd stop doing but... _couldn't_.

"Eh," was her eked out reply, and she guzzled down the last of her milk. This reaction didn't help Katara's confusion. Before Katara could think of a way to react, Jane was already up and ready to head off. She offered a "Later, ya'll," before whisking herself away, Katara keenly watching her with concern.

When she turned back to her own food, however, she noticed she was about done herself. A cursory glance to her boyfriend's plate indicated he was already finished, and seemed oddly intent on what was going on with Sokka. Katara and Aang had discussed their worries about Sokka's behavior as of late, but Katara had decided she wasn't going to try butting in - not yet, at least. Sokka was in a weird place right now, and he deserved some space to feel things out. Er, not literally, of course.

"Hey. Hun?" Katara nudged him with her arm.

"Mm?" Aang blinked at her, taken out of his stoic staring.

"You ready to go?" Katara prodded, worming her hand around his own under the table. He smiled and rubbed a thumb against her wrist.

"Sure."

"OK." Katara raised herself up, their hands still loosely linked, and they each took their trays. "We're going to head off, too," said Katara, nodding to the group. She pinched the brim of the red and black plaid fedora she'd been wearing lately, and tipped it down toward her brother, who smiled.

"Are we still up for that movie tonight?" Aang asked Sokka, jabbing out as finger.

"Yea, if you're still up when I'm done with homework," said Sokka with a casual nod.

"Awesome. All right, later!"

Toph's fully stomach was getting queasy now that she was here, alone with... _these_ two. She let them idiotically flirt for a couple of minutes until her plate felt empty.

"Zuko makes her sound like this crazy person, but, like, she is _so_ gorgeous, and smart, and...just _really_ cool."

"Wait, you mean, Zuko's sister?"

"Exactly!"

"Hmph. Zuko _does_ make her sound a little insane..."

"No! She's not, she's...just...a little misunderstood. That's all."

"Damnit," Toph growled, pretending to be just realizing something and cutting into their conversation.

"Huh?"

"Argh, it's...-" Toph huffed, putting an intentional air of irritation on. "I forgot my cane back at my room, and...the girls already left..." _C'mon, MeatHead. Take the bait..._

"Oh no," Ty-Lee gasped. "Poor thing." _Shut the hell up, I wasn't talking to you!_

"Oh. No big," Sokka assured. "I can walk you back." _Yessss. Success._

"Aw, you're such a gentleman, Sokka!" _Rrrrrrrr..._

"Well, _ya_ know, just bein' _me_ and all..." _Stop being a show-off and walk with me, damnit._

"I, uh...kinda need to get going, like... _now_?" Toph sharply pointed out. "Please?" she added.

"Oh, right. Sure." Sokka blinked at Ty-Lee with hesitation. "Uhhh...-" She shook her head gently and eased a flick of her wrist at him, encouraging him to leave.

"It's fine," Ty-Lee chirped. "I need to go to the library to work on a paper, anyway."

"Ah, OK." Sokka got up, stacking Toph's dirty plates over his own. He was a bit startled by how Toph's grasping hand found its way to his elbow. She looped her arm around his, and once they were linked, placed her opposing hand around his bicep for extra support, limited Sokka's movement.

"Erm, could-...?" He shrugged her off lightly, and she loosened her grip. "I'm trying to clean up the dishes here, and so...-"

"Yea," Toph muttered, letting her hands drop into her pockets with a sheepish downward twitch her lips. _Real smooth there, Toph._

She found herself craving the touch of that arm like a drug she'd just been given a taste of. Biting dry skin from her bottom lip impatiently, she tapped her sandaled foot as she waited for Sokka's acknowledgement.

"There we go. 'Kay, we're good now."

Refraining from acting too eagerly, Toph re-linked their limbs, latching her palm through his elbow and resting it on his bare forearm. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt today, mm.

"I'll see you later, Ty," Sokka announced his leave with an almost sarcastically suave tone.

"Ciao~!" _Ullghh._

Toph's hands felt at home as she was led toward the dish disposal, the waves of student chatter and clattering of silverware soothing like rain in the comfort of Sokka's arm. Through the movement, her single hand held tight, especially as she felt other brushing up against her, squirming their way through the busy hall. The familiar buzz of the dishwashing conveyer belt was relaxing, signaling their exit from this place.

She heard Sokka greet the busboy working at the belt tonight, and off they went.

It was taking most of her willpower to prevent herself from running her fingers across the hairs on his fleshy forearm. Sokka wasn't a muscle-house, but he had some girth to him all the same. _  
_

As they whisked themselves down the stairs and into the Avatar Center Lounge, Sokka found himself wishing it was a different girl's arm he was attached to instead one of out handicapped obligation.

By the time they exited the ACC, Toph finally worked up the nerve to initiate conversation.

"Soooo. Heh..."

"Huh?"

"Oh, erm, nah, it's...-" She smirked, hoping he was looking at her. "It's just...amusing, watching you play your little game lately."

Sokka indeed looked after she said this, off-put by her cocky tone and the

"Seriously. It's cute," she remarked with a dry, belittling tone. Sokka frowned at this as they walked across the sidewalk, the trees and grass around them rustling in the early evening breeze.

"What are you talking about?" Sokka asked with a sigh, almost unsure if he wanted to know. With Toph, whatever it was, it would mean him getting made out to be an idiot.

Toph blew at her bangs, which had gotten caught in her eyelashes from the wind. Failing that, she pushed them aside with her free hand.

"Ya know, your umm... _Vagitating._ "

Sokka's eyes bulged wide with confusion.

"Huh?"

"Like cock-teasing, only the other way around," Toph casually explained. "Vagitating. The game you're playing with those girls."

"Psh, yea, clever, there, Toph. So _you're_ on my case now, too?" huffed Sokka, rolling his eyes. If she wasn't blind, he'd push her right off of him, but he was feeling gentlemanly today, so he let her hold on. Toph was intrigued by that remark, since it made it sound like someone _else_ had brought this up already. A bit relieving, at any rate - made her feel less crazy if someone _else_ was noticing it.

"Uh, _yea,_ I'm on your damn case, ya dunderhead. What's your problem lately? It's like all you're doing is flirting with every woman in sight." _But just ignore me, ya know. Not like I count as a woman, apparently._

"Guh. Listen, I'm just...keeping my options open."

" _Oh!_ I see!" Toph quipped with some offense. She could feel her face flinching with some rage that she worked hard to suppress. "So we-I mean, just women, in general - we're _options_ to pick from. Like a buffet."

" _No,_ you're not...like, _buffet_ options. Ugh."

 _Huh, so I'm not even a fucking_ option _here, is that it? Hmph..._

"What do you care, anyway?" Sokka grumbled. "Just because you can't get over your baggage doesn't mean I can't have-"  
"Ex _cuse_ me?" _  
_

"You and your little temper tantrums with everyone else? You're jealous of everyone hooking up."

"Uhhh, yea ** _NO_**. First of all, Meat-Stack, no, I'm not." _Bleh. Maybe a little. Whatever._ "Second? Not talking about me. Talking about _you_ here. And _thirdly,_ did-"  
"Yep, classic Toph, just dodge the topic once it's about you." Sokka jaws gnashed together at how Toph's fingernails dug into his skin.  
"And **_thirdly_ -**" she pushed, "-did it occur to you that I'm saying this 'cuz I'm worried about you?"

Sokka stared at Toph, her face pointed to her side but not quite toward him. Her brows hung heavy with determination, but the expression beneath flashed with worry. He didn't really know what to say, so instead opted to be silent and await and explanation.

"Ya know, I _am_ your friend, Sokka, not just some bitch who loves to make you feel like the bastard you are."

An almost involuntary laugh spilled from Sokka's mouth, and Toph let one of her own tumble beside it.

"Fff...Like, I'm serious. And I _know_ I'm not the only one, I've heard _everyone else_ mention it - the way you've been acting lately. Why are you pulling this shit? Aren't you above that?"

"Above _what_? I'm just having a good time. I'm just being open and honest with my single status."

" _Ha!_ That's a load of a bullshit. You're _acting_."

"Acting?"

"Yea. Playing two fuckin' parts in the same retarded ass play. Jekyl and Hyde stupidity."

"Uhhh...?"

"Ugh, you don't even _get_ it, do you? And I thought _I_ was the blind one around here..."

"Could you cut the sarcasm and cut to the chase?" Sokka huffed, coming to a stop. "We're here."

"Oh..." Toph stood in place for a moment.

"You need help getting to your room?" Sokka begrudgingly offered. Again, with the gentle-manliness. Why?

"Er, n-nah, I've got it," Toph assured. An awkward pause followed, until Sokka wiggled his arm, which Toph had been loyally glued to this whole time. Oh, hey, her other hand had found its way onto his bicep at some point. Yikes. So much for being self-aware... "Sorry," she said, clearing her throat and dipping her hands into her pockets. "Um...But...So... _Ah,_ right. Do you seriously not see what you're doing, or is Snoozles' brain asleep on the job?" She rattled her knuckle on her forehead, though she was directing the gesture at thin air.

Sokka breathed out a very audible sigh, crossing his arms and leaning back against the brick wall beside the doorway to Aqua House.

"You act like a fuckin' _moron_ around that...that air-head, and then you're trying to act all responsible and serious because...what? You still wanna get back with Suki? 'Cuz _that_ sounds smart."

Sokka scratched at his nose, his eyes lingering around Toph's t-shirt. Her chest jiggled with each flustered motion she made. Pff, she wasn't wearing a bra, he could tell. A loose little glass canon, she was.

"Well? Is that your fuckin' plan?" Toph demanded, eyes blazing with anger. Jesus. Still staring at her boobs, and the slight protrusions he noticed when he looked hard enough. That's how Sokka _knew_ he was horny and hormonal today: he was even gawking at _Toph_ at this point. Purr-ritt-ee sad. His Thunder-Down-Under hadn't seen any lightning in a while now, and it was painfully clear because it seemed like every girl was more attractive than usual lately. "'Cuz it's _dumb,_ " was Toph's irritable conclusion.

"Wh-!... _No!_ I...Wait, I mean, _yes?_ Maybe. I don't know!" _What were we talking about, again?_

" _Obviously_ not. That's my damned point, retard! Maybe stop thinking with your _other_ head for a change. The one _above_ your waist?" _Heh, if only you knew..._

"You know what? This isn't even your business, so-"  
"Like _hell_ it isn't! It's all our business. You're our friend, and you're being stupid, so just... _stop_." _What do you know? Not exactly Miss Sensitivity._

"Because I'll hurt some girl's feelings?" Sokka sarcastically expressed his apathy about such a thing.

" _Fuck_ no!" Toph snarled. "I don't give a crap! The problem is that I-...Us, the whole group, we have to put up with you pretending to be two different people, instead of just being _you_."

Sokka gave that notion some thought. He hadn't really considered this until now. Toph had a good point. Well, two points actually, when he looked at her shirt. Heh. Was she cold, or something? It _was_ a little windy today...

"I mean, yea," Toph prattled on, completely oblivious to Sokka's periodic ogling, masking her own heated attraction with anger. "You _do_ have two sides and all that, but...I don't know about the other guys, but _I_ like it better when you're just... _all_ of you at the same time, instead of this...on-off crap."

Sokka's throat tightened when Toph said this, thoughts of Yue fogging up his mind like misty memories.

" _All_ of me, huh?" he mused. His scratched his unshaven jaw with uncertainty, and Toph relished the satisfying _'scrifff-scrifff_ ' sound this produced.

" _Yes,_ you gotta stop puttin' on a fucking show and just be _Sokka,_ or you're never gonna be happy."

"Mm...Guess I'll have to think on that."

"Using that _brain_ of yours?" Toph teased, cautiously stepping in the direction of Sokka's voice. "Good idea, Plan Guy." She thrust out her arm in a flash to land a punch at Sokka, but missed him by inches, bumping her knuckles on the brick wall of the building. "Fffffff...-!" She seethed. " _Agh_..."

Sokka, who hadn't moved at all in some time, watched her flicking pain from her hand. Jiggle, jiggle. Pff.

"I'll try using my brain if you try not to _hurt_ yourself so much," he slyly offered.

"Deal," grunted Toph, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Damnit to hell, she just had horrible luck with that lately.

"So that's your pep-talk for me, eh? 'Don't be a dick, be yourself?'"

"You got it."

"Your logic is flawed, Dead-Eyes."

"Yea?"

"Being me _means_ being a dick!" Sokka cackled before administering a wet willy in Toph's ear. She squealed with discomfort and shock, flailing her hands out to push him away. She opted to swing a blind punch, but whiffed air as his footsteps bounded away. "Peace _out!_ " he taunted, jogging down the sidewalk.

" _Asshole!_ " she roared back. As she felt her way forward to the Aqua House's main double door entrance, she realized that butterflies were swirling around her stomach. Her heart was thumping, skin tingling, hands shaking, knees weak...It was horrible and wonderful at once, and she hadn't felt this way in a long time. Maybe he'd gotten a bit of a hint?

* * *

\- Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 -

"I don't _care_ what _you_ think, we _sounded_ like shit."

Jane paused in midstep, having walked right into some kind of argument between Suki and Toph within Toph and Katara's room, though Katara was absent - probably at the boy's place tonight. Jane honestly didn't mind.

"I'm telling you, we sounded _fine_."

"No. We didn't," Toph coldly insisted. "Your damned percussion was overpowering me."

"We did a thorough sound check, Toph," Suki reminded, struggling to maintain her cool while Toph sparked with irritation. "The guy said it was _fine_."

"Ha. You say it like what he said _matters._ That idiot didn't know what he was talking about."

"Why are we even discussing this? We got our money, everything went fine, people loved it."

Jane lifted a finger and opened her mouth, but Toph spouted out before she could speak.

"You think I'm doing this for _money_? Listen, Powderpuff. I'm doing this to get my _name_ out there."

"Well... _I'm_ doing this to help you with that, too - and people loved you, by the way. But I'm _also_ doing this so you actually have your own _income,_ so that _Sokka_ _'s_ not always having to spot you whenever you guys do anything together!"

"Oh, whatever, what's that even matter to _you,_ anyway?"

"I don't like the idea of watching my friends get _used_ by someone they trust."

" _What?_ 'Used?' Really? You _just_ tried telling me I'm _using_ my friends?"

Having not even been noticed, Jane rolled her eyes. _Ugh. Not in the mood for more of_ this. _Bye._ She looped back out of the room, entering her own room instead while she poked at her phone. She'd just come back from a late night biology lab she had to make up due to missing one from the week prior - the late-night hospital visit from last week and ensured she'd overslept the next day and missed the morning lab. The bickering of the two musicians behind her faded away as she closed her own door, since they hadn't the decency to close theirs. What was the deal with those two lately, anyway? Toph was doing a lot better lately, but for whatever reason, Suki seemed to be getting on her nerves. It didn't make much sense to Jane - then again, when did Toph _ever_ make much sense?

"Hello, Jane."

Jane nearly had a heart attack at the sound of Ginnie's voice. It was so unexpected, since the girl was hardly ever there.

" _Jesus,_ Jin," Jane sighed out a laugh, still clutching at her chest. "Scared me halfway to hell," she laughed, making her way to her desk.

"Oh, haha, sorry, didn't mean to startled you," said Jin, leaning over her own desk. She seemed to be studying a page of the newspaper, making marks on it with her pencil. Jane's curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned over the mousy girl's shoulder to observe. It was a grid with a bunch of numbers doodled on it.

"Whatcha doin' there?" Jane casually pondered. It was rare for the two of them to be present in the room at the same time, and that prodding 'social butterfly' Katara had seemed to plant in her gut was determined to try fluttering about tonight.

"O-oh, it's...just the Sudoku puzzle," Jin mumbled, staring at Jane with wide eyes. She pinched at her glasses, moving them upward. She went back to work on it, leaving Jane perplexed.

"Looks...eh... _fun_...?"

Just looked like a crossword puzzle gone wrong to her. At least that explained why each issue of the paper had an empty grid on the back page - she'd never cared to figure out what that was about on the rare occasion she even _read_ the White Lotus. She found it odd that Jin would be working out the puzzle to the paper, seeing as how she _wrote_ for the paper.

"Soooo...Everything going all right with you...?" Jane mumbled, her scratchy voice mustering up some kind of empathy as best it could.

"Mm-hm," Jin hummed complacently. "Really stressed lately. _Super_ stressed," she rectified her statement. "This past week has been _nuts_."

"Heh...I hear ya," said Jane, amused, dropping her backpack off her shoulders and setting herself down on her bed. She felt confident that whatever Jin was stressed about, people nearly dying in a burning building had _not_ been one of them.

As Jane re-examined her phone, she continued scrolling through the day's messages.

[From: Katara]  
[We haven't really hung out in a while. I'll be with the boys tonight if you want to stop by, we can go somewhere together after.  ]  
[Sent: 5:32pm]  
[Deleting...] - [Deleted]

[From: Aang]  
[yea, things are ok. it's gona be fine trust me. you should come over tonight after lab. bring toph when she's back from her show.]  
[Sent: 6:02pm]  
[Deleting...] - [Deleted]

[From: John boy]  
[Meet with him tomorrow. Trust me.]  
[Sent: 6:21pm]

Jane did a double take at this one. Wait, what? What did it m...-? Oh, wait up...

[From: The Duke]  
[Smellerbee. Tomorrow night. Pizza Hut. Eight o clock. Come alone. Friendly. If you can't show, call ASAP.]  
[Sent: 7:00pm]

Jane could feel her hands getting clammy as she re-read the text message twice, then went back to Johnny's. Couldn't be a coincidence. She dropped the phone into her lap. Fuck. Fuckity-shit-ass-fuck-rarrr. This had to do with the UR. She _knew_ it did, because the Rough Rhinos were involved, _obviously,_ which meant _ahhhhhh_ no-no-no _-_ _no-no- **NO**_ , she knew it. She _knew_ this kind of shit would happen. She couldn't take this. No way.

"You all right?" Jin wondered, gawking at her roommate with a befuddled look. Jane suddenly realized she'd pounded her fist against her calf, and the other hand's was dug into her forehead, having scraped against her eyebrow a few times.

"Nnn...No, not really," Jane confessed. Nope. Wasn't gonna happen. No way she was going back to all of that shit, because-actually, what in the hell? How could the Freedom Fighters even still be...a _thing_? After what happened, Jane couldn't decipher any possible way they could still be operational. They hadn't seen any activity in months, by her count. Hm.

Johnny's words - such a precious commodity to her, especially these days with him so far way - tore at her.

[Trust me.]

He wanted her to trust him. Maybe if she did...whatever it was Johnny wanted tonight...it would earn her more respect in his eyes, maybe he'd be more prone to talking with her a bit? A phone call, even? Christ, just a single phone call with him would help so much. But even apart from that, this was _Johnny._ He was always working to keep her out of harm's way, to the point of even breaking _up_ with her just to push her back when things with the Rhinos had gotten dicey. Technically speaking, he'd taken a bullet for her in that regard - well, _literally_ speaking.

She couldn't really know how he still felt about her entirely, especially given how...complicated...things had become concerning her feelings for Katara - which he had figured out and consequently put her at ease about. But she was still here, waiting for... _something_...to happen with him. She didn't know what. She still felt things for him, too, she'd accepted that. And she'd accepted that Katara was _not_ interested in her - not in that way - and was trying to move on.

But seeing Katara hurt and vulnerable lately, it was triggering difficult reactions within Jane.

"You need anything?" Jin probed politely, still disconcerted by Jane's sudden outburst.

"I'm fine, just...something came up," Jane eased, fumbling with her phone.

[Reply]  
[To: John boy]  
[what's going on? what happened?]  
[Sent: 8:34pm]

Creasing her eyebrow, she stared at her phone, awaiting a reply. Fortunately, it came as soon as she'd hoped. Unfortunately, it only increased her doubt.

[From: John boy]  
[What we've been waiting for.]  
[Sent: 8:35pm]


	83. Bitterness

\- Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 -

[8:02pm]

She'd arrived on time.

After stuffing her cell phone back into her maroon hoodie's front pocket, Jane remained in her car for a couple of minutes, distraught by this entire situation. She squirmed uncomfortably, and the silence was broken by the gentle squeaking of her car seat while she leaned over, peering through her window. She couldn't see it from here. Gah. With an irritable huff, she dragged herself out of her worn-down car. She had to open the door, close the lock, get out, _then_ close it, because it only had manual locks. The process was second-nature by now, but in that particular instance it frustrated. With her hands stuffed into her hoodie pockets, she hopped onto the sidewalk beside the Pizza Hut. Her eyes scanned straight ahead, across the street. It was dim, the sun having already set recently, but Jane was able to get a glimpse across the distance.

That building, across the street, was now merely the remnants of rubble. The leftovers of a crime scene. An ex-building. And to think, a year ago, her entire life revolved around that very place. It reminded her of home, back in Texas. Jamie's life. The dull-eyed, confused child with an uncertain future, an uncertain gender...but at least a child with parents.

For a few hazy moments, the woman standing in awe on the sidewalk became that shocked, angry child, glaring at the black, dark remains of the life that once was, before that fateful accident.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

At least Jane had been given the gratuity to leave this life _before_ it had been claimed by fire. And at least she hadn't lost _more_ people this time. The coincidence was sickening and left a horrible pit in her stomach. Death by such a means was cruel enough when it was an accident. To think some sick, twisted fuck _intended_ to bring this onto people was just...infuriating to consider.

The sound of laughter spilling out from the heavy doors behind her jolted her from her stupor as a trio of adults exited the Pizza Hut behind her. She shrunk into her shoulders as they passed, pulling her hood over her head, then slunk inside. Rather than go through the awkward act of refusing a greeting, she simply strolled in with a casual, consistent pace, rapidly scanning tables and booths. Ah, there he was. In the back corner, by himself, sat a short, slightly pudgy blond boy.

Jane bit her lip, swallowed hard, and briefly scratched her eyebrow with her thumb as she approached, sitting herself down after a quick wave. She wasn't much in the mood for formalities tonight.

"Hey, Smellerbee," greeted Douglas, slightly surprised at how she'd snuck up on him. She had a knack for doing that when she set herself to it.

"Jane," corrected the red-head, her voice carrying impatience. Douglas frowned at this.

"I don't need to speak with _Jane_ ," the boy curtly informed. "This is a Freedom Fighter meeting."

Jane's eyes rolled up and around in their sockets.

"All right, Duke, whatever, I just-"  
"It's _The_ Duke!"

Deadpan olive eyes clashed with frazzled blue for a moment of tension before Douglas clarified.

"Right now, _The Duke_ needs to speak with _Smellerbee_."

Jane sucked in a deep breath through her nostrils before sighing it out, closing her eyes as she braced herself for whatever potential bullshit awaited.

"Fine...What the hell's this all about? I thought the Freedom Fighters were disbanded."

The Duke cleared his throat, re-alligning the collar on his polo shirt.

"We were," he explained, dropping his voice in solemnity. Jane, her nose wrinkled up in a scowl, dropped an elbow to the table and rested her chin on the hand it supported. "After the gun fight back in the winter, everything fell apart. Some of the Freedom Fighters were arrested, the Treetop was closed down, and Longshot - and a few others - got expelled." The Duke glanced around, as if taking caution that no one overheard him. Both adjacent booths were empty, however, as it wasn't the busiest of nights. "The thing is, Longshot got let off easy in exchange for some info the FBI wanted."

_Mm-hm. Yea. That's, uh, real cute, kid. Trying to be all serious and shit._

"You don't believe me," he concluded with a smirk. "He said you wouldn't believe it...That you always have trouble trusting him."

A needle pricked at Jane's heart when The Duke said this. 'He?'

"What? Johnny?"

"Longshot, yes," The Duke grumpily acknowledged. Christ, what was his deal with the names? Was this fucking elementary school?

"What in the _hell_ would the _FBI_ want with him?" Jane dubiously wondered. She was caught off guard when a stocky young man with a single curl of hair draped over his forehead approached. He was an employee at the restaurant, and was delivering a pizza. Jane recognized him - one of Korra's housemates. He was singing to himself as he approached.

"~Ah-dah-dah-duhduh-dah-doo~ and-a _here_ you are, my good Sirs." Bolin theatrically set down the pan of piping hot pizza on the table. Jane begrudgingly pushed up her hood, fussing her hair about in an attempt to assert her feminine identity. Bolin did a double take, eyes popping from their sockets, sputtering out words in a slurred rush. " _Wow_ did I say _Sirs_ because I meant 'Sir and **Miss'** and a very-" Jane was glowering up at him. "-aheheh charming Miss at that because freckles are _in_ this year my dear they most certainly are _mm-hmm_. Am I right or am I right, huh? Yea?"

"It's _me,_ ya...-" Jane caught herself from cursing at the guy, who had hardly met her, really. "-...dunderhead." Hm, stolen from Toph, from at least it was G-rated. He looked confused. "Me? Jane?" The Duke was practically piercing her with his aggravated glare from across the table for bringing attention to herself, but she ignored it. Bolin didn't seem to be following, but he cocked a narrow eye at her with some vague recognition. She tried to seal things. "I'm one of Korra's friends...?"

" _Oh-ho,_ Jane! Jane? _Jane._ Of course I know you Jane 'cuz I mean you're _Jane_ who forgets a pretty face like Jane's **not me** that's who!" Jesus, this guy was annoying the crap out of her.

"Is Korra doin' OK n' stuff?" Jane asked, trying to circumvent this guy's weirdness.

"Korra? She's A-OK, she's peachy-keen, she is _fine._ We've got her covered. She's in good hands. She is a _tough customer_." Bolin's fervent nodding slowed to a stop as his serious assurance withered away at the awkward silence. "Uhhh...I'll...tell her you said 'hello.'"

"Yea, uhh...Sure." grunted Jane. "Tell her we need to catch up when she's back on her feet." Bolin nodded rapidly at this. Jane was more off-put by this guy the longer he stood around. She tried reaching for a slice of pizza in an attempt to give her hands something to do.

" _Gyuhhh_ watch out, it's a bit, er...hot," Bolin sputtered. Jane had flinched at his initial yelp, but had quickly recovered, shooting him a dagger glance. "Ah, yes, **Miss** Jane, right. I see you've got it under control. That's great. No, that's really great, so I'll just...-" He wound his hands in a loop, pointing back to the kitchen area. "-...be on my way, then, and you folks have a good night."

Jane didn't even offer a farewell, and by the time he was gone and she'd bitten into the food he'd delivered, she had realized what flavor it was.

"Pineapple and ham...?"

"Longshot said it was your favorite."

"Oh..." Jane could feel her cheeks glow like embers for a moment as she chewed into it. He'd remembered that detail, and had gone to the trouble of specifying it like that? That was...pretty cool.

"Who was _that_ guy?"

"Mm?" hummed Jane, her mouth full. She swallowed, shrugging. "Just some weirdo acquaintance."

"Did you _have_ to draw attention to yourself like that?" The Duke grumbled.

Jane's face contorted with disgusted confusion.

" _Please,_ he's just some fuckin' guy. Whatever."

"Feh..." The Duke flicked his wrist up at her attitude and took a slice of his own to bite into. They enjoyed some food for a couple of moments until he continued his explanation. "Anyway...Like I was saying, Longshot, he...-" A sigh. "He really didn't... _tell_ you much...did he?"

Jane's stomach lurched. Something about that didn't sound good.

"Uhh...He doesn't _tell_ much of anything to _anyone_ ," she lashed back.

"Heh, r-right, that's...-" The Duke trailed off, a sheepish look about him. His slice was whittled down to its crust, which he dropped onto his plate. "You _never_ wondered why he's so quiet all the time?"

Swallowing her current chunk of food was quite laborious as her brain was whirled through a tornado of possibility. She'd never really questioned Johnny's silent nature. She had simply found it endearing, an odd quirk. Now that Douglas was threatened to shed some kind of light on it, she feared it would ruin the mystique, so she opted not to reply to his rhetoric.

"You never wondered how he's so dead-on with a gun?" The Duke pressed another question. It was also ignored as Jane crunched down the last of the crust from her first slice, snagging a second. "Did Longshot ever mention what he wanted to do as a career?"

Jane coughed as she swallowed down a lump of pizza.

"He, uhh...said he wanted to work for the government some day. Do some, like, secret agent stuff. James Bond shit."

The Duke grinned.

"That's right. After the Freedom Fighters collapsed back in December, we all hung low, and he disappeared, heading back home after getting expelled. Funny how he didn't get in that much trouble despite _shooting_ a few people, huh?"

Jane scratched an itch on the back of her scalp, considering this oddity.

"And he shot them with _dead_ aim, too - three bullets, three arms disabled. I was there. It was...insane."

"W-well, yea, I mean...he's always been good with a gun, right? He's _Longshot_ , I mean...he grew up with hunting and stuff, and...and...-"  
"You _seriously_ think that's _all_ he grew up doing, to be _that_ skilled with firearms?"

Jane chewed her bottom lip awkwardly, her brain sizzling from confusion and realization both at once.

"He got let off of that shootout because he had a friend in a high place. And after he got taken back home to lay low, he stayed in touch with a few of us - the ones he said he trusted. And he told us about how he ended up at SRU, and what his goal was."

"...To graduate...?" Jane mumbled, her hand beginning to shake. The Duke shook his head.

"To help capture the Combustion Man, and the group that guy works for," he explained. Jane's insides twisted with confusion. This didn't even make sense. "You've been seeing on the news, the reports of the families that have been getting attacked, right?"

Jane nodded, sweat beginning to creep onto her brows.

"What the news _hasn't_ been reporting is all of the people that _don't_ get killed by those attacks. The ones that disappear before anyone gets to them - because the FBI intervenes. And it's not like these attacks are all fires, either - that's something with the Combustion Man and who he runs with, in specific. But the other guys involved with this stuff - from what Longshot says, a lot of them have already been caught. This one guy, though, who's been in hiding for a long time, moving across the country, they haven't seemed to get him just yet."

Jane had dropped her half-eaten slice onto her plate at this point, distraught and bewildered.

"You still with me?" The Duke asked.

"Could use some water," Smellerbee grumbled, wiping her damp eyebrow. It was suddenly quite hot in here. She unzipped her hoodie and dropped it beside her in the booth. She was wearing a black tanktop underneath, and scratched at a freckled arm while she scrambled to comprehend what was going on.

"You can have mine, I haven't drinken any," The Duke offered, sliding his full glass across the table, and dropping the unopened straw next to it. Jane slurped the ice-filled liquid with some relief before posing a question.

"What does...-? Makes no fuckin' sense...What does Johnny have to do with this...? 'Friend in a high place?' What does that even _mean_?"

"Longshot wasn't specific, but he said someone in his family works for the FBI. I'm guessing that's what got him interested in that kind of stuff to begin with. Coming to SRU, he said it was something he was doing for this relative, like...I don't know. He didn't really explain it. I think it's probably not really official. Off the books, or...however you wanna say it. The entire reason he said he came to this school was because of the connection to these murders."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Smellerbee hissed under her breath. "The school's got _nothing_ to do with that shit..."

The Duke stared at her with analytical, cold eyes.

"I've done the research to confirm what Longshot already knew: every Combustion victim has been a graduate of Saint Roku University. In New York City, years back, there was a series of murders via fatal injections. All the victims? Connected to the college. On the west coast, further back, there was a string of stabbing victims. The connection? SRU."

It made some kind of sense, now. Longshot had come to SRU under the guise of a college student to try and learn about how the school was connected to this stuff. Suddenly, entire swaths of time spent together felt like webs of falsehood.

"Johnny came here undercover," Smellerbee muttered in understanding.

"That's exactly right," The Duke agreed. "He went out of his way to join the Freedom Fighters because they were in a conflict with the Rough Rhinos, and he figured it would be a quick and efficient way to learn more about the situation and have hands-on involvement."

Smellerbee remembered how obsessed Jet had been about the Rough Rhinos - how sure he'd been that they had been there that night, that they'd been the ones who killed his family. Years later, Korra picks a fight with the Rough Rhinos, while working at the same place Jet ran...They probably figure she was his replacement, or something, and they burn the place down. Problem solved for them, right? This only further reinforced her suspicion that the Rhinos were connected somehow.

"So...So, wait, the Rhinos...-?"

"The Rhinos are somehow involved, yes. We don't know _how,_ but...that's why I was working over there-" He nodded his head to the side, out in the direction of where the United Republic had once stood. "-keeping an eye out for my boss at Longshot's suggestion."

"Wh-? Korra?"

"Right, Miss Kesuk. I thought maybe she was connected to the school somehow, too - seemed like she got hand picked, you know? But...I dunno, she seemed pretty ignorant about everything."

Smellerbee frowned. Of course Korra was ignorant about this bullcrap, she was innocent. It was kind of shocking that little Douglas here, all mousy and timid, had gotten himself involved in all of this.

"I can't _believe_ I didn't see this coming, though - what happened," The Duke lamented. "I was _there,_ minutes before. We had figured that the Combustion Man wasn't working alone, that he was with a group, and...I didn't suspect anything was up that night. I kind of let my guard down, and...I don't know, I can't even really _apologize_ to Korra about it, because it would just get her involved, and...-"

"OK, OK." she waggled her hands left and right, squinting at this overload. "Why are you getting _me_ the fuck involved, then?"

"Because you were a Freedom Fighter, Smellerbee. You were close with Jet. You know about some of the things the rest of us left don't. And most importantly, Longshot _trusts_ you to help put this man who hurt your friends to justice. It's why you're here."

" _Gllgh?_ " Smellerbee nearly choked on her water. A harsh cough followed as she pounded her chest, getting water out of her windpipe. "Wh...-? You mean...What? 'Put to justice?' The _hell_ do I look like, the police? I fuckin' _quit_ the Freedom Fighters, anyway. Remember?"

"Y-yea, I know..." The Duke drummed his fingers along the table. "But with this guy in Wayward...your friends are in danger. In case you didn't _realize_ that already."

Smellerbee's eyes burned with rage. Not at what had just been said, but at the truth behind it. Katara's frail body, her head dripping blood, being carried out of the United Republic was a potent and recent memory, a mere week old.

"It's exactly why Longshot has done what he's done - to protect people like _you._ I mean...specifically you."

Smellerbee sighed, nodding, her trembling hands fidgeting with each other in her lap.

"He broke up with me to keep me away...I know. He told me."

"Yea, once you decided you didn't want anything to do with this whole mess, he knew he had to keep you at a distance. He just...didn't really explain how deep it went," The Duke realized. "I'm...sorry. I guess this is hard - I know there's still something between you two."

Jane's heart swelled - finally, something, _anything_ to feel some kind of hope or relief about in this situation. She wasn't just imagining it, not if Johnny had said something to Douglas.

"Yea, there _is._ I'll...Ugh. Fuck." She bumped her forehead with her knuckle. "I need to talk with him." She glanced back up at Douglas, who didn't respond to this, but she could see the resounding look in his eyes.

"Johnny needed to keep you safe before - keep you from getting caught up in stuff too soon. Because he trusts you more than anyone. He believes you're the only one capable of being able to help him do this right. You were never involved with stuff back when the Fighters got found out, so you don't have any kind of suspicion hanging over you, and Longshot knows you're ready for this."

"Yea? If he's so fucking sure, why didn't he tell me this _himself_?"

"I don't know," Douglas confessed with a shrug, folding his hands neatly in his lap. "He...carries a lot of secrets with him. He has people to protect. So he has to watch what he says."

"Guess that's...maybe a part of why he's so... _quiet_."

"Mm...I know there were...uh...things he wanted to tell you himself. So. Yea. You should talk to him."

 _Be with Johnny again. Make everything right. But be back with the Fighters again. Nah, no, that's just temporary. This creep, this...'Combustion Man'...he's caused all of this hell for so many people. Hurt Korra. Hurt_ Katara. _Brought so much shit down on my friends because of it. He's probably the one that killed Jet's parents, made Jet crazy. He's the one that has been this big fucking pain for Johnny. If I help, if I bring this guy down, would that...finally put a fucking_ end _to all of this? This isn't even my damned mess, I didn't make it, I'm not even involved. The fuck do I even care about this school? I don't, really...but I care about Johnny. And_ _the guys...I have to do this for them._

"But...Why me? Why _us?_ Why not just send in the fuckin' cavalry?"

"I _told_ you, this is unofficial stuff. If the FBI came snooping around here, everyone involved would _scatter._ That's why we need to act as soon as we can. The Combustion Man came _here._ And we're sure it wasn't a coincidence. He's probably still nearby, somewhere. Who knows who he could be after next? The point is, we aren't connected with the FBI, _or_ the school. We're just students. No one's going to suspect we're involved as long as we stay low. Right?"

Jane huffed at this. She didn't like it, but there was a bit of sense to it, she supposed. It was better than doing nothing - waiting around for that psycho to burn another damned building down.

"Sooo...What does he...want me to do?" Jane wondered, running her fingers through her hair carefully.

"Well, he, eh...Was thinking you could fill in for him - run the Freedom Fighters."

"Like I was going to in the first place...?"

"R-right."

"I don't know..." She dropped a sideways glance of hesitation.

"Not like we used to be," The Duke insisted. "No funny business. Ever since Longshot took charge, the Freedom Fighters changed - it's why so many left, why we disbanded. We're not doing this for money, or revenge, or anything. And really, right now, all we need to do is keep laying low. We need to do some research. _That_ is what Longshot really needs from us - to finish what he started: figure out the connection. Find out what the Combustion Man, these other killings...what it all has to do with the college."

"Mm." Jane was hunched over on the table, her face buried in hands supported by elbows. "I help, and...we finish this? Put an end to it? Then no more bullshit? No more...fucking...gangs, or killing, or _whatever_?"

The Duke nodded. Smellerbee took a deep, cautious breath.

"Then I guess I'm in."

* * *

\- Thursday, March 31st, 2011 -

Korra sighed with some relief, carefully moving her arm in small circles.

"You're lucky," said Pema, marking her notepad with optimism. "It's been healing very quickly. But you _have_ to be gentle with it for a while longer. You don't want to undo any of the progress it's made."

"Yea," Korra acknowledged. She could tell just from her gentle motions that it was still tender.

"Otherwise...That's basically it. I was worried about your head, but...everything checks out. You're sturdier than you look, Korra."

" _Ha._ So I've been told..." Korra beamed with some pride at the remark.

Pema set down her clipboard on the counter and took a deep breath, sitting in her seat beside the table Korra was dangling from.

"I feel compelled to ask, though...What are you going to do now?"

"...Huh?" Korra was thrown off. Where was this coming from? A reserved smile crept onto Dr. Rabten's face, and she nodded.

"Your living situation. You told me before that you moved down here from Canada for this job, but...-"

"O-oh..." Korra's face turned bleak for just a flash before she masked her self-doubt. "I'm-...Everything's going to be fine. I'll work something out."

"The college hasn't sorted things out, have they?" Pema knowingly theorized.

Korra's lips curled with resignation, but she tipped her head to the side dismissively.

"You know, Korra, I know that...maybe you might feel like you're a bit too old for this, but...I could offer you a temporary job - until you're back on your feet."

Korra's heart lightened with baffled relief. It had been a major stressor, as of late, feeling pressured about her dwindling funds. Rent had just been due, and it had quite cleaned her out. Without more work _soon,_ she didn't know what her options would be.

"Wh-...? Are you...are you serious?" she muttered, eyes furrowed with surprise. "What did you have in mind?"

Pema smirked.

"You met my kids recently..." _Oh, no. Oh, hell no. I don't like where this is going._

"Uhh...Yehhp. They're...a crazy bunch." Korra wore her best plastic smile.

"Well, between my work here at the hospital, and my husband's...-" She sighed. "-...political career...things have been strained lately. It'd be nice to have a bit of slack - someone to watch them a few days a week."

"O-oh...Um...What about the older one?"

"Hm? Oh, Jinora."

"Yea, the little bookworm," Korra said with a nervous chuckle. "She seems old enough to take care of things."

Pema's face dulled at this.

"Yes, that's...exactly the problem. She just turned sixteen this week, and...all of this babysitting, it's getting to her. She wants some room to breathe. I remember what it was like at her age - I would have _hated_ being trapped at home with my siblings. Wouldn't you?"

Korra reflected on the few occasions she had been stuck watching over Sokka and Katara in their younger years. Yikes. Yea. Not so much fun.

"Yea, guess you're right..."

"She's kind of been upset with her father about it lately - he's just been away from home so much - he had to move away to D.C. a while back to pursue his career - it makes her feel like he doesn't care."

"Mm." Korra nodded with understanding, remembering how Katara had felt back during high school, after Kya passed away, and Hakoda withdrew himself in his work. "Why did he move away?"

"Well, people here in Wayward depend on my work so much, but I couldn't bear to tell my husband to stay here when he had such an opportunity. He visits on the weekends, and eventually...we'll all be under one roof again, once we...get some things sorted out."

"Sounds complicated."

"It is. And it would be quite a relief to have someone watching the little ones for a while. It would give my daughter some room to herself, and it would help _me_ get a few things in order. Are you up for it?"

 _Damnit, Korra. You need work. This lady is handing you easy money. Take the job._ "Sure! I could totally help you with that... _Thank_ you."

"It's no problem. We could use some help at the house, and _you_ need to take it easy. I think this will work out for everyone." Pema smiled wide, grabbing her notebook. "Let me take down your number. You can start work this weekend, if you like."

"Uh...Y- _yea,_ that sounds...fine!" _Wow. Talk about lucky._ _This should be a cinch._

* * *

\- Friday, April 1st, 2011 -

[From: Katara]  
[Tonight we're all going to AeroDynamics together! You should come! Been too long since you've hung out!]  
[Sent: 10:45am]

_It's only been, like...a week. Clingy much?_

[From: Sokka]  
[Freckles. We're dressing up and having a ball tonight. Bring your loony self, we need all the psycho we can get. Bring dat ass, put it in something silly, and meet us at Aero at 7:00.]  
[Sent: 3:13pm]

_'Dat ass?' Yea. No thanks..._

[From: Aang]  
[you ok? seems like you're avoiding everybody lately. we're here for you if something is up...]  
[Sent: 6:13pm]

_I know, but this is something you guys can't help with, you'll just get hurt.  
_

A pang of guilt settled in as Jane's mind caught up with itself. Aang already _had_ gotten hurt, because he _had_ helped, when Jane hadn't. Well, she was going to get the guy that had done it...that would be her penance.

[You have... **ONE**...new message. **FIRST** new message.]  
[-BEEEEEP!-]  
["~Jaybee, Jaybee, give me your answer, do~]  
 _The hell...?_  
["~I'm half crazy, all for the love of you~It won't be-"]  
 _-Click!-_  
Not in the mood.  


No texts back from Johnny. _Argh._ Damnit. If he really 'trusted' her so much, why was he being so fucking stingy with interacting with her?

Jane had been by and large ignoring her friend group for a while now. _Especially_ today. She couldn't even count how many texts or Facebook notifications she'd ignored, all about April Fool's, the stupidest damned holiday ever invented. What was the point, even? For asswipes like Sokka to have an excuse to be more dickish than usual to their friends, that was what. Jane did not envy being excluded from Sokka's practical jokes today. She had more important things to worry about, like meeting with Doug tonight to try and decide on how-  
 _-Tap-tap!-_

"Guh!" Jane flinched, her heart skipping a beat from the knocking hand against her car door's glass. Her fingers gripped tight around her phone, she stared up in shock at the inquisitive woman gawking through her driver's seat window. It was Korra.

"Hey!" Korra's voice called out, muffled by the layer of glass between them. She waved briskly before stuffing her hands in her leather coat's pockets. Jane sighed in spite of her own twitchiness and rotated the manual knob in the door, rolling down the window.

"Kor," Jane mumbled awkwardly. "Uh...Wh-What's up...?" Jane was a bit distracted by the plump bosoms lingering immediately outside her window. Jeez, for wearing that stupid jacket all the time, this woman sure liked to leave it _open._ And she was wearing a low cut tee tonight, too. What was the deal? Show-off.

"Recognized your car in the lot, heh," Korra's voice came from above. "I'm here to pick Bolin up from work." She casually leaned over the side of Jane's car, glancing in with a sly grin. "He told me he saw you here the other night. Out on a date at Pizza Hut, eh? _Classy_ shit, girl."

Jane's expression flashed with discomfort.

"A _pff_! Doug? Well, _sure,_ we were here, but...-"  
"Meetin' him again _tonight,_ huh?"

"Could ya stop saying it like that?" Jane deflected with disinterest. "It's not that way."

"But you _are_ meeting him," Korra pointed out with a finger wag. "Never would've thought that dinky little dork and _you_ would share anything in common..."

"It's...for a project," spat out Jane. "We're...doing research on the same subject, and...figured we'd give each other a hand."

" _Hah_. You kids n' your _classes._ Yuck. Glad I got outta dodge on that stuff." Her body still pressed up on Jane's car, Korra glanced up to the entry way down the parking lot to see Bolin strolling out. Waves were exchanged and the stout young man with the duck-tail hairdo drew near, much to Jane's disapproval.

"Hey, Kor, listen," Jane squeezed in while Bolin traversed the lot. "You think we could meet up again some time? I dunno, over drinks?"

"We talkin' coffee or booze?" Korra smugly inquired.

"I don't care, just...whatever. We should hang out," Jane hurriedly insisted. "Got some stuff I want to bounce off you, get your thoughts on..."

Korra raised a keen eyebrow in Jane's direction, curious as to whether this was some kind of awkward pass, or something genuinely serious.

"Sure," she agreed. Either way, it'd be interesting, right? "I'll hit you up later, we can get together next week."

"Cool," Jane muttered with some relief.

"Yo! 'Eyo, Korra!" cried Bolin, who had vaguely overheard the last bits of their conversation. "Who's that you're chatting it up with?"

"It's just Jane," Korra said with a nod. "She's back to see her little blond bombshell."

With a profuse blush of indignity, Jane sighed.

" _Not_ into him," she clarified for Bolin's sake.

" _Oho!_ " Bolin yelped. "Who's that girl with the lovely freckles why it's **Jane** of course because I would never forget Jane who's looking quite ravishing tonight I must say." _Fuckin' christ, dude, give the caffeine a rest._

"Uhhh..." Jane made a point to shoot him a sharp frown, to which he grimaced briefly. "Guess I'll see you later, Korra..." She grumbled, looking back down at her phone. _  
_

"Right," Korra agreed quietly, her glance zipping from Bolin to Jane and back. "I'll...shoot you a text soon."

No response.

"C'mon, Bo, let's head out," Korra muttered, nudging her friend to come along. Jane rolled her window back up as they scattered away.

"What's _her_ deal?" Bolin asked in a whisper when they out of earshot.

"I'm not sure," Korra confessed with a shrug. "I think she's got the hots for me." Korra smugly slid this remark to her friend as they piled into Mako and Bolin's shared vehicle - she took the driver's seat, of course.

"Ya _know,_ " Bolin mumbled, jiggling an index finger in her direction. "I was pickin' up that vibe, but I wasn't gonna _say_ anything...Did I ruin... **a moment** between you two?"

Korra smirked, cocking her head to the side.

"Maybe she feels that way," Korra said in a way that Bolin couldn't quite discern between 'joking' and 'serious.'

"She's not really into guys, is she?" he surmised.

"Huh?" Korra clicked the key into the ignition. "I think she's bi, actually."

"Really? 'Cuz she _hates_ me," Bolin pointed out, fingertips against his chest. "And she didn't seem too happy with that other guy from last night."

"Oh. _Ha._ Yea, well...There something _wrong_ with her being into girls?" Korra probed, glancing at her rear-view mirrors as she pulled out.

" _Whaa?_ No- _pff-_ nooooo," Bolin assured with a flick of the wrist. "That's...fine. You know. It's fine. Totally fine. Heh, not really my business anyway," he nervously chuckled, fearing Korra's potential wrath. His palms held up, he spoke with a proper, dignified tone. "A woman's preferences are her own."

"As are a man's," Korra pointed out, pulling the car out onto the cramped evening roads of Wayward.

* * *

\- Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 -

Jane had spent the entire shift at Appa's keeping to herself, staying quiet, and avoiding Sokka's gaze, feigning ignorance when he attempted to start conversation. They hadn't spent any time together in a little while now, and the only reason they were interacting today was because they were bound by work scheduling. Tonight had been an evening shift. While day shifts were slow and boring, evening shifts were often crazy busy and exhausting, especially on Saturdays. Jane felt like she'd worked harder at the job on this night than any other.

As their shift came to an end, and Jane was fixing up the final burger, Sokka walked up to her. Determined to get some kind of a reaction out of her tonight, he tried something new.

\+ http:/sa-dui(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/SRU-Man-Pat-299475046 +

"Good work today, Shamrocks!"

-Whup!-

Jane's face ignited with red as her hips flinched forward in shock. She'd nearly flipped the burger off its grill. Teeth gnashing together in disgusted aggravation, her face seethed with an unbridled irritation.

"What the _actual **fuck,**_ Sokka?" she shrieked, her voice cracking with embarrassment.

"Whaaaat?" Sokka played it off casually. Heh. Sure got her attention _that_ time. "I kept my hand open," he defended.

"The hell...-?" Jane's olive eyes were unbalanced in their confusion. "What does _that_ matter?"

Sokka raised his chin, closing his eyes with a parodying dignity as he explained with a mocking seriousness.

"That was a man pat." He upheld an open palm, which he pointed to. "If your hand is flat, give a pat." He arced his fingers inward. "If your hand is curved, you're a perv."

"Rrgh." Jane rolled her eyes, which still spewed embers, and turned her back to him, pressing the meat into the grill. "I am _not_ a man, but you _are_ a fuckin' perv!"

Sokka sighed, placing one of his thick hands on her shoulder.

"Come _on,_ don't be-"  
"Get-! Get away from me," she hissed back. "Ya know those **oogies** you don't shuddup about? Yea? This is _that._ Leave me alone."

"C'mon, Freckles." Sokka shrugged up his hands pleadingly. "What's the deal? I'm just foolin' around. It doesn't mean anything."

"I _know,_ that's what makes it so fuckin' disgusting," Jane growled irritably. She grabbed a paper plate, scooping up the slightly toasted bun she'd set on the grill, and using the spatula to place it's bottom half on the plate. "I'm not one of your damn parade girls, marchin' in line for ya like a showgirl. Piss off." She stacked the beef and top bun together, then plucked a dill pickle spear to set beside her creation. Sokka was slack-jawed at this. Something was way off with this woman lately. No wonder she'd been avoiding the group - she was in a bitchy mood. Maybe her period...? Eh. Could be that, maybe.

"What are you two _yapping_ about over here?" came June's dry inquisition. She strolled in from the back, slurping on a milkshake, as was common.

"Sokka fuckin' _grabbed my ass_ ," came Jane's immediate and scowling report.

"Er, wh-? _Noooo,_ I...I _patted_...-"  
"Lemme stop ya right there, kid," June sighed. "Come on. I am _really_ not in the mood for all the harassment paperwork _bullshit._ You both know I'm too lazy for that, anyway. So let's get it together here, _children,_ mm? Put on some adult pants and do our jobs here? We're closin' up in a couple minutes, and I want to get home at a decent time."

With that, June loudly sucked the remnants of her drink before dunking it in a nearby trash bin before slipping out through the back exit, leaving the two workers in a moment of awkward silence.

"Uh, heh..." Sokka, now regretting his attempts at attention-grabbing, tried to make amends. "Listen. Ginger." Jane was ignoring him, setting the plate on the counter and calling out into the mic with the enthusiasm and energy of a deflated balloon.

["Josh."]

"Seriously, look," Sokka wedged in while Jane worked her way around him. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"Can we just drop it?"

"Well, hey, wait, I'm just...confused about how lately, you seem to-"  
"Hey! Hey! Hiya, Smellerbee!"

Jane's shoulders jumped up at the vaguely familiar voice. She was dumping Sprite soda on the grill to assist with cleaning it, the steam and sizzling it produced a welcome distraction. To her right, a thickly built, dark-skinned young man in a baseball cap waved his enormous hand her way. It was 'Pipsqueak.'

"Uhh...Y-yea, hi," she weakly greeted back with an uncaring nod. He grinned at her sneakily before lumbering off.

"Wow, those idiots _still_ think you're their friend, huh?" Sokka mused, lifting his arrowed uniform cap up to scratch at his scalp. "Playing their little game of nicknames and...-"

Jane was staring at him with a deadpan glare, and he shrugged sheepishly.

"So sue me, I like nicknames. But it's not like some stupid _codename_ crap, like a secret club. Anyway, I just think it's silly that they still act like you're one of them still."

"Yea, _tell_ me about it," snorted Jane like a disgruntled bull, scratching her spatula against the piping hot grill in an attempt to clean it. "Anyway, just...I don't even care, Sokka." Jane clicked off various dials. "I'm not in the mood tonight for this bullshit, so let's just do what we're here to do - our jobs."

"Sure thing," Sokka replied with a frown. "Uh, but...hey, just...real quick-" Jane glowered at him. " _Nah,_ just real quick!" Sokka hastily blurted. "Ya mind actually coming to dinner with everybody tomorrow? We all... _miss_ ya. Everyone thinks you're ignoring them."

Jane puffed out through her nostrils with conflicted resentment about the whole situation. She didn't want her friends thinking she was just...avoiding them. Being a dick. Did she? Nah, she could...she could balance this. Yea. She couldn't lose all of the progress she'd made now. She didn't have much of anything or anyone left.

" _Yea,_ fine...Send me a text or whatever..."

"Cool," Sokka agreed with some relief.

"No grabbing of _body parts_ , though," Jane hissed, jabbing a bitter fingertip at Sokka. " _Ever._ "

"R-right! You got it, Ma'am."

* * *

\- Sunday, April 3rd, 2011 -

"So, uh...Anybody hear back from Suki?" Sokka questioned, having already chowed down one of his two dinner burgers.

"She's not coming," Toph flatly answered from his left before slurping a spoonful of beef stew with satisfaction.

"Ah. That's too bad," Sokka decided.

" _Nahhh,_ we've got enough people for a fun time, don't we?" Ty-Lee jeered from Sokka's right. "We even got your tomboy friend to finally hang out, right?"

"I've _got_ a name, ya know," Jane huffed from across the table.

Ty-Lee's perky smile withered into a brief glare at Jane's dim glance.

"Right," noted Ty-Lee, her eyes narrowing while her voice stayed saccharine. "I suppose I'd remember it if we actually _knew_ each other..."

 _Pff, you make it sound like that's a_ good idea. _Bet you've gotten to know_ lots _of people_ really well, _ya little...-_

"Jane!" Katara offered up her friend's name in haste, unnerved by the tension. Jane had been in a more tolerant spirit the last few times she'd been with the group, but...something was _wrong_ with her. Katara had been able to decide this much from Jane's lack of communication lately, but her mood when she'd shown up at dinner tonight compared to how she had been a couple of weeks prior, it was quite clear that something was up. "It-it's, um-...You two just...haven't spent much time together yet, but...this is Jane, remember?"

"Thanks, Kitty-Kat," Ty-Lee tweeted pleasantly. "I'll try to remember."

Jane rolled her eyes in disgust at the girl, who proceeded to blather on about a recent shopping trip - complete with show-and-tell of a set of earrings on her head, which culminated in her leaning over to Sokka for critique.

"They _totally_ match your, erm... _ears_ ," Sokka complimented with an idiotic smile. "Just... _yea._ Really nice."

" **Thanks~** "

"What about mine?" Toph wondered inbetween bites of stew. She had her hair up in a ponytail, two white puffballs dangling from her ear lobs. "I've always wondered what people think of these things."

"Uhh...They're...puffy," Sokka meagerly donated some kind of polite affirmation. "They sure are puffy." Since when did Toph ever care about how she _looked?_ Or her earrings? She was an odd one, to be sure. He chuckled at her confused, disheartened expression, and gave the top of her head a modest pat of the palm before his attention was shifted again.

"That's so cute," Ty-Lee giggled. "I didn't think a blind person would care about their appearance too much."

Toph's teeth scraped tightly against her spoon as this remark washed over her.

Aang felt like he was the only one noticing Toph's increasing need for anger management here, so he tried to move the topic away from _whatever_ was going on with that side of the table.

"Speaking of appearances, _someone_ gets to have their stitches removed soon..." He landed a gentle kiss on the unscathed side of Katara's forehead, and she smiled warily.

"Yea, on Monday I get to take them out, as long as the doctor thinks it's healed up well."

Jane's already tumultuous thoughts were rattled by the reminder of Katara's near-death experience.

"Korra told me she already had her sling taken off. She said her arm's pretty much fine," Sokka informed the group.

"That's good," said Toph.

"Has she heard back from the college yet?" Aang wondered. "I mean, about a job."

"Uhh...I actually don't know," Sokka replied with a shrug. "Hm. Good question, though...Yea, geez, I mean, how much does _that_ gotta suck? Moving all the way down here, and then _that_ happens?"

"It's horrible," Ty-Lee lamented. "I hope she finds new a job soon."

" _Mm!_ " Sokka hummed, his mouth full of burger. He chewed and swallowed, poking his hand up at Jane. "That reminds me, she told me you've been...hanging out at _Pizza Hut_ lately? Seein' some guy?"

Jane nearly choked as she downed the rest of her milk.

_Fuck._

Clearing her throat, she choke out a "Huh?"

"I dunno, Korra told me you've been goin' out with some dude lately - some little blond squirt - and that you were taking her out to a drink this week. What's up with that?" There was a hint of annoyance in Sokka's words, like Jane was committing a disapproved slight of some sort. The inquisitive looks that surrounded her further solidified this unspoken notion.

" _Oh,_ that...Nah, I don't know him, I've been doing a research project, and...-" Jane shrugged, her hands trembling a bit. She wedged them between her legs, trying to put on an innocent, straight face. "Just busy with school and stuff."

"Why are you lying?"

Jane's heart skipped. She felt numb, paralyzed at Ty-Lee's accusation. Had...had the _air-head_ just asked that?

"What...?" Jane eked out, pushing down her eyebrows with confusion. "No, I wasn't-...I've really been...weighed down by school, and...-"  
"But you're _lying_ ," Ty-Lee firmly insisted, arms crossed over her chest. "I can see it in your face. Why would you lie about something like that?"

"Haha," Katara forced out plastic chuckle. " _Whaaat?_ No, it's OK, Tylee, she's not...-" Katara looked at Jane, as if pressing for some kind of reassurance. "Jane's not _lying,_ she's just in a bad mood."

But Ty-Lee's gaze was dead-locked on Jane with an almost sadistic, syrupy smile of thin lips.

"Who did you go to see?" Ty-Lee questioned. Suddenly, Jane found herself playing this girl's game of face-reading: to Ty-Lee, this was for fun.

"Just...-" Jane shrugged again, scratching her eyebrow twice. "It's a guy from this class I'm in."

" _Which_ class?" Ty-Lee probed.

"Uh...Entomology," Jane sharply spat out. "What's with the twenty fucking questions, here?"

" _Pfff,_ that's not even a real _thing_ ," Ty-Lee dismissed, rolling her eyes.

" _Yes it is_!" Jane nearly squeaked with an appalled glare. "It's the study of _insects_! _"_

Ty-Lee blinked at Jane with narrow eyes until Sokka muttered to her, "Uh, yea, she's right, that's a class she's in..." Jane's tension lightened just a bit at her 'opponent' slipping.

"Well...! That _doesn't_ change the fact that you're lying!" Ty-Lee insisted. Her cheeks seemed to puff up in a childish pout.

"Um, l-listen, uh, Ty-Lee?" Katara pleaded sheepishly. "I'm...I'm sure you mean well, and...and everything, but...-"  
"No, no," Sokka quelled his sister's pacification. "I'm curious here - maybe she's onto something. You _have_ been acting weird lately," Sokka pointed out to Jane.

"Something sounds off to me, too," Toph added sternly. "What's up with you, JayBee?"

"Nothing," Jane pushed. " _Damn,_ can't you guys mind your own business for once?"

" _See?_ She's hiding something," Ty-Lee quipped with a rapid finger point. "Ask anyone, I can _tell_ when people are lying!"

"She _can_ tell when people are lying," Sokka casually agreed, obviously biased.

"Guys, come on," Aang tossed in his say. "We should give her some space, she already _said_ she's stressed out, and this isn't our business."

"It is when she's _ignoring_ us," Sokka decided curtly.

Jane avoided Sokka's gaze, only to wander to Katara, whose eyes flickered at her with disappointment. That distrust, that confusion, that pain in Katara's eyes...it burned at Jane's heart.

"Sokka," said Katara. " _Who_ did Korra say she was seeing?"

"Uhhh...I dunno, some little shrimp guy. One of her workers from the restaurant, I guess?"

Katara's nostrils flared and her lips quivered as she squinted with dissatisfaction.

"Jane, is Douglas the person you've been seeing lately?"

Toph frowned at the name. Sokka scratched his chin. Ty-Lee stared intently at Jane's every move. Aang sighed, leaning back in his chair.

Jane swallowed hard at her friend's specific question. Lying to Katara's face was a heavy prospect.

"Y-yes," she quietly answered. "It's _personal_."

" _Oh!_ It's 'personal,'" Katara snapped, her pitch rising with slight hysterics. "So I'm sure it has _nothing_ to do with the Freedom Fighters, then, and that couldn't _possibly_ be why you've been so busy lately."

"Say _whaaa_?" Sokka cried out with an epiphany-induced gawking. "Is _that_ why those ass-clowns keep saying 'hi' to you and crap?"

" _I_ thought you said this was for a _class_ ," Ty-Lee snipped. She leaned over to Sokka and whispered to him, "Wait, who're these people, again?"

"Dougie-" Toph cleared her through and rapidly recovered. "He, um, Doug doesn't... _take_ any science classes. He's a music student...Uh, _well,_ " she added to herself, under her breath. "There's Physics of Music, but I mean...-"

"So _why_ did you see him?" Katara pressed, her anger rising. "You and Douglas aren't even _friends,_ I've _never_ seen you two hang out - if anything, you're usually telling him to _leave_. Like him being around is _suspicious,_ maybe?"

"Yea!" Sokka agreed. "Just _yesterday,_ that one kid gave you a funny look - I _saw_ it."

" _What?_ No! No, it's not...-"

"Because maybe you're still-...I don't know!" Katara huffed in an emotional flurry. "Doing... _whatever_ those people do! I wouldn't _know,_ because no one ever _told_ me!"

"'Those people?' The Freedom Fighters aren't what they _used_ to be Kat! Ever since Jet died, most of them broke up, and they haven't been _doing_ much of _anything!_ "

"Then _why_ would you even need to talk with them? What's the _point_?" Aang was afraid of Katara's angry state, and he clutched at her arm in an effort to calm her. She didn't push him off, but didn't seem to be calming down, either.

"I'm fucking helping _Johnny_ with something important, OK?"

"If Johnny needs a _gang_ to 'help' him with something, I have this feeling that _maybe_ it's a bad idea to get involved!"

"Maybe it's a _bad idea_ to go sticking your goddamn nose in everyone's _business_ like you always know what's best for them!" In that instant, Jane got up from her seat, picking up her tray, which was still half full of food. "I hate to break it to ya, Katara, but you're _not_ always right about everything!" Jane and Katara's eyes seethed at each other like opposed laser beams until Jane broke away. "And I hope _you're_ happy, too, ya ditz," Jane growled at Ty-Lee, who seemed a bit shocked and confused by the trouble she'd stirred up. "You don't know me. You don't know what's up. So keep your opinions to yourself!"

With this, Jane slunk off by herself to go sit alone, leaving her friends baffled and distraught.

Aang watched his girlfriend's eyes wobble on the verge of tears, but she held them back.

"Guess now we know why she's been so invisible lately," came Katara's bitter conclusion as she scraped tuna salad from her bowl. Aang looked off to Jane, who had left their large, round table in lieu of a booth off in the far corner of the cafeteria.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

Katara shrugged, shaking her head while she chewed on her food.

"Listen - is it all right if I try to talk to her?" Aang checked.

"If you think it'll _help_ ," Katara dubiously grumbled. Aang tousled the hair on the back of her head with some sympathy and kissed her on the skull.

"I'll be back."

"Where's he going...?" Ty-Lee whispered to Sokka, wide-eyed and embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it," Sokka dismissed her concern.

"I...I didn't mean to-..." Ty-Lee's lower lip trembled in sorrow. "I didn't want to start a fight..." Sokka planted his arm on her shoulder opposite him, and rubbed up and down her smooth-skinned arm.

"You're good, little lady, don't think too hard."

"Yea, don't wanna _hurt_ yourself," Toph mumbled, receiving a scolding bump on the arm from Sokka.

Across the cafeteria, Aang found his way to Jane's booth. He'd taken a cup of yogurt and a glass of water with him, and stood beside Jane in hesitation for a moment. When she didn't notice him, huddled over her meal, he piped up.

"Mind if I join you?"

Jane looked up slowly at his courteously nervous smile. Her eyes wandered away, then to her food, then back to him.

"...I guess..."

"Thanks."

Aang plopped himself down and peeled open his yogurt while Jane bit into the second half of a ham and cheese sandwich.

"Are you all right?" Aang asked.

Chewing, swallowing. "I'm OK," Jane sighed.

"I'm sorry about what just happened."

"...I know."

"Everyone's been worried." Aang gulped a spoonful of yogurt. "You've been ignoring people, and, well...we all remember where you were a year ago..."

"Yea," Jane grunted, dropping her sandwich down. She wasn't feeling so hungry anymore. "But it's...not _like_ that."

"I believe you."

Jane's eyes focused on Aang's innocuous demeanor while he ate. She desperately wanted to convince herself that he was up to something, that he had some motive, some _angle_. That would make it so much easier to dismiss him. But...it was _Aang._ And she knew he _wasn't_ playing at anything.

"Why did you stick up for me back there?" Jane asked, scratching her neck. "When you knew I was lying?"

"Because, er...I know that sometimes, you have to...hide the truth to protect the people you care about."

Jane's solid gaze goaded Aang to elaborate.

"I told you about...my history, right?"

"Mm."

"My parents... _killed_ each other," Aang blurted, holding out his hands for a moment of bafflement. "I mean...How would I have _possibly_ been able to wrap my head around that when I was little? I would've blamed myself, or...at least been _really_ confused. So my Uncle Gyatso hid that from me. And yea, it was hard when I realized later on that I'd been lied to. But now? I can look back and realize that it was hard for _him,_ too, to keep that secret. But he did it to protect me. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't like lying at all, and I _never_ think it should be encouraged - but...sometimes it's the lesser of two evils. That's...just how the world is here and there. When Katara and I realized...how much we liked each other, we knew it was best to kind of...hide it from Toph for a little bit, because we knew it would hurt her if it happened too soon. Sometimes you have to be willing to deal with problems head on, even if you don't believe it's the nice thing to do, but sometimes you have to leave problems _alone_ and give them time to fix themselves." Aang took a deep breath, and ate a couple more bites of his yogurt before looking Jane straight in the eyes. "I trust you, Jane. I know you're hiding something, but...I know you're doing it for a _good reason._ And that's...hard. Lying should _never_ be something that's easy - once it is, that's when you know something is wrong. But, you know that saying: what's right and what's easy aren't always the same thing."

Jane formed a weak smile of appreciation at her friend's encouraging words of understanding.

"That's, erm...really nice and all, Aang, but... _Pff._ Nobody cares what I think, or say, or do. All I've got is _you_ guys, my...little group. No one else cares - no one else even knows I _exist._ How do I know what I'm choosing to do is even going to do any good for _anybody_?"

"Uh, _well_...you don't."

"And yet you're still all... _ha_...fuckin' gung-ho that what I'm planning is worth it? You really think I've got noble intentions?" she facetiously scoffed at his optimism. He grinned.

"Jane Fitzpatrick: when you first stumbled into my dorm room, looking for a text book, and Sokka thought you were a boy? I had _no idea_ what an awesome person you were, and what a great friend you could become. And I mean, I look out there-" He nodded to the many students bustling about. "-most of those people? They have no clue how awesome you are, either. And most of them probably never will. They'll never know your story. In their reality, you might as well be a footnote. And to some people, you'll only ever be 'Smellerbee,' a grumpy little tomboy in a gang. But me? I _do_ know your story. I _do_ know who you are - who you had the potential to be - that whole time. That person was just sitting inside, waiting to be let out - and now she's sitting right in front of me. And I mean, sure, I don't know 100% what you're going to do with all of this...But I didn't even think we'd ever be friends in the first place. Now that I know you, though, I have faith. I believe in you - in who you've become. I trust that you have a good reason for what you're doing, and that you're going to do it _your_ way - not the way everyone else is telling you to. So...It's OK if you hide the truth from us for a while, as long the decisions you make come from an honest place."

His ramble concluded, Aang sucked in a breath through his nose, dabbing his hand at his shuddering eyes. Jane's heart swelled with gratitude at the prospect that at least _someone_ believed in her.

"I, uhh..." She struggled to prevent her face from drizzling out a couple of tears of its own. her freckled cheeks were glowing like hot coals in a comforting campfire. "Thanks, Aang...That means a lot."

"You need a hug?" Aang offered.

" _Heh._ Tsh, _I_ don't need a hug, but if you and your sensitivity _insists_ on it..."

Aang got up, walked over to her side of the booth, and leaned down, pressing his body against hers in a sympathetic embrace.

"Aang, listen, I...-" Jane clawed once at her brow, but caught herself, pushing her bangs up over her hair with a frustrated puff. "I need to help the Freedom Fighters...finish some shit we started a while back. If we don't do this, then...some people could get hurt." Aang nodded solemnly, his eyes furrowed as he absorbed the gravity of the allusions Jane made. "And I can't have you guys involved. It's...that simple."

"Hm..." Aang nodded again, his face half buried in hands supported by his elbows. "OK."

"So...I'm kinda gonna need to...keep my distance for now. Ya know? But you gotta _promise_ me you won't tell anyone about this. Like you said _yourself_ \- sometimes lies protect people, right? This is that kinda shit."

"All right. I promise."

Heh. Aang said it like it was nothing. Like it was some easy thing. But he was stronger than he looked - she knew that now, just as he'd said he knew that about her. He'd be able to take it.

"So...That's it," she said with a shrug. "So could ya, like...take care of Kat?"

"Yea. _Yea._ Heh, I'm already pretty, uh...dedicated to doing that," Aang chuckled.

"I know," Jane said with a smile. "Just...I dunno. I worry about her. I mean, _fuck._ You guys are lucky to be alive right now, man..."

" _Fff,_ the thought crosses my mind every day," Aang acknowledged. "And I am _super_ grateful, let me tell you."

"I know this crap's gonna be hard on her. You know how she is."

"I _do_ know how she is," Aang said with a nod.

"Anyway...-"

"Things will work out, Jane."

"Heh, yea...Guess the bottom line here is that shit will always sort itself out in the end, right?"

* * *

[To: Jane]  
[So...are you coming to my b-day party this weekend? Or not? I haven't heard back from you...]  
[Sent: April 6th, 2:32pm]

[To: Jane]  
[Are you still mad? I said I was sorry...Why won't you talk with me about this?]  
[Sent: April 6th, 7:49pm]

[To: Jane]  
[What is going on? It's been weeks and it's like you want to pretend I don't exist. What did I do?]  
[Sent: April 7th, 1:34pm]

[To: Jane]  
[Why are you ignoring us?  I don't understand, I thought you knew we're here for you.]  
[Sent: April 7th, 8:45pm]

[To: Jane]  
[I know you're in your room. I just saw you walk in. Why won't you answer the door?]  
[Sent: April 7th, 11:53pm]

[From: Jane]  
[fuckin christ. leave me alone. take a hint. i don't wanna talk to you guys anymore.]  
[Sent: April 7th, 12:03pm]

[To: Jane]  
[Wait. What? 'Anymore?' Like, ever? Why?]  
[Sent: April 7th, 12:04pm]

[From: Jane]  
[yes. EVER. i can't do this anymore. stay away from me. for your own good.]  
[Sent: April 7th, 12:17pm]

\- Friday, April 8th, 2011 -

\+ http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=qw0wRfHjF5M +

Katara glared at the door with determination. She puffed a breath of dissatisfaction through her nostrils, then knocked on the door.

**~Step one: you say we need to talk~**

"Jane? I know you're in there."

**~He walks; You say 'Sit down, it's just a talk'~**

"Can't we just talk about this?"

**~He smiles politely back at you; You stare politely right on through~**

"If I did something wrong, can't you tell me what it is? I'll fix it."

**~Some sort of window to your right; As he goes left and you stay right~**

Katara bumped her forehead against the door in her frustration.

**~Between the lines of fear and blame, you begin to wonder why you came~**

_After all we've been through, you'd leave us? Leave_ me?

**~Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend; somewhere along in the bitterness~**

_What did I do? God, just...tell me what I did._

**~And I would have stayed up with you all night~**

_I can make it right._

**~Had I known how to save a life~**

_Just tell me what you want._

**~Let him know that you know best; 'Cause after all, you do know best~**

"Don't adults _talk_ about their problems, Jane?"

**~Try to slip past his defense; Without granting innocence~**

"To think you were criticizing Toph so much before..."

**~Lay down a list of what is wrong; The things you've told him all along~**

A long-winded e-mail. The third she's written to Jane this week.

**~And pray to God he hears you~**

No answer.

**~And pray to God he hears you~**

She wonders if her words are even heard.

**~Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend; somewhere along in the bitterness~**

"I dunno, Sugar-Queen. Maybe you should just...leave her alone?"

**~And I would have stayed up with you all night~**

"But _why?_ I mean...that's _fine,_ I just...want to know what I did _wrong._ "

**~Had I known how to save a life~**

"Hey. Sister-Face. Chill out. Maybe she just needs space."

**~As he begins to raise his voice~**

_"...but you're_ not _always right about everything!"_

**~You lower yours, and grant him one last choice~**

[To: Jane]  
[Please. Talk to me.]  
[Sent: April 9th, 1:32am]

**~Drive until you lose the road~**

_Why would you go back to them?_

**~Or break with the ones you've followed~**

_Why would you turn your back on us?  
_

**~He will do one of two things; He will admit to everything~**

"Can't we just talk? Just once. That's all I ask."

**~Or he'll say he's just not the same; And you begin to wonder why you came~**

"I don't want to talk, Kat! We're done. Leave me alone! Jesus..."

**~Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend; somewhere along in the bitterness~**

The door slams in Katara's face.

**~And I would have stayed up with you all night~**

She holds back the sobbing.

**~Had I known how to save a life~**

History is repeating itself. It terrifies her.

**~Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend; somewhere along in the bitterness~**

Just like high school. Friends made and lost.

**~And I would have stayed up with you all night~**

_I try so hard. So much work..._

**~Had I known how to save a life~**

_Why does this still happen?_

**~How to save a life; How to save a life~**

_Jane's different. Jane's special. She's not supposed to do this to me._

**~Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend; somewhere along in the bitterness~**

_Did I mess things up again? Like all the others?_

**~And I would have stayed up with you all night~**

_Anything. I'd do anything, just..._

**~Had I known how to save a life~**

_Don't leave me like this._

**~Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend; somewhere along in the bitterness~**

_I can't go through this again. I trusted you._

**~And I would have stayed up with you all night~**

_Doesn't this mean as much to you as it does to me?_

****~Had I known how to save a life** ~How to save a life~**  
Angry, jaded, confused tears stain Katara's cheeks.  
 **~How to save a life~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'How to Save a Life' by The Fray.


	84. Let Go

\- Saturday, April 9th, 2011 -

"Edward is her _true_ _love_ ," stated Jinora with cold resolve, closing her { **twilight** } book and placing it on the stack she'd lined up on the coffee table.

"Nuh- _uh!_ " squealed Ikki. "She shoulda gone with _Jacob_. He's a much better friend than Edward."

"Ikki, romance is not about being friends. It's about _passion_ and _love_ and _drama_." Jinora lifted the hardcover back up and tapped her finger against it. "That's why it _happens_ like this in these books!"

"It is _too_ about being friends!" Ikki protested, thrusting her fists in a fit. "Love is friendship on _fire_."

"Yea? Edward lit Bella's fire _real_ hot. Jacob sure didn't."

"But...-! Yea, he _did!_ Besides, Bella gets all dumb in the head around stupid Edward! She acts more like herself with Jacob..."

"Korra," Jinora chimed out, much to Korra's dismay. She'd been _just_ fine over here in the kitchen, making dinner, pretending to be oblivious to the conversation. "What do _you_ think?"

"Er, uh...-" Korra's mind went whirling, as this debate was hitting _way_ too close to home for her comfort. "Huh? Sorry, I, erm...-" She twisted the sink on to rinse the freshly cut vegetables she had in the strainer. She raised her voice over the noise. "-...can't hear you right now! Making dinner!"

The bickering girls glared at each other heatedly as their younger brother sighed from his relaxed position on the recliner behind them. He was tapping buttons away at his PSP device.

"Know who she _really_ shoulda been with?" Meelo casually offered, pausing his game. Both girls gave him disconcerted looks as he smiled slyly. " _Alice._ "

" **Ewwww**!" Ikki screeched. Korra flinched with irritation at the sound as she turned off the water and began dumping veggies into the pot soup she was preparing. Meelo just grinned stupidly at them both, satisfied to have rustled up more bickering. he resumed his game playing, tuning them back out.

"That doesn't even make _sense,_ you idiot!" Jinora cried. "Alice is a _girl!_ "

"What's wrong with _that?_ " Korra piped up at last, stirring a spoon through the bubbling pot. All three kids glanced over to her.

"Girls aren't _supposed_ to fall in love with _girls_ ," Jinora said with some snippiness.

" _Oh_?" Korra was intrigued by the teen's stern perspective. "Well, sometimes they _do_ , you know," Korra discounted her.

"Blech," Ikki winced to herself at the thought.

"Why? Have _you_?" came Jinora, piqued with suspicion as she made her way to the shoe rack by the front door. "Do _you_ like girls? What about those _boys_ you live with?"z

"Uh, well...-" Korra's face went blank as she considered an answer, sloshing the soup around from the next room. " _Sometimes,_ yes, I do," she openly informed, recalling times gone by."And...I dunno, the guys I live with are nice, too, so, erm...-"

"Mm- _hm_ _mmm_..." Jinora gave the back of Korra's head a slanted brow before tying up her shoes. "Well..." She eyed the clock hanging on the wall with a sigh. "I've got play practice, so I need to leave now."

" _Guh!_ " Korra whirled round, a wet spoon still in hand. She pointed it through the air at Jinora, who was slipping a light jacket on. "Hey, whoa! You have your phone, right?"

Jinora patted her pocket with an amused smile.

"O-OK, good," Korra sighed out, realizing her overreaction. She wasn't here to babysit Jinora, anyway. "Uh..." A weak wave. "Have fun...? Or something?"

"Yup! Bye~" Jinora whisked herself out the door.

"Hmph!" Ikki protested to no one, arms crossed as she dumped herself onto the couch and picked up her own handheld gaming device: a pink DS Lite. Korra was at least relieved that the two kids would be occupied while she finished cooking dinner, but knew their mother wouldn't want them spending the whole evening in front of screens. When food was finally finished, and three bowls of soup were poured and set onto the empty kitchen table, Korra walked over to the kids. Staring over Ikki's shoulder from behind the couch, she watched with perplexation as the girl rubbed a stylus along her device's screen, scrubbing a puppy clean.

"Uhhh...Dinner's ready, guys," she informed them, scratching her head with some bewilderment.

"Whooooo!" Meelo bounded up, dropping his PSP onto the couch and flying for the dining room. Ikki closed her clamshell handheld and followed.

"Smells _soooo goood~_ "

"Ha! Thanks." Korra joined them, and the three of them discussed the finer points of Spongebob Squarepants and Ben 10 - topics that made the kids sound like geniuses and Korra an imbecile. Afterwards, Korra enforced a homework session, per Pema's request. If they got their homework for Monday done _now,_ they could spend the entire day with their father tomorrow. This was followed up with a few games of Go Fish. Korra found it to be refreshing - not as boring as she'd expected. And not as annoying, either, when she let herself relax. The kids seemed to take well to her, and if anything, it was quite invigorating to be making new acquaintances, especially with people who, in being so much younger, had such a different perspective. For a few hours, none of what had been stressing her out mattered: job, bills, _men,_ even her cravings for cigarettes and sex seemed to get subdued in the experience of focusing on people _besides_ herself for a change.

By evening, Meelo was passed out, and Ikki was in the girl's room playing with her virtual dog a bit in her bed. Jinora seemed to be running late, and a quick phone call revealed that practice was being held up that evening - which Pema had warned might happen given that it seemed to be a trend with the teacher that ran theater at the school. After finishing the brief call and double-checking on the other two kids, Korra finally gave herself some reprieve out back with the comfort of a cigarette on the back porch. It was in this moment that it all dawned on her, what an enjoyable day this had actually been, in its own way. When she'd finished, she quietly came back inside, a bit confused as to what to do next. She'd been advised to stay until Mr. Rabten came home, as it was expected he'd show up for his weekly visit before Pema got out of work.

When she'd re-entered, however, Korra could hear a man's voice coming from the study that was nestled in the front corner of the house. It was the congressman, all right: she definitely recognized his firm voice from the day they'd met at the hospital the week prior. It sounded like he was having a dire discussion of some sort, and Korra certainly didn't want to interrupt - all the same, her curiosity got the better of her, and she found herself waiting in the living room, garnering what she could from the muffled half of the conversation she could decipher.

"I _understand,_ Mayor Kuei, believe me. But at a time like _this?_ After what has just happened, with what is going on, I just believe that-...Mm...I'm sorry to say that I'm as much in the dark as you are, but-...Ah... _Hm._ I see...Well, that... _does_ change a few things, I suppose, but-...No, no. Truly, Sir, I understand what you mean. It's simply...rather unfortunate." Ooh, some passive-aggressiveness there, Korra was picking up. "Mm...Yes...Well, I must say that I may not _agree,_ but it is entirely _your_ decision...Then I suppose we _are_. Good evening." Damn, that sounded a bit cold.

The conversation died at that point, leaving Korra wondering what it was about. Mayor Kuei, huh? Korra remembered that Mako had brought him up a few times in conversation. She had ended up sitting on the couch, listening intently by the end, and now that it was over, she rushed to get back on her feet and begin tidying up the living room. The congressman entered with a wary sigh, still dressed up in his suit.

"Oh." He noticed Korra's busybody presence. "Hello, Korra," he greeted. "Pema told me to expect you here - sorry to disappear like that as soon as I came in the door." He unclipped a bluetooth piece from his ear and set it with care in a desk drawer beside his study's entrance. "I was still handling a work-related call when I arrived."

"Heh," Korra shrugged sheepishly, shaking her head as she disposed of Meelo's snotty tissues he'd left on the living room carpet. "It's fine, Mr. Rabten, I, uh...I know how it goes."

"Tenzin." He unbuttoned his vest and tiredly draped it over the spine of the couch.

"Eh...?"

"Please, you can call me Tenzin, Korra." He kicked off his business shoes beside the recliner. "No need for formalities - you've been taking care of my children all day, after all."

"Oh, er...Yea." Korra nodded vigorously. "Everything went just fine, no problems at all. Jinora, though, she, er-"  
"Haha, still at play practice, I presume?" Tenzin sighed with humor, adjusting the recliner and sitting himself down with an exhausted grunt, still in a button-down and tie. "That's expected."

" _Ha,_ yea..." Korra nervously fumbled around the kitchen, ensuring she'd cleaned up after herself from dinner.

"There's no need to worry about anything," Tenzin insisted. "You're free to leave, you know. I'm a half hour late, and I'd hate to be keeping you from getting home."

"N-no, it's fine. I'm...-" Korra frowned in spite of herself. "-...not exactly in a rush to go anywhere."

"Ah. Right. Your...job situation. Of course." Tenzin recalled her recent life change and the loss of her employment - the very reason she was here, obviously. "...How _are_ things going with you and the school?"

Korra grimaced, stuffing her hands into her jean pockets as she squirmed into the living room.

"Haven't heard from them since last week," Korra confessed nervously.

"Mm-hm." Tenzin frowned at this for a moment as he contemplated. "You know, I'm familiar with some of the folks at the college - I could always check in on things for you."

"R-really?" Korra's face glimmered with optimism. "Uh... _Yea,_ OK. That...that'd be great. Um, if you _could,_ I mean, I don't want to...cause so much trouble."

"It's not a problem," Tenzin insisted with a smile. "In truth, it's been a while since I've visited my friends there."

Korra smirked sheepishly back at him as she sat down on the couch.

"My wife tells me you and the other students seem to be recovering well from the incident."

"Yea..." Korra's face flashed with some despondent regret at her failure during the attack. "Bastard still hasn't been caught yet, though..."

"Mmm..." Tenzin's eyes wandered away for a moment, glazed over.

"We'll get him, though," Korra mumbled angrily, almost to herself, fingernails clawing across her denim. She caught herself, eyes wide, and chuckled awkwardly. "Me and the _cops,_ I mean. That asshole needs to go down before he hurts anyone else."

Tenzin took a deep breath and nodded with some hesitation as he undid his tie. Korra was kind of shocked at his casual undressing in her presence, but looking at his face, she could tell the poor man was just exhausted.

"I suspect Lin is doing everything in her power to capture that madman - she's quite dedicated to her work. _Quite_ dedicated."

"Huh...?"

"Oh, mm...My apologies - Chief Jia, I mean."

Korra's face twitched with some resentment.

"Oh... _her_ , _"_ she eked out as politely as possible. "Yea..." Hm, that was weird, the way Tenzin and Lin had interacted back at the hospital, and the way he was talking about her right now. Like they went way back or...-

"I've known her for a long time," Tenzin sighed, leaning back in the chair. That explained that, then. "Wayward has had a pretty clean record in her time here - I'm certain that one way or another, she'll help bring that man to justice."

"Uhh...Right." Korra was a bit anxious as Tenzin almost seemed to be drifting off to sleep. "So, uh, Sir - I mean, Tenzin...-" She popped up from the couch. "You seem pretty tired, so...I should probably head out, eh?"

Tenzin slowly craned his head up to look at Korra drearily. Man, this was strange. Why was he so informal and everything? And that _beard_ on his chin? Seemed pretty dicey for a politician to have...

"I suppose so," he chuckled with a yawn. "I'm sorry to keep you, it's just that...it's a change to pace to have a fellow _adult_ to speak with outside of the work place, you see."

"Ha." Ironic, given Korra's recent solace in _non_ -adult interactions. "But...what about your wife?"

"Regrettably, we...haven't seen much of one another lately," Tenzin confessed.

"Oh...Rrrrright. Sorry...Sounds like you have it rough at work lately, you were almost yelling back there on the phone, and...-" _Eep. Ugh, idiot._

"Ah...So you...overheard a bit of that, did you?" Tenzin sighed, letting his head fall back.

"Y-yea, I, uh...I was just cleaning, here, and, uhh...-" Korra's face flinched with embarrassment, but Tenzin didn't seem to notice in his half-asleep state.

"It seems that the Mayor isn't terribly pleased with some of the goings-on around here lately, and he's quite insistent on not listening to reason," Tenzin explained with lament. Korra got the impression from the way Tenzin said this that it was a tiresome aspect of his existence - being the ignored voice of reason.

"Ah...That...sounds pretty complicated."

"Indeed..."

A heavy silence fell, and then the front door opened, Jinora quietly slipping inside.

"Hi, Korra," she instantly greeted. Korra nodded back, watching Jinora's flash of interest disintegrate into dissatisfaction as he father leaned the chair straight up. Her eyes flickered with some disdain which dulled at the subtle disappointment in her father's eyes. "Hello, Father."

"Jinora...How was practice, my Dear?"

Jinora turned her back to them, popping her shoes into the rack and hanging up her coat.

"Fine...I'm tired. Going to head to bed."

"Ah. All right."

"Good night," Jinora bid them both, swooping herself upstairs.

Korra opted to not comment on the obvious tension between them, instead getting herself to the door and slipping into her familiar leather jacket.

"I oughtta head out, it's starting to get late..."

"Of course."

"Uh, it was...nice looking after them today," Korra muttered.

"That's good. I'm sure Pema will need more help soon."

"Right...Thanks."

As Korra fumbled her way outside into the evening, she quickly got a cigarette into her mouth and lit it up, soothing her tired body in its toxins as she reflected on the amazing feat of going all evening without swearing a single time.

* * *

\- Sunday, April 10th, 2011 - Katara's Birthday

Jane's head throbbed. The weekend had been a painful affair. Friday evening, Jane had met with Korra over beer. It had gone well enough, and it had been nice to catch up with the woman _alone_ without needing to deal with group dramatics, which Korra was thankfully unaware of as of yet. Jane had managed to express to Korra a vague interest in trying to take matters regarding the Combustion Man into her own hands, and Korra seemed to reciprocate the notion. Korra wasn't really part of the 'group,' she was her own independent function. Jane was toying with the idea of letting Korra in on things with the Fighters, given how receptive she'd been at mere allusions to action, and Jane knew Korra could keep her mouth shut, setting her personal relations out of the way.

Unfortunately for Jane, maintaining those personal contacts in this situation just wasn't an option.

So here she was, residing at the Fire Cave bar. The musical performance for the evening was already finished and done with, and many had already filtered out, leaving the place somewhat barren. Jane surely didn't mind. Her head was pounding with a migraine, and still she drank. Her addled brain was swimming with conspiracy theories planted by Douglas, who seemed to be a different person than the freshman she had met months ago. Then again, it was somewhat expected in a sense - the beginning of college was often a do-or-die time that shaped a person a bit. It had done the same for Jane a couple of years back.

At the tail end of Jane's third drink, she was approached with an ice-cold voice.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

A bit warm-faced from her beer, Jane sat up straight in her stool and turned her head to see a woman a bit older than her - early 30's, looked like. The woman had her dark brown hair back in a ponytail, her sharp jawline tilted up with disgust, dark eyes burning with condescension. She was familiar, as Smellerbee had seen her show up at the bar from time to time, occasionally helping out the bartender, Sneers, but always dishing out a little affection one way or another. It was Sneers' wife.

"Corey...?" Jane blinked with narrow eyes. "Er...I'm just...drinkin'."

Corey huffed and sat herself next to Jane, a half empty bottle firmly in her grasp.

"There a _problem?_ " Jane grunted with a gulp of her draft. It was rather hoppy and bitter, but Jane was rather in the mood for that taste.

"So now that your old place is gone in a puff of smoke, you're all going to start taking over _this_ place? Is that it?" Corey shot a dagger glare. Jane practically caught said dagger between grit teeth.

"Oh, _fuck_ off...I didn't 'take over' _shit._ "

"If it weren't for you creeps, my husband wouldn't be locked up..." Jane hadn't forgotten that Sneers had been caught up in Jet's illegal doings, and when everything had gone to hell, he'd caught the worst of it, being tossed in prison for his involvement. Some guilt swept over Jane as she recollected what _she_ had done - and gotten away with - under Jet's command, or even how Johnny had avoided the long arm of the law. Sneers had turned out to be scape goat on the Fighters' side of the affair, being arrested along with a few others, some from the Rhinos.

"Your husband knew what he was getting into," Jane advised darkly. "No one made him do _crap,_ he dug his own grave...just like Jet did."

Corey puffed out a dubious laugh through her nostrils.

"So _your_ man gets let off the hook, and _mine_ gets sent off."

"Not my fuckin' problem, lady...I _left_ that shit storm after Jet died, so don't _even_ pin any of that bullshit on me...'Cuz I'm on _your_ damn side: The Fighters were a mistake, and we're all better off without them. Your _husband_ was tryin' to get me to come _back_ , you know."

Corey's nose wrinkled with disdain.

"Yea, that's _right_ ," Jane affirmed her status as the dominant member of this conversation. "So shut the hell up, and piss off."

"They got what was coming to them," Corey growled to herself in some weak counter.

"...Huh?"

"That fucking school, they deserved it. I'm _glad_ someone burned that place down, serves them right for stealing that place from us. Turning it into another vanity project."

Jane took a sip, scratching her ear and staring at Corey with confusion.

"My husband lived a _good_ life, an _honest_ life, before Jack and that damned school corrupted him."

"Uh, _pff_...You mean _Je_ _t_ corrupted-"  
"You stupid _children,_ and your idiotic petnames. _Jack._ That psychotic spick. And to think I used to want my kids to _go_ to that school? And they support a man like _him_?"

Jane was baffled. This woman was just assigning blame left and right.

"SRU? Uh, _yea,_ pretty sure they didn't have anything to-"  
"They're the _cause_ of all this," Corey insisted, staring at Jane like she was an ignorant child. "How could you not...-?" Corey analyzed Jane's authentically puzzled expression before a shocked laugh escaped her. "Ha! So Jack never _told_ you. Well, doesn't _that_ sound just like him?"

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"Back in the day - well, a few years back, you know...-" Corey gulped down the last of her beer. "-...the Freedom Fighters actually _stood_ for what they advertised. Or they _tried_ to, at least. I guess you wouldn't _know_ because you weren't around...But I've been living in this town my whole life. Jack was a troubled young man when he moved into town - after his parents died, you couldn't blame the guy for coming to the Treetop every night, right? But he just kept coming. Every. Single. Night. And my husband - the bartender and manager and all - watched him hollow himself out. Fill that empty inside with booze. The money he was spending on all those drinks? It came from the school - some kind of pittance for him, because his parents had been tight with the administration or some nonsense. That crazy fool was leeching off of the school for a good while there. But my husband - back when he was a _good_ man - he took that prodigal idiot under his wing, gave him work at the Treetop, until once day, he comes bragging about how he's going to start running this program in conjunction with the school: the college funds his organization, pays him so long as he hires student workers."

Jane stomach felt bloated, her aching brain punctured by a needle of truth. So that's why Jack specifically went after students so much in the first place.

Corey continued.

"So that's what Jack did: he hired kids from the school to help him arrange all of that community development _bullshit_ he pretended to care so much for. Fighting for Freedom from 'The _Man_ ,'" Corey waggled air quotes. "Tsh. Load of crap. The _Man_ was the one giving him the money in the first place. It made the school look all _involved_ with Wayward's community, and it gave Jack people to boss around."

_Christ. I used the Freedom Fighters to make myself feel like I was worth something. Looks like something that bastard and I had in common...  
_

"But _'Smellerbee'_..." Corey said the name with disdain. "You know _exactly_ where that fool went. Jack lost his damned mind. Started using his little group for more than just community work. He started letting people from here in town - _not_ the school - do some dirty work."

"Did...Sneers ever tell y-"  
"' _Sneers_ '...?"

"Er, I...I meant...Um...-"

"You never even _knew_ his real name, _did_ you?"

"Uhh..." Jane stared shamefully down at the countertop.

"You don't _deserve_ to know it, if you never even bothered to ask."

Jane snorted bitterly, another drop of guilt dabbed onto the bloody cloth of regret.

 _"You ain't helpin' us? Whadda fuck, Smelly, ya don't-?"_  
 _"Don't_ call _me that! Shit, Sneers, I'm not one of you anymore! My name is_ Jane _. Jane Fitzpatrick."_

_Ugh. Bitch of the Year. I was so damn set on him calling me 'Jane,' but after a whole fucking year of knowing the guy...never even bothered to find out who he really was..._

Jane cleared her throat, running her thumb over her brow.

"But...uhh...Did he ever...tell you what got Jehh-...Jack...so worked up?"

She was haunted by that disturbing glint in Jack's eyes that day they hid the body last fall.

 _"Can't fuckin'_ believe _you, Jet..."_

 _"Hey, listen, Smellerbee,_ he _attacked_ me _, OK?"_

 _"Maybe if you weren't fucking_ stalking _him, he wouldn't have_ done _that! Ya think?" she attacked, eyes wide and tense._

 _"He was_ connected _to them," insisted Jet, slightly hysteric. "I_ know _he was!"_

 _"What fucking_ proof _do you have, Jet?"_

 _"The men who came that night had tattoos_ just _like his."_

 _"That doesn't mean he was_ involved _!"_

 _"But it means he_ knows _them."_

Jane moaned with aggrevation to herself, hunched over on her bar stool. She couldn't decide if the sickness in her stomach came from the alcohol or the memories. _  
_

"Of course he told me," Corey answered Jane's question. "Jack lost his marbles trying to get revenge on the people who killed his parents."

"Y-yea...that's right," Jane affirmed, those terrifyingly obsessed eyes still burned into her brain. "Moron. Died 'cuz of how worked up he got over it...Just couldn't drop it, not even for his own good..."

 _"Ya just_ couldn't _let it go, could ya?" Smellerbee growled, fists clenched, grime wedged in her fingernails. "Couldn't let it the_ fuck _go!" she roared at Jet, kicking her tire again._

"Yea, well..." Corey shook her head thoughtfully. "Took them long enough, but once the college finally realized what Jack was really after, they cut him off. Told him to stay away from campus, leave the students alone, and find a new line of work." _  
_

"Wait..." Jane's brows furrowed with displeased realization. "You mean, so...the school _paid_ to start the Freedom Fighters? And then _cut_ Jack loose once he started wiggin' the fuck out?"

"Exactly. You look damn near out of it, ' _Smelly_ ,' I'm surprised you're keeping up, here."

_{Local Citizen Vandalizes President's Office}_   
_{- Jin Ackland}_

_{This past Monday night, marking the start of the school year, our beloved President Bumi's office received some unwelcome company in the form of offensive graffiti left by a local citizen from Wayward. The graffiti was spray painted across the window of the office and portrayed an offensive message that the President has requested we not share. A security guard stationed that night caught the young man fleeing the scene and identified him as Jack Chavez, founder of a local organization known as the 'Freedom Fighters.' According to Chavez, he had intended to "[..] leave a message telling the president how I feel about the way the administration is being run." Jack refused to comment on specifics, but President Bumi seemed unfazed by his expressive statement. If anything, he seemed humored by it.}_

Jack had never gone into specifics about exactly why he was so pissed off with the school's president. Now Jane understood. _  
_

"I don't...-" Jane growled to herself. It was in ignorance, but also in rage over how that asshole had just been a giant tangle of lies and selfishness, all for the sake of vengeance and a sense of control. " _Grugh._ So _that's_ why he was having us do all of that under-the-table shit...He was going broke."

"This is really an eye-opener for you, huh?" Corey sighed, shaking her head as she knocked her knuckle on the counter, calling for another drink. "How did you _stand_ that creep?"

Jane bit her lip with stubborn regret. The taste of Jack's dry, whiskey breath had been washed clean away some time ago, thankfully. But the wounds of broken trust weren't so easily managed.

"He made me think I was worth caring about," Jane confessed quietly.

"Hmph." Corey was accepting another bottle from the bartender, who she seemed familiar with. "Guess my husband wasn't the only person that spick manipulated..."

"Yea," Jane seethed through her teeth, hoping Jet's fucking _ghost_ would feel her rage and shiver in the afterlife. "Ya know what the saddest fuckin' part of all this is?"

"What's that?"

Jane guzzled down the rest of her drink and wiped her sleeve over her cold lips.

"All this dirty laundry, all this fuckin' bullshit...And then he gets himself _killed._ And for all _that,_ all this... _U_ _gh._ And the bastards that made him lose his grip in the first place? They're still out there. Still fucking _burning damn buildings_ down..."

"Mmph..." Corey fidgeted her hips around in her seat with disdain as she sought comfort. "Notice how that place gets trashed a _month_ after that college buys it out and tries using it to make itself look good."

"Mm?" Jane scratched her head, pushing disheveled bangs to the side.

"SRU has enemies, is what I'm saying. And it's becoming clearer by the day."

"Sure seems that way," Jane dimly acknowledged. Jane couldn't help but consider the idea that Jet - the big puppeteer himself - had been getting his strings pulled the whole time. There was, coming up with conspiracy theories. But after what she had learned about Johnny recently, and the events involving him...It was simply where her mind was going. "So, er...Corey."

"Yea? I confuse you?" Corey grinned with snark, drinking from her second bottle.

" _Ha._ No, but...Jack. Where was he from? His folks, they were killed, right? What, uh...what _happened?_ I could never get him to tell me, exactly..."

Corey shrugged.

"I remember that Jack moaned and groaned over it...damn sap. His family had just moved into Philly, I remember that. Trying to start a new life, and all. Everything went up in flames - literally. Their house was torched while-... _Whoa._ Wait..." Corey's head twisted to her side as she and Jane exchanged baffled looks.

"The Combustion Man," Jane darkly concluded. "Guy who caused this mess here in town? Fucking _bet you_ it's related."

"But... _how?_ "

Jane's solemn confidence withered.

"I...got no clue just yet..." Recognition lit her face. "Hey! But, uhh...You said Jack's folks were 'tight with the administration,' right?"

" _Oh_. Well...yea."

"How?"

"Sorry, I...don't really know the details."

"Gragh..." Jane pounded her palm onto the counter in disappointment. "You _did_ say SRU has enemies, though," Jane clarified, wiggling an index finger up near her face.

"Hmph. Well...look at you, then," Corey muttered with a careful nod. "Guess I had you all wrong, _Smelly_. Smarter than you look."

"Yea." Jane smirked with some pride. "Er, _hey_." A glare. " _What'd_ you just say?"

* * *

"Nah, Bro. Thanks. But we gotta get goin'." Haru waved to Sokka, waiting for his compatriot to wheel across the room.

"Where do _you_ guys have to be?" Sokka mumbled, a bit confused as Teo pushed his wheelchair over to his friend.

"I got a test in the morning," Haru sighed, running his hand over his head.

"Yea, I've got some serious catching up to do for tomorrow, too," Teo lamented. "Been slacking off this weekend."

"Ah. Gotcha." Sokka nodded casually, taking a sip of root beer from his plastic cup. "Well, I'm sure my Sis was happy you guys made it."

"Yea, no problem."  
"It was fun."

Sokka would've enforced the two give Katara a 'Happy Birthday' and a good-bye, but they'd been courteous enough to already do that without his prodding. This was almost not any fun - he was the Big Brother, but what fun was that when everyone was being polite and stuff? No one to put in line.

And yet despite that fact - everyone's courtesy - Katara just...didn't quite seem like herself. The past couple of days in particular, she'd been fairly short-tempered. Whatever was going on between her and Jane, that had to be the source. Her absence at Katara's birthday party served to solidify the notion that whatever the issue was, it was fairly dire.

"You OK?"

"Unh?" Sokka twitched, stirring himself out of his thoughts. He turned to see Ty-Lee, her timid expression of concern set upon a tilted head. "Ha. Yea, I'm good..." He took a swig of soda. "Staying out of trouble?"

Ty-Lee grimaced at the remark, crossing her hands around her waist with a pout.

"I haven't started any _fights,_ if that's what ya mean..."

Sokka sighed at her frown. She really did seem a little torn up over it. She'd been keeping her distance from the group all week, ever since she'd elicited that explosion from Jane. If Sokka were a betting man, he'd put all his chips in on the idea that Ty-Lee could tell Katara was feeling down about Jane's lack of presence, and that she felt responsible for splitting the two up.

"That's good to hear," Sokka dusted her guilt off with some humor. "Good to see you're keeping that _anger and rage_ in check for the sake of the party."

"Ch _yea_ ," Ty-Lee half-heartedly laughed. "I just...-"  
"It's OK, I get it," dismissed Sokka. He wasn't up for some touchy-feely talk right now. "Don't hold it against yourself so much, just...ya know...be more careful."

"Mm." A thoughtful nod.

Sokka nodded her to follow him back to the group.

"You had any cake yet?"

" **Yes~** " Ty-Lee's face lit up. "It was _super yummy_." Well, at least she was easy to please.

"Yea, who made this stuff?" Toph called out from her seat at the daisy chain of tables in Appa's they were occupying. She was working her way through her third slice. "It's friggin' _good._ I mean... _fuck_. So good." Aang laughed at her enthusiasm while she munched down another bite.

" _I_ did, actually," Suki boasted from her seat down the line. She smiled with some satisfaction while Toph's chewing slowed to a stop.

"You bake?" came Zuko from across the table from Suki. He seemed surprised.

"A little bit on the side, here and there," Suki humbled herself. "I'm not really that good at it."

"Could've fooled _me_ ," Zuko muttered, impressed with what he'd just eaten.

"Yea, this is delicious," Mai complimented from beside Zuko.

Ty-Lee inserted herself into the empty space between Suki and while Sokka approached the table they had set aside for food. The two-liter soda bottles were practically empty by now, with only a bit of Pepsi left. As Sokka watched Bolin pour himself a cup, the Pepsi bottle joined its fallen brothers. The cake was nearly depleted, as well, with only about three or four slices worth residing on the pan.

Sokka took a moment to appreciate the crowd of happy folks lined up across multiple tables shoved together. Everyone was laughing, chatting, smiling, eating, drinking, and being merry. Except for the girl sitting at the head of the table to his right, anyway. She was looking down in her lap at her cellphone with distant eyes and a neutral expression.

[From: Meng]  
[u better be havin a good bday kat! -hugz-]  
[Sent: 8:48pm]

She sighed, not bothering to reply to this text, and closed the phone, dropping it beside her plate of half-eaten cake. Sokka noticed this, and approached her.

"Hey, Sis. You need anything?"

She blinked, her eyes widening, and she looked up at him, straightening herself up.

"Huh? No, I'm fine," she assured him with courtesy.

"Not hungry?" Sokka wondered, tipping his head to her unfinished cake, which was only her first slice.

"Yea, I'm...pretty full," Katara explained. "It's good, though." They exchanged analytical looks for a moment, reading each other before Sokka sat at her side and across from Aang.

"'Ey, Snoozles, _finally_ come back, huh? Took ya forever. You get me some o' the Good Doctor or did you forget?"

Sokka's concern for his sister was carefully placed aside for a moment as he remembered why he'd gotten up in the first place.

"Nah, no dice, Dead-Eyes, we're all outta soda."

"Al _ready_?"

"Maybe if _Bolin_ saved some for everybody else..." Mako shot his brother an irritated glare.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy!" Bolin attested, passing off Mako's scolding with humor.

"You're fuckin' _twenty-six_ , Bo," Korra teased with an amused smirk. "Besides, I'm _pretty_ sure pop doesn't make you grow up so much."

"I'm sorry, ' _pop_?'" Bolin jeered, propping a hand to his ear. "What is this ' _pop_ ' of which you speak? I do believe ' _soda_ ' was the form of beverage we were referring to."

As the trio bickered jokingly, and Zuko answered Suki's questions relating to his own history with the hobby of coffee and tea crafting, Toph thumped her fingertips against the table, drumming out a rhythm to herself with some impatience.

Aang seemed to be enjoying himself well enough, but he'd been kind of quiet tonight, too, clearly uncertain as to how to approach Katara's subdued melancholy.

"So..." Sokka nodded to himself with contemplation. "We wanna start the movie here in a bit? Probably wanna do that soon before people get _too_ tired..."

"Sure," Katara complacently agreed, eyeballing the front counter of Appa's across the way.

"OK." Sokka's insides crawled at his sibling's far-off demeanor. She hadn't been actively _depressed,_ just uncharacteristically reserved, with hints of solemn silence. "You want to come pick a movie while I set things up?" he offered. She shrugged, pulling herself up from the table and following him to the side room of Appa's where the pool table and flat screen resided.

As Sokka began plugging his Playstation 3 up to the TV, Katara sifted her hand with apathy through the pile of DVDs and Blurays in Sokka's backpack before giving up, her eyes cold and unfocused. As Sokka finished setting the TV up, he noticed his forlorn sister and gave pause.

"Uh...How about 'Rent', huh?" Sokka suggested. "Yea? That's a musical. You like that one." No response. "Or...or maybe 'Stranger Than Fiction'? Didn't you say that was one of your favorites, and...-?"

Katara's eyes rolled up to her brother with a look that read, _Please stop talking._

Sokka swallowed hard and stood in silence for a moment or two.

"I'm...really sorry, Katara," he eked out. "I honestly thought...that she would show."

"She _didn't_ ," Katara snipped, her nostrils flared.

"Right...W-well, lots of _other_ folks _did,_ right? So, how about we just try and forget all that stuff for now. Huh?"

"Mm..."

"Katara?" She wasn't responding, just standing still, head bobbed. He approached her slowly.

"What did I _do_?" Katara whispered to him, her mind letting itself slip into the pit of thoughts she'd been hiding from her brother. She glared at him with intense eyes that flickered like candles in the wind. "H-how could I...have made the same mistakes...?" Her teeth clenched tight and she forced a sob to stay inside, letting her head drop onto Sokka's shoulder. Her hugged her tightly, giving her a moment to push out these self-doubts, get some of that crap out of the way so he could try inserting something better.

"You didn't make any mistakes, Katara," Sokka calmly pressed. "Jane's-...Well, I don't know. But she's a damned fool to leave behind a good thing. I'm sure it wasn't you."

"It's _always_ me," Katara hissed, eyes squinted shut as she wallowed in self-loathing. Sokka struggled to prevent himself from rolling his eyes at her drama. She needed him to bear with her for a moment, here, and he was going to oblige. "I'm too... _clingy. Needy. Controlling_...You know how I get, Sokka..."

"Er..." _Is this one of those moments where I'm supposed to agree, 'cuz you_ are _right on that, or disagree, because...that's what you want to hear, or...?_

"Toph even said so."

" _What_?" Sokka grumbled, irate that Toph, of all people, would criticize his sister's social habits. "Screw that, don't listen to her."

"No, but...she's _right,_ I can be...that way."

"Katara, I'm _pretty_ sure that the real reason Jane's ignoring us has to do with all that bullcrap with that gang. _Not_ you."

Katara's head bobbed from side to side begrudgingly as she broke off from her brother's hug.

"Mmph," she snorted. "But...Why is she still hanging out with Korra?"

Sokka shrugged, scratching his hairy chin.

"Maybe if I hadn't...-" Katara's fingers clamped over her forehead.  
"No, let's just...stop that," Sokka insisted calmly, grabbing her wrist and removing her hand from her face. "C'mon, Sis. Let's just let this stuff go for right now. OK?"

Katara's brows arched down, frustrated by what she perceived to be her brother dismissing her feelings. Examining his face, though, she made sense of it - even he was upset about the situation. And her dwelling on it was only making it worse, because seeing his little sister getting so hurt and upset, and there was nothing he could do about it...that probably wasn't doing anything good for Sokka. He'd worked to get this party set up, inviting everyone and coordinating with his boss so they'd have space in the restaurant, and here she was, wallowing in pity and regret instead of trying to enjoy the people who _were_ there.

"You're right," Katara nodded solemnly, pressing back her depression. "Thanks, _Bro._ "

"No problem. Now pick a _movie_ already."

"Heh. Yes, _Sir._ "

"I'm gonna round everyone up."

"Sounds good."

Sokka approached the table, observing the mess laid upon it.

"Meat-Head? That you?"

Sokka looked down at Toph's interest, her face twisted to her left. She had traces of frosting spattered across her lips. Charming.

"Yea, er...lemme get that for ya," Sokka offered, scooping up her waste, collecting his own, and disposing of it. Clapping his hands together, he called out to he lot of them. "Yo! People! Movie goin' on in a minute, here. Let's tidy up and relocate." A bustle of commotion, laughter, trash being dumped. Toph got herself up from her seat, drumming her fingers on the wooden chair as those around her filed along.

"You need any help?" Aang offered, having noticed Toph didn't have her cane on her - an oddly recurring theme lately.

"Uh, nah," Toph replied, still unmoving.

"OK." Aang started walking off, following the rest, but kept his eye on Toph as Sokka approached her.

"Hey, you coming?" he asked. Toph extended her hand, and Sokka rolled his eyes. He walked behind her, gripping her shoulders and prying her body from the chair, whirling it sideways.

" _Erk_! Hey! What's the deal?" Toph growled out, struggling to not trip over herself as she was pushed ahead.

" _I'm_ not your escort," Sokka advised with some snark. "Maybe you should stop forgetting your stick all the time, since you're supposed to be Miss Independent, right?"

Aang smirked at the grumpy pout that formed on Toph's face as Sokka pushed her from behind. Hm. Interesting.

"Hiya, Hun..."

Aang's attention was swooped away from his friends and to Katara and she let out a gentle whimper, slipping her arms around his waist and enclosing him in her grip. He smiled with sympathy, knowing full well what was wrong, and kissed her head. He watched as Sokka and Bolin grabbed one side of the pool table, Korra and Mako on the other, and the lot of them lifted it back to a corner of the area, making space

"Hey," Aang whispered back to her while the others began pulling chairs into a makeshift mini theater.

"So..." Katara took a shaky breath, and Aang recognized that she was recovering from some stifled emotional ventilation. "After the party's done...you think we could spend time together?"

"Of course, it's your birthday."

"Oh...I-I mean, if you don't _want_ to we don't need to, but...I was thinking more, like...you know... _alone_ time."

Aang gave her an amused look, lips curving up.

"Snogging time," he clarified.

"Yes. That," Katara snickered quietly, with Sokka bellowing out for everyone to quiet down.

" _Gee,_ I dun _no_ ," Aang coyly teased, pulling her wavy hair together behind her back. "Why would I ever _want_ to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world? Who wants to do _that_? Obviously, I'd _only_ do it out of obligation."

Katara rolled her eyes at his facetious picking and clasped his jawline with her fingertips, kissing him twice on the lips.

"-off all cell phones and refrain from any **OOGIES** unless you are the birthday girl."

"Or her boyfriend," Aang called out, and Katara nuzzled her face against his chest with a relaxing sigh.

"Uhhh...I _guess_ that's OK," Sokka conceded with a flick of his wrist. "Now, then. Tonight's picture is...uh...-" Sokka frantically searched around his game console, confused as to the whereabouts of the case Katara had set beside it.

"Whatever this is!" Toph finished his sentence, flaunting the case above her head. Sokka swiped it from her and flicked her in the forehead with his middle finger before sliding the disc into the loading tray.

" _This_ being 'Rent,' a musical tale of...er...AIDS." Awkward silence. " _And-friendship-and-love!_ "

"Also, drugs," Toph piped up.

"Bohemia!" Bolin cried.

"Lighting candles," Korra slipped in a sly remark to Mako, elbowing him with a grin. He was staring down into his lap, however, distracted by his phone.

"~Bisexuals, trisexuals, _ho-mo-sap-i-ens_ ~" sang out Toph.

"What's a _tri_ sexual?" Ty-Lee asked Mai.

"Uh-oh," Zuko sighed. "This movie might give Ty-Lee ideas..."

" _Heeyyyy,_ I'm a good girl," Ty-Lee whimpered.

" _Sure_ you are," Mai playfully agreed with a smirk. Zuko offered an open palm to her, and she slapped her hand against his while Ty-Lee's lower lip puckered out with embarrassment.

Suki, left of Ty-Lee, looked on at this conversation with a disturbed expression as Sokka, having just started the movie, wedged Toph into a seat a row back, beside Bolin.

"'Ey, howdy," Bolin greeted, extending his hand, to which he received no response but a deadpan, aimless glare. Bolin 'smoothly' looped his hand up and through his hair. "Crazy party goin' on here, am I right?"

"Pretty pedestrian, actually," replied Toph, squirming in her seat with discomfort as she heard Sokka sit down in the row ahead, laughing at something Suki had said from his side.

"Ah, well..." Bolin shrugged , hunched over casually, his broad elbows set on his knees. "Sometimes some mellow relaxation is good for the soul, am I right?"

 _No. You are_ not _right. So stop saying that, weirdo. Go away._

Bolin was off-put by Toph, who didn't seem to care much for what he was saying, and was picking out her nose with her pinky. He cringed at this and looked over to Korra, who was shaking her head at Toph with some disgust.

\+ www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=hj7LRuusFqo +

"Mako," Korra turned to her right to get Mako's attention, but he was absorbed in tapping a text message into his smartphone. "Hey, _no cellphones_ on," she whispered at him as the room filled with slow piano from the beginning of the film. Mako merely twisted his torso a bit, blocking her view.

"Yea, no _texting_ ," Zuko agreed in a hushed tone, leaning over to glare at Ty-Lee, who sheepishly winced with guilt as she rapidly finished her message and sent it off, closing her phone and tucking it inbetween her legs.

"So, this movie is...about _AIDS_?" Suki whispered over Sokka's shoulder.

"W-well, that's-...It was kind of a joke."

"Seems like a pretty insensitive joke," Suki remarked sharply, a quick stab of the dagger into Sokka's side.

"I don't get it," Zuko grumbled, lifting up a hand to the screen, which portrayed a row of people under spotlights, singing on a stage. "Is this a movie about theater performers, or...-?"

"Just watch it, Zuko," Mai patted his lap with a brow raised and a smirk.

"But why are they singing about random everyday things and numbers...?"

"Don't think so hard about it, 'kay? Just relax for a change."

As sweeping harmonies overcame the room, Zuko leaned back in his seat and smiled, wrapping his hand around Mai's.

Ty-Lee gazed with adoration at the characters on screen as specific elements of the film she recollected reminded her of her own wishes for the future.

Bolin smoothly sang along, one arm nonchalantly draped over the back of his chair. Korra laughed at him - that charming laugh through closed lips that went " _Hm-hm-hm_ " that Bolin adored. Mako still stared down at his phone, seeming to tune out everything around him, though a small smile was teased out by whatever he was reading.

Toph hummed along, hands crossed over her waist, her eyes glazed over with longing.

Sokka's loafer tapped in beat to the song and he slapped his hand against the opposite leg in tandem, to which Suki frowned and asked him to stop.

Aang was clapping along as the rhythm picked up, and Katara was endeared as she watched him attempt to get her to join in.

"~Remember the... **love** ~" sang Aang, his pitch a bit off, but his intent sincere. He and Katara sat side by side in the front row of chairs. "~Remember the... **love** ~" He leaned against her, still clapping and singing. "~Remember the... **love** ~" Katara giggled as his determination pressed on despite his faltering notes. "~Measure your life in luhh- _ **uhhhhh** -_!" His voice screeched and cracked comically, and he completely failed to imitate the song's peaking note. Choking on his own failure, he and Katara laughed with each other, but he'd won her over, and she sang along with the last portion of the song.

"~Seasons of **love**...Measure your life; Measure your life in love~"

* * *

\- Monday, April 11th, 2011 -

["Ty-Lee, that is _nonsense_. What would _possibly_ make me _want_ such tragedy to befall that piddling town? I have no investment in it one way or another as it is, but...at least it _strangely_ seems to offer some kind of solace to _you_ fools."]

Ty-Lee grinned at the way Azula quite indirectly expressed some kind of happiness for the few friends she possessed. That was something Ty-Lee consistently found fascinating and engaging about Azula: the woman talked almost in circles, as if intentionally attempting to confuse you. Ty-Lee often let herself get swept in the odd bafflement that was Azula-Talk. It left her dizzy, spinning - sometimes even queasy - like a verbal roller coaster. Not to mention that Azula managed to keep Ty-Lee guessing with her sharp wits and cool under fire mannerisms; Azula was the only person Ty-Lee consistently interacted with who seemed resistant to her micro-expression lie-detecting sensibilities.

" _Hee._ Yea. You miss it here, doncha?"

[" _Hardly._ That school was nothing but a waste of time. I learned nothing of use there. Classes cannot teach one to be a _leader_."]

"Hm...But I thought there's all sorts of classes for that kind of thing?"

["There are. And they are pointless. Leaders are _born._ You are either gifted with the natural talents to lead, or you are not. Few possess those traits, and the rest end up being the sheep we shepherd."]

"Ummm..." Curled in her bed, her phone on speaker beside her, Ty-Lee tapped her lips thoughtfully. "So I'm a sheep, then."

["...Mm..."] Aha. Azula seemed hesitant to agree all of a sudden.

"Right? That makes me a sheep. To be shepherd... _ed._ "

["Technically, yes. Yes, it does."]

Ty-Lee smirked at this grumbling reply.

"So, then, Mai's a sheep, too? And Zuko, also?"

["I-...Hmph. Mai, yes. Mai suffers from a lack of aspiration. She has no _goals,_ no ambition. A leader cannot exist without those qualities, they comprise the river that rotates the water-wheel."]

"... _Huh_? You're soundin' a bit like your Uncle," chuckled Ty-Lee.

["Rrmmm...Nevermind. As for _Zuko -_ you see, this is precisely what irks me so much about that pathetic brother of mine. He is of the Kurosawa bloodline. He possesses our family's drive for success. He hungers for perfection - just as I do. And yet, he casts those valued attributes upon idiotic endeavors, fictitious ideals that could never exist. Zuko, you see, is a deluded shepherd who resides amongst the sheep rather than directing them, as is the appointed destiny of the Kurosawa clan."]

"Mmm..." Ty-Lee let out a dubious hum at this.

["What is it?"]

"It's just that...you're starting to sound like one of those weird Japanese cartoons - you know, those ones Mai watches some times?"

["Erk-...? _Silence!_ "]

Ty-Lee was beaming at her small victory in riling up the ever-vigilant and dire Azula Kurosawa.

" ** _Jeee-eeez,_ ** Azula. You're worse than ZuZu with how serious you are! Like, just...chill out! I'm only teasing. Haha."

["Mmph."]

"Be _sides,_ just because your brother doesn't think like you do, like...that doesn't mean he can't be a leader."

["Zuko is constantly yammering on and on about equality, and peace, and a fantastical notion that everyone should coexist together in precious _harmony_."]

"Rrrrrright. Soooo...How is that a _bad_ thing?"

["It's a fool's errand, Ty-Lee. That simply isn't how the world _works._ People do not _want_ peace, they do not _want_ to be blended together into an amalgamation. That is why the world is divided into countries, and states. The laws of nature dictate that life is _not_ created equal. All manner of species exist. Some consume others and rule over them. It is the way things _are._ "]

"But...weren't you just saying that people are like sheep? Wouldn't that mean that they _are_ all just...like...a bunch of the same thing lumped tog-"  
["Don't be foolish! There are different types of herds to be watched over, and different shepherds to oversee each herd."]

"Uhhh...OK," Ty-Lee sighed. "You're losing me a bit, Azula. I think you're overthinking this stuff. It's not good for you."

["...You think so?"] Azula mumbled in a rare moment of thoughtful hesitation. ["But I can't be complacent, Ty-Lee. I'm managing quite a lot on a daily basis. I have to look at the big picture _and_ be capable of micro-managing. It's quite demanding. It is my _job_ to overthink everything."]

"Azula." Ty-Lee's face flickered with affectionate sympathy. "I _know_ that, silly. Maybe I can...umm...be a bit slow sometimes," she squeaked out, "but we've been talking a _lot_ lately, and I'm not dumb."

["You are a _little_ bit,"] Azula picked slyly. Ty-Lee could picture the smarmy little smirk on her friend's face with ease.

"That was mean," Ty-Lee whimpered.

["I was _joking,_ Ty-Lee."]

" **I know** , heehee."

["Insufferable. You are quite insufferably childish."]

"That's why we balance each other out so well!"

["I suppose..."]

" _Aaaaaanyway~_...I _know_ how concerned you are about your job. I know it's getting to you. And...I know that you're trying to work things out, too..." Ty-Lee's finger was twirling around her ponytail while she solemnly considered the situation. "I just get worried some times that you might end up like your dad."

["You're sounding like ZuZu."]

"But he's _right_ , Azula. Nobody wants to see that happen."

["I don't see why it's such a horrible prospect to rise-"]  
"Your dad's in _jail_!"

That managed to keep Azula quiet for a moment.

"Don't you _get_ that?" growled Ty-Lee, her hand now tugging at her intricate braid. " _Why_ do you care so much about following his footsteps? Why can't you _let go_ of that stuff? Just because you want your daddy's approval doesn't mean it's _good_ for you."

["This isn't about what I _want_ , Ty-Lee, or what is good or bad. This is about what I am meant to do."]

"Sounds like a fancy way of saying you're giving in."

["Then what do _you_ propose? Hm? My choices are rather _limited,_ here."]

"That's just 'cuz you're not opening your eyes... _You're_ the boss now. Do what _you_ want, not what you _dad_ wanted. I mean, c'mon, Azula, even _I_ get it, and I'm supposed to be _stupid,_ right?"

["I _said_ I was joking."]

"And _I'm_ saying that I think you need to stop worrying so much about everybody _else,_ what they think, and getting them to do what you want. Why can't _you_ do what you want for a change?"

["I'm not in a position where I can afford to be _selfish._ "]

"It's-! _Ugh._ It's not being _selfish_ , it's...being _you._ "

["All right! Fine! If it will quiet you, then I concede to your argument."]

"I'm not...-! I wasn't... _arguing._ Everything's not a _debate_..." A deep sigh was heaved out. "I care about you. Ya know?"

["Mm."]

 _Don't you care about_ us _, Azula? Your brother, your uncle, Mai...What about me? Is it really so hard to tell me you care about_ me?

"Like, seriously. Maybe it seems like everyone's just being pushy lately, Azula, but...it's 'cuz we all love you."

["So you've _said_..."] _Stop being such a_ _bitch_ , _Azula! Argh._ ["That's quite flowery and sentimental, but it doesn't solve problems. Not mine, not my Brother's, nor my Uncle's...and it _certainly_ doesn't solve problems like that pyromaniac running amuck."]

"B-but...It still gives you a _reason_ to solve stuff...Right?"

["Yes, yes, fine,"] Azula brushed off Ty-Lee's goading for some kind of emotional reaction.

"Anyway, speaking of that crazy creepazoid, you didn't answer my _question._ "

["What question?"]

"Aren't you gonna do anything to stop him?"

["The 'Combustion Man?'"]

" _Yes._ "

["I already explained, Ty-Lee, that is completely out of my control. He has no affiliation with us, which has been the case for quite some time."]

"So there's nothing you can do?"

[" _No,_ he is a madman wanted by the _law._ Therefore, the proper authorities can handle the situation, as I understand they are doing. I've informed federal agents about what little information I was able to decipher about the man. With them looking for him, and his appearance now known to the public, I'm certain he's going to be laying low for a while."]

"I hope you're right..."

["Now, then."] A pause.

"...Yea?"

["Were there more questions you intended to pry at me with?"]

"Umm...I guess not..."

[" _Good_. Then before I leave, I _suppose_ it would do well to advise you that I will, in fact, be visiting that repulsive town this weekend to take care of some business matters."]

"Here? With the school?"

["Correct."]

"You know, we're having a dance this weekend - everybody's going. It's a Roaring Twenties kind of thing."

["Yes, I...was aware of this."]

"Huh? You mean, you're gonna go with us?"

["To be completely honest, I haven't-"]  
" _Heehee,_ Azula, being completely honest?"  
[" _Quiet!_ "] Azula rapidly hissed, carrying on. ["I haven't informed Zuko or Mai of my impending arrival, you see."]

Ty-Lee's eyes narrowed and she smiled, rolling onto her back.

_Because you're afraid they'd tell you to not bother coming, right?_

["We haven't been on talking terms, I'm sure you're aware."]

"Soooo...You want me to ask Mai and Zuko if it's OK for you go to the dance with all of us?" _  
_

["Of course not,"] Azula huffed. ["That's not what I had in mind."]

"Mm- _hm._ "

["Don't you give me that brusque _nonsense,_ Ty-Lee."]

"Of **course** not. I would _never~_ "

["Do people ever inform you of how frustratingly uncooperative you are?"]

"~All the time~"

["I'm trying to explain myself! Cease your silly singing at once!"]

"~La-la-la; This is the **Annoying Azula-la-la** Song~"

["You immature, incurable little prostitute! _Silence!_ "]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corey is the SRU interpretation of 'Kori,' a character in The Promise comics, who we find out in Part 2 is Sneers' girlfriend.


End file.
